Santee Cooper Crappie Fishing Secrets

Santee Cooper is a great place to go crappie fishing. Many anglers visit this area just for the great fishing opportunities. It covers such a large area that the problem anglers often run into is where to begin their fishing adventure.

However, since there are so many great places to go fishing you can basically start anywhere you would like. To make things easier it's recommended that you pick up a map of the area. They will provide you with a lot of information that will prove to be very useful. These will show you where the deepest parts of the lake or rivers are located and provide you with access points along with other useful information.

One of the best ways to learn the area is with a depth finder. Some of the newer models can even print out a map as you travel across the water. This would be the most accurate and easiest way to find the structures where the crappie will be located. Using this type of modern equipment will give you a permanent record that you can continue to use each time you go crappie fishing.

You can also hire a guide service to take you out on the water. This has several advantages such as finding the hotspots right away and they will know which baits work the best in each location. Many of these services have all the latest equipment to help make your fishing trip the most productive that it can be.

Where to Fish for Crappie

The crappie fishing is usually best during the early morning and late evening hours. You probably won't get a lot of bites during the middle of the day when the sun is at its brightest. However, on days when it slightly raining or when it's overcast the crappie fishing is usually excellent. The Santee Cooper Lake system has several lakes and rivers where the crappie fishing is always good.

Some of these are listed below.

Here are a few of the great Santee Cooper crappie fishing locations:

Lake Marion
Lake Moultrie
Congaree River
Wateree River
Lake Hartwell

With approximately four hundred and fifty miles of shoreline and seven hundred fifty billion gallons of combined water you can see why it would be an excellent place to go crappie fishing. The bodies of water provide the prefect environment for them to grow and multiply.

Take the time to learn as much as you can about the area where you are fishing. If you use baits that are similar to the natural food source of the crappie you will have better results. Normally, the best baits you can use will be live minnows because this is the crappies favorite food. However, this is not always possible. When you can't use live minnows, it's recommended that you use jigs that resemble the natural food source as close as possible.

You can go crappie fishing anytime of the year although they will be the most aggressive during the spawning season. This is the time when you can greatly increase the number of crappie you'reel in and when they will put up the most resistance.