Santee Cooper Midday Update
Day 1
One angler is throwing an Alabama Rig, and 50 yards away another angler is sight-fishing – that pretty much sums up the fishing at Santee Cooper right now. From A-rigs to sight-fishing and everything in between, a lot of patterns and baits are in play.
The water temperature started at 60 degrees this morning in the backwater ponds where anglers were trolling the banks looking for beds. JT Kenney was in the thick of it with four keepers early from beds. Conditions were warm and windless – of the Chamber of Commerce variety.
Bed-fishing is a viable option right now, but the lake is so high and muddy it makes it difficult to do. The water is flooded way back in the grass and woody cover, giving bass plenty of area to spawn in water that is inaccessible by anglers. Water clarity in the very back of the ponds is workable for sight-fishing, but anywhere near the main lake is still stained in the shallows. As a result, anglers are fishing the flooded grass along the banks with Senkos, Speed Worms, spinnerbaits and swim jigs.
Local pro Marc Deschenes was busy putting together a nice bag of bass by fishing out a little deeper in staging areas. Nearby, Joey Romano had just boated a nice keeper as well. And behind them, Bryan Thrift could be seen adding a pretty good chunk into his livewell. That was Thrift’s fourth fish of the day.
Other reports indicated Casey O’Donnell had sacked up 17 1/2 pounds by mid-morning.
The weather is perfect, and fish are being caught, so the weigh-in should be pretty eventful this afternoon.
LIVE weigh-in starts at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Click here to see photos of anglers in action.