| Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie are where | | | | 40s, guides and local anglers have sunk their |
| crappie, largemouth, striper and monster | | | | own structure to create their personal honey |
| catfish are hunted by anglers in the know | | | | holes. Consequently, it only takes a short |
| when they take to the water in South | | | | run by boat to find productive water. |
| Carolina. There is plenty of room for all | | | | |
| comers; Marion covers 110,000 acres while | | | | If you hire a guide you can expect to pay for |
| Moultrie weighs in at 60,400 acres. | | | | it. Unless you've got very deep pockets you |
| | | | might want to consider using a guide the |
| Now, these lakes weren't always what they are | | | | first day to get a feel for the lay of the |
| now. As a matter of fact, they were not there | | | | water and then take it from there for the |
| at all. They were created when the Santee | | | | rest of your trip. |
| River and the Cooper River were dammed. This | | | | |
| occurred in the 1940s and as little as twenty | | | | For two people you can expect to pony up $150 |
| years later the lakes had already gained a | | | | to $280 depending on if you furnish your own |
| reputation as a crappie fishing hot spot. | | | | bait/lures and tackle or leave that up to the |
| | | | guide. Accordingly, the fee for 6 people can |
| Types of Fish in the Santee Cooper Arena | | | | be as steep as $480. So you see, how much you |
| | | | rely on the guide service or your own |
| Of course it's become a haven for trophy | | | | adventuresome spirit determines how you |
| Crappie, or "papermouths", as they are | | | | structure your trip. |
| commonly referred to. But don't be surprised | | | | |
| if you reel in a monster catfish. These range | | | | When and Where to Fish for Crappie |
| from five pounders up to fifty pounds, | | | | |
| rivaling anything caught in the Mississippi | | | | Although crappie can be caught year round, |
| or anywhere else for that matter. Try putting | | | | the most productive time starts in early |
| one of those babies in your pan. | | | | March and ends in mid December. Crappie have |
| | | | their temperature comfort zone and they try |
| But crappies are what we are talking about | | | | to stick to it while staying in structure. |
| and the best way to fill the boat with | | | | This has them moving deeper and the |
| keepers. This won't be hard to do in these | | | | temperatures fall and then moving back closer |
| two lakes if you can just find them. | | | | to shore as spring approaches. |
| | | | |
| How to find Keeper Crappie | | | | As the weather warms, crappie start getting |
| | | | ready for spawning. They spawn in structure |
| Crappie like to hang out in and around | | | | in the shallow water, depositing eggs in |
| underwater structure. If you are not familiar | | | | structure for the safety of the eggs and the |
| with the Santee Cooper lakes, consider using | | | | subsequent minnows. After depositing the eggs |
| a fish finder to reveal underwater structure. | | | | they will move back into slightly deeper |
| The lakes are fairly dense with it. In the | | | | water. |
| first place, the damming of the rivers and | | | | |
| subsequent flooding left plenty of growth | | | | Once they begin spawning, the best place to |
| underwater. In addition to that, since the | | | | fish is where permanent grass might be found. |