Fishing santee with captain Darryl

[catfishrus]

Waves on the santee posted by captain darrly
We get waves like this on a normal rough day on the windward sides of the lakes. In the video the waves where 6+ foot. Normal days at Santee on the Lower Lake (Lake Moultrie) we generally have 1 foot chop on the water. The Upper Lake (lake Marion) depending on the wind direction, I have seen 17+ foot waves. Open water 1-2 foot chop if west winds on the lower end, but generally 1 foot or less waves. When you are on Santee system you really need to keep up with the weather. Have a Marine VHF Radio on your boat. It has a weather channels that you can listen to a weather report close to were ever you are on the lakes. WATCH the sky. Plus I have the Weather on my Cell Phone. It cost $4 a month. You can look at live active radars where ever you are in the USA. It is one of my most important tools! If you see a storm brewing, don't wait and see were it is going, RUN!!!!!!! I have seen 8 water spouts and several tornado's here. Don't be scared to come fish here, just use common since! be safe.

[catfishrus]

Posted by the captain

You know the old weathermen are much different from todays meteorologists now days. When we had weathermen they looked outside at the sky, some got in planes and flew around and they watch all the little signs like woolly worms, tree branches, squirrels tails, clouds, sunrise, sunstes, and then all there instrument's before they made a prediction on the weather. Now days I think they just set in a room and look at a computer!!!!!!!!
Now days if you listen to a meteorologists they will cost you a fun day on the water or outdoors. We see this all the time at Santee!! Like today, They claimed to have Lake Wind Advisories out, god was going to show up and blow the world away. I was on the water from 6:30Am till 3:30 PM today and what a joke forcast! I fished the most open water I could find with no problems and seen a beutiful day. Matter of fact there was a 16 foot jon-boat out there with me. Now if we would have listen to the meteorologist today we would have never left the docks.
We caught a 40, 37, 36, 30, 25, 2- 20's pounders, and a total of 11 fish that totaled weights was 277 lbs. I have Done this days and days here. Now I am not saying ignore them by NO MEANS. What I am saying don't depend on just one meteorologist!!! I listen to 5 sources. and they all will be saying something different. Then I take what they say and get an average out of it and make my own forecast to go by. Most of the time I can look at a radar and tell more than they do sometimes. Ask anyone who lives in this 8 counties down here. They miss the weather more than they are close to it. I believe a weatherman, weather person, and the meteorologist office should be a big glass bobble they way they have to look at the sky before they say anything about a prediction. I studied weather in school and we had to study it in Coast Guard. I know a little about it. And they make the big bucks??

[catfishrus]

Posted by catfishrus
First off congrates on a fine day of fishing. Now teach some tricks on what weather does to the fishing. Last week I fished all night in teen degree weather with mixed results but caught fish. Then last weekend came...big warm front came through....everbody hits the water with bad reports on fishing. I figure somethings up so make plans to fish wednesday night this week. Weather called for possible thunderstorms on wednesday night....I move plans to tuesday night. Fished all night ...marked fish...found bait and had current. Hooked one blue 15-20lb that wouldnt even pull the rod down. Tried a drift in a known good spot....nothing. Kept working but it just wasnt to be. Two other boats struggled on tuesday also. I have caught some nice fish every trip until the last two weeks. Im not set on any holes...I like to move and adapt but I do hit the holes that has produced. I dont think its me. I think its the mixture of the full moon with changing weather fronts that have warmed the water several degrees and really raised the shallow water temps in the back of coves. We got the wednesday night rain/winds. Been windy here again today this evening. Tell me something is coming again. They calling for rain again here saturday. So teach us something...please.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darrly
The best advise I can give you on fish is this! NOT ALL FISH ARE ACTIVE AT THE SAME TIME ON THE SAME BODY OF WATER! Everyday I go out I am hunting active fish. I use my Depth Finder, GPS, and maps to find the active fish. Now one thing I do. When I see fish 10 feet thick on the bottom, I LEAVE THEM. I want to see a active fish up off the bottom a foot or so and only see a few fish every so often. Those are active hunting and feeding fish! No matter what depth everyone is fishing don't mean anything. You have to fish those active fish. If you see what you think are active fish and you fish on them for a hour and nothing happens,,, LEAVE and go find another school of fish. Our logg books of past years has been useless for the last 2 years because of the massive draught we are STILL in.
On the weather; Another best advice, I have put on my cell phone 2 weather sources. Accu Weather Premium, and The Weather Channel. You can get the weather forecast for within miles of anywere in the USA that you are. They both have a Hour By Hour section, a 36 hour section, and or a 7-10 day forecast as well. They both have ACTIVE weather radars on them. I prefer the radar, And the hour by by hour on the Accuweather. On the upper end of the lower lake I look at the weather for Cross, SC. When on the lower end of the lower lake I use Pinopolis, SC. On the lower end of the upper lake I use Cross , SC. On the upper end of the upper lake I use the Santee State Park, SC on the weather station to see. Then I have a VHF Radio on my boats. I find the weather channel that is the closest to were ever I am. Then I use TV weather, and the best weather source I know of is www.wunderground.com. Put in the closest town where ever you are going in the world and there you go.! But no matter what a weather forecast says, nothing beats just plain old looking and watching the sky!!!!!!
A ring around the sun means the sky is saturated with moisture and weather can happen within 24 hours. Pink sky in the morning means bad weather is coming. High Clouds that are thin and rippled or Feathered means there is high winds aloft, and winds are coming within 245 hours. Thick bushy tails on squirrels mean a hard cold winter. Thick long hair on a deer, dog, cow, horse, an means cold winter. Leaves turning over showing their bottomside or called showing the white underside, you best run for cover immediately because you are about to be hit by a MASSIVE Thunder storm or tornado!! BEEN THERE SEEN THAT ONE! When on big bodies of water watch the surface off in the distance. It it is a different color showing darker means there is higher wind speeds on the water surface and if it is coming your way. HOLD ON!!!! Run better yet! If you see a big dark cloud coming your way,, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!! and if you see a funnel cloud coming, kiss your butt good bye!

[catfishrus]

posted by the captain darrly
By the way, if you look at the waters surface at a distance and it is silver, that means the wind is going to quit most times because there is no wind blowing where the water is silver colored.

[catfishrus]

posted by captain darrly
I myself just want people who comes here to be aware of how dangerous it is here, but don't be scared of it. Knownledge is the key to safety. United States Coast Guard claims Santee is the most dangerous waters in the southeast. But long as you use your head it is as safe as anywere else. I want people who come here to catch fish, catch big fish, and be able to go home safely. The more people who come here and can get onto fish, the more they tell people about catching fish. The more they tell who don't have boats call us guides. I try to help people weather they are with me or without me for this reason. It puts heads in beds in motels, people in restaurants, in stores buying stuff, and gas, buying fishing equipment, and the ones who don't have boats or don't want to pull this far calls guides. It helps the whole economy which right now needs all the help it can get.

[catfishrus]

posted by catfishrus
I agree santee can be one of the most dangerious lakes in the southeast. I fished the hills tourney a few years ago and had to drop out in the middle of the night. We started to move to another area but our plans changed (less than 15 minutes) in the middle of our move. We found ourselves running off gps in the pouring rain and ruff waters to get back in. We was in a 20 ft lund and took a beating along with a bath. We quit and forfeited our entry fee for safety. Got up the next morning to reports of 3 guide boats leaveing blacks that morning and returning due to ruff waters. We packed it up and headed home. Later found out a 18 ft boat flipped with 3 tourney fisherman on board and 2 lost there lives. I had came to fish and I dont watch TV too much on my fishing trips but I was lucky....a guy told me bad weather was coming in that night. That was my only signal of what the weather was bringing. It was a beauitful day leading into the night. The fishing is great at santee and you can do it. Just need to watch whats happening around you at all times....esp. in open waters.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darrly
That tourney you are talking about is one reason I do not fish tourneys. When the wind got up the people putting the tournament on told everyone who had less than 30 foot boats do not go out on open water. They should have taking the fish caught the first days weights and determined the winners. but no they kept the tournament going for only the bigger boats. That was not right in my book.
The people who lost their lives had been fishing here for decades. They where in the tournament and and tried to go out anyway to open water and their boat flipped trying to get out of the mouth of the canal. The man who ran to tournament was setting there watching people trying and when they flipped he went and got the one who lived out of the water, but the other two never came back up. 1 was found 2 months later and the other almost a year later. It seems every tournament down here the days of the tournament's the wind just howls! The Randolph's tournaments especial. Alot of boats are torn up and lost here every year.

[catfishrus]

Posted by catfishrus
We could of fished in the canal but thats not my cup of tea. I fished the randolfs tourney that same year in sept. I had never been to randolfs but was told how to get there by water along the dike. Here again we got lucky and the wind was calm the day before so we made a trip up there to check it out. Well we seen alot of stumps along that dike...some along the shoreline, some in the middle of the path, and forest on the big side. Our plan was to take it easy at blast off until we reached the canal. At the sounds of the shotgun...alot of boats blasted down that dike but we waited. Those boats blasted right through where we seen all them stumps in calm water. They was right under the water. The previous years winner was the first one back to the dock. He hit a stump and knocked a hole in toon and just about sunk his boat. So common sense should run over everyones mind in a tourney. When you put your money in a tourney...you already took the chance of loosing it...dont take chances that will take your life. If the boat in the hill event flipped after 3.00 am which I heard it did ....those guys should of quit or moved to safer fishing areas long before that. Its a sad deal for the lost ones no dout. I know one team that got trapped on the other side thats same night but they was smart enough to wait it out and get help by land. That night we fished the lower lake and the power plant was blacked out from view for us coming in. First time I ever been on that lake and couldnt see lights from that plant at night. I fished the NCCATS a few years ago out of blacks. We got in the water at blast off and ready to go but a storm was coming. The horn sounded and we loaded back up...waited it out. Some other guys blasted off and went all the way to I95 and fished. Now if something would of happened to them...I couldnt of blamed the tourney. Tourneys are set up months in advance to get folks on the same page and the weather is just something that cannot be controled. Doug cancel a WWP at santee last year because of weather. Some folks might of got mad but he done the right thing. I cancel one of our yadkin tourneys last year due to weather. We could of fished but its about the fun and friendship for us just as much as the win. Tourneys bring alot of money to the economy at santee. I enjoy fishing them win or loose but I wont take a chance on my life when I know better.

[catfishrus]

Posted by doug 158
Yep as much as I love to fish its not worth getting anyone hurt or killed I know the upper lake pretty good as well as the canal but I know when to cut and run I also know where to duck in too to get out of the bad stuff if I get caught out in it I also plan on where to put in at to fish depending on how long I will be out sometimes its better to trailer the Cattoon around the lake then to cross the lake by boat and get caught on the wrong side in bad weather

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darrly
Well, All of you want the time of your life catfishing?? It's here. Now before you get to happy you probably going to have to spend some money. BOOO HOOO! You will need heavy action rods, at least a Shakespeare Tidewater size 20 reel, and a Shakespeare Tyger Rod is the perfect outfit. Put 60# test line on and tighten the drags down to where no line will pull off the reels. Get you some 10/0 eagleclaw 084 style hooks (NO KAYLE HOOKS< THEY NOT STRONG ENOUGH!!), take a file and sharpen them till they will stick you if it barely touches you. Put some some GOOD rod holders on your boat, 3 good anchors. once you have done this here how to have the most fun of your life catfishing.
The cats have went shallow preparing for the spawn! You need to find the shallow waters and then find the creek beds that run into the shallows. I am talking fishing 5 foot of water or less. I have caught 80 lb fish in 3 feet of water. if you have a trolling motor now is the time to use it. These fish have just went shallow so they are EXTREMELY spooky! ease into the creekbeds going into the shallows anchoring in the creekbed casting your baits all around the creekbed and outside of it as far away from the boat as you can. set for 30 minutes and move 100 yards and do it again. Don't be scared to anchor in 4 feet and cast all around you. when they hit you better be fast, and tough. it is not a weak persons game. I have 9 rods in the water from people having to drop my rods to stay in the boat. get ready to get wet, because you have to wench these fish to the boat as fast as you can, once it's there because of fast fighting they will throw water all over you.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darrly
These shallow places where fish get in numbers is tuff to find. And once found are very guarded secrets. They are hard to find, but if you make a point to spend the time in shallow waters you can find them to. The key is the creeks and ditches. Fish use riverbeds, creekbeds, and ditches to move throughout a water system the way we use hallways to move thru a building. I have had a many as 19 guide trying to follow me at a time when I shallow fish. I have lost some of my best spots due to taking clients who was only wanting to know were!

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl

Here is a photo from Jan 31 2009. 57 lb, 53lb, 32lb, 27lb, 25lb where the largest of the day, don't know why he held that small one.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl

I know this will not stand for the month. here is a 42 we caught last week

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
We catch a lot of big fish. Talking a client into throwing a big fish back is not easy. Pluse SCDNR tells me not to throw back fish period as long as i do not have over the limit. They even said we should have kept the 96.4 lb fish we relleased.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
SCDNR Bio said that the 96.4 lb blue was around 35 years old, past it's prime and it's eggs that it would lay more than likely would never hatch. It would be using male cats who could be fertilizing other eggs, and making better progress. He said that fish was nothing but eating bait fish and forage fish at that age. From studies they have done they say they only live up to around 35 years anyway. From where I am on the water over 300 days a year, I have seen the problems and why they say what they do. We have already lost several systems in SC due to too many cats eating everything out to the point of SCDNR having to stock back the panfish and baitfish. This is already happening to Santee now and I see it plain as day. Big Crappie is just about a non existence big bream and shell crackers (3-5+ lbs) have just about gone. The state has been lifting shad, and sea run heron in now for years trying to get the baitfish populations up. Why do you think these fish's bellys most of the year are full of nothing but snells and clams instead of fish. I have spent alot of time with the state biologist who study this waters and they have shown me this. Believe it or not, it's happening.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
We have a population of white perch here at Santee. They hurting us here to. That is why the SCDNR took the white perch off the game species list to get that number dropped. As far as judging how old fish are you have to look at each fish. SCDNR said that the 96.4 lb blue was around 35 years old. Only 9 of us have broken 100 lbsdown here that made it into the boat. We hook up on numbers of these monster a year that we see and just don't make it into the boat. Now here is you one. The 100.5 lb we caught was aged by the SCDNR Bio. by the Plainer Fin bone. I seen it myself under a microscope. It was only 13 years old. What I have seen from experience is you cannot compare fish from one lake to another lake. Each lake is it's own ecosystem and nutrient is different. Fish grow at different rates.
Now I am doing a study right now for myself and then I am going to turn my finding over to the SCDNR. This 36 inch limit was to stop the Commercial Fisherman from hauling Millions of pounds of fish out alive to be sold to pay to fish lakes, and to get them back on the restaurant size fish. So I love this 36 inch limit. I have seen a difference in 7 months. I have always weight all my fish and recorded them. That is how I tell when fish are migrating and if I am failing or getting better. Now not only am I weighting them but I am recording lengths too. I will do it for a year. Tat way I see prespawn, spawn, postspawn, summer pull down, fall and winter gorge weights and lengths. I have seen so far 18 lb fish with lengths of 37 inches, and 44 lb fish that was only 35 inches long. I learned a long time ago you cannot judge a fish's weight by looking at it. I encourage all to do there own studies. It can only help us ALL.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
I will check again, but a captain I am teamed with years ago caught a flathead in the old Santee River If I remember right he said it was in the mid 50 inches long, but only weighted in the mid 30's. he said it looked like a ell and was starving from no forage fish in the river. It takes spilling at the Santee Dam to restock the Old Santee with bait and panfish I hear. I know the sea run Heron is just starting to come up the river. You all want some real fun!!? Go down there using light tackle and little jigs and just have a ball.

I want to Challenge all to keep records of there fish Like I do. I have been weighting my fish all my life. Now because of the 36 inch size limit I have to messier my fish too. So all my fish around 36 inches I am weighting and recording there lengths as well. I am going to do this for a year. I want to see the difference as the year go thru from Pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn, summer pull down, and the fall and winter gorge. Now I see a difference in from from the Lower lake to the upper lake. So try to keep records fro each Bobby of water because each body has a different growth rate because o baitfish, forage, water quality, and more. After 1 year I will turn my records over to the SCDNR Bio. They cannot be on the water studding fish all the time. with all of us helping it cannot do nothing but help us all.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
The SCDNR told me that once a fish reaches it's older ages it is just like people, eggs are more likely to not hatch. DNR has done studies on eggs. The DNR Biologist that told me about that fishes eggs is the biologist that does most of the studies here. So I take a little faith in what he says. Plus I deal with 4 other DNR Biologist who studies these fish to back it up.
I was told only 668 catfish out of 1,000 that we trading Arkansan 1,000 stripers for started the blue cat population here. Right now they have a study going on to release cats with radio trackers to see how far they migrate again. A 35 year old fish in my openion should be larger than 96 lbs. They grow according to the food sources. Good heavy population of food means fish grow fast, low sources mean slow grow. If you have cows you don't want a bull that takes 15 years to reach maturity breading your cows. you want a bull that reaches maturity in 1 year. Everything reaches a point were they cannot hardly reproduce in age. We see eggs in fish that weight 3 lbs here. That is a young fish of 4 years. It is not only just big fish who lay eggs. Look at all the lakes that do not have big fish and the cats have been there for decades. Somebody is busy!
The waters here in SC are much different from NC in numbers of ways. You cannot take fish studies from one system and make predictions in another most of the time. Different pollution levels, different types of pollutions, plankton, bait fish types and quantity, water temps thru the year, amount of rainfall, amount of flow thru water, elevation, water depths, all these are factors in fish growth and repreduction.

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
The DNR Biologist tell me from all there studies on the catfish that the cats here only live to about 35 years from studding the odoletts. I have one that is 29 years old out of a 40 lb flathead. From the way this fish fins where worn down, tail pectorals, dorsal spikes where worn, and teeth ware, to the best he could guess with out cutting the fish he said it was about 35 years old. This Biologist is the person the DNR sends out for decades to collect and study these fish. So from his past experience seeing, handling, and studying these fish here he said that. The only true way to find out is to cut the hard spin off a fin or take the odolett. From the way this fish faught, looked and acted I beleive this fish was on it's last leg. I have seen 15 lb fish fight way harder than this fish. Even when it tried to fight.
As far a tagging here the DNR has tried it. the commercial fishermen take them out before much growth can happen. I tried to get a tagging program started here 10 years ago. NO ONE was interested in it that I tried to talk to. As heavy as commercial fishing is here if they give me the tags I will use them. but it be a loosing battle here. Commercial reports taking over 3,000,000 lbs a fish out each year. It is a all cash world so just how much you think realy goes out??