Santee Cooper SC????

[JacobRobinson]

I have never fished this lake. I was thinking about going down at the end of March when i have some down time. Whats the best way of going about catching pre-spawn bass down there?
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[Clydefisher]

Good luck getting info.

we are headed to Santee (Monks Corner) from Ohio on the 25th of March. So far... the only info I've been able to find on line... Watch your water temp. - The warmer the better. Look for shallow / flats within 20 yards of deeper water.

1/2 Oz rattle traps - Some folks like a little red on those traps.

Sinkos (weightless) in the hatchery. ( I perfer carolina rigged slow drag) - spinner baits - yadda yadda yadda...

Hey wait a minute... That's the same advise I'd give someone headed to Ohio for prespawn. LOL

One post on another site said they used those Infomercial "flying lures" to get deep into cyprus root systems... That might work too.

This will be my 2nd and last year if we don't "get on em".

Last year we fished day 1 in a steady rain (ALL DAY LONG) - no fish

Day 2 we were blown all over the lake - 30 nots (as in Knots catching any fish)

Day 3 was beautiful and the wildest thing I've ever had happen to me on the water.

Hooked up a nice LM 5+ - It got wrapped around a log - just as I was ready to run my hand down the line to rescue the only bass I'd had on in 3 days... A dagg gone alligator NAILED my bass!

Then... I had an alligator hooked! My buddy wouldnt let me boat him... But it was a day to remember! (but no fish)

All in all - Santee Cooper was beautiful and a heck of alot better than cold wet Ohio!

Good luck!
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[garland7]

Both Prespawn and Spawn patterns shoud be working. I think working around spawning areas down to about the 8-12ft. range. Use some topwaters ( early depending on the sky ), Spinnerbaits, and some craknkbaits ( vary your retrieve ), and don't forget a carolina rig. One or all should serve you well. Another thing if you haven't done so, check out the fishing reports on various sites ( fishin.com,bassdozer etc.) for patterns that may be happening. Good luck and great fishin!
garland7 ([url "mailtoupport@tlcoutdoorsonline.com"]support@tlcoutdoorsonline.com[/url] )
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[JacobRobinson]

I actually fished the tournament today. It was terrible conditions. Not many people weighed fish (myself included). I got bit ALOT, i just couldnt get a good hook set to save my life. The water temp was 60 degrees and blue bird skies. The bites that i did have were in open water which i thought was really wierd. I just tossed my spinnerbait out in to open water and immediately hooked up with a 4 pounder. Got her to the boat and she threw the hook. I got 5 more strikes in the same area but no fish. Bad day.
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[garland7]

Glad you got to fish! Sorry the results weren't better, but we all have those. If it wasn't a tourney, probably i would have stayed home. You did great though, kept plugging away! Those fish in the open water were around some type of structure or cover, waiting to start the spawn. You May have missed it a day , or a week or two, but you were on the right track! Keep pluggin! good fishin!
garland7 [url "mailtoupport@tlcoutdoorsonline.com"]support@tlcoutdoorsonline.com[/url]
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[JacobRobinson]

These fish werent around any structure at all. They were about 50 yards away from a point suspended under some bait fish. There were a few bucks running the shore too. The guy that won was apperently sight fishing. said he caught all of his fish in less than 2 feet of water on beds. The big fish was an 11.9 pounder that didnt have a tail because of spawning. It was a strange day for sure. Ive never fished a tournament that was that tough before.
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