6/14/07

Fishing good for several species
By Terry Madewell

One week we talk about a cooling and refreshing rain, the next week we’re under the blazing hot South Carolina sun and high humidity. Summertime is here and the fish are beginning to revert to their summertime patterns.

For most anglers that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it might even make fishing success a bit more consistent. The fish will begin to show up in the traditional summertime places. The largemouth bass bite had slowed a bit but recent reports indicate it has perked back up. The fishing has started to turn on in the Santee River as well.

The catfish and bream action is also good on both lakes right now.

The largemouth bass seem to be settling into more predictable summertime patterns. Heavy cover, points and drops are all beginning to produce. However, early and late in the day, some good success is being reported in shallow water areas as well. The largemouth bass fishing continues to be productive with a number of different lures producing good results. Top water lures, such as buzz baits, Tiny Torpedos and the Devil Horse are producing some excellent catches. In addition, plastic worms, crank baits and spinner baits have all taken good catches of bass. The largemouth are being taken in a variety of depths of water from shallow down to fifteen feet deep. Many anglers have done extremely well with plastic worms in shallow water, especially around woody cover.

Some good catches of nice bass have been made in the river recently, with worms and top water lures producing most of the action there.

The overall action on catfish is still very good as well, with blues, flatheads and channel catfish all being taken. Drifting cut bait along the ledges or fishing flat lines in the shallows near the drops is taking the blues. The flatheads are generally being taken by anchoring and fishing on or near the bottom with live herring or other forms of live bait.

I’ve talked to several anglers using stink bait and they’re making big catches of good-sized blue catfish and assorted sizes of channel catfish. Big numbers of fish are being caught with some big sized fish caught as well. The action in the Santee River is good, but has not turned on red-hot as yet. However that action should get red-hot soon.

The bream action is still good although the fish are scattered. You’ll need to stay on the move for the most part and catch a few nice fish from one place, then the action will slow, so you’ll need to move along. Crickets and worms are top live baits and flyrod and popping bugs and small beetle spins are the most productive artificial lures, based on numerous reports.

The crappie fishing is fair but the fish have made a move back to deeper water where they should be caught in good numbers for the next several weeks. Anglers using either jigs or minnows are making good catches.

Fishing along the South Carolina coast is still excellent with numerous reports of redfish and flounder being taken on both live and artificial baits. The flounder fishing has been best by trolling in the Charleston and Myrtle Beach areas, based on recent reports. Offshore the dolphin, tuna and Wahoo continue to be taken in good numbers.