Fishing santee with captain Darryl

[catfishrus]

Posted by captain darryl
The growth rates here on the lakes from the DNR studies these fish are growing slower. Santee lost it's bait populations few years ago. Santee Cooper in cooperation with DNR have been lifting more Sea Run Heron, and Sea Run Shad for years trying to get the bait populations up. They are just now getting some good results. The fish here at Santee thru the summer months feed just about souly on nothing but snells and fresh water clams. 8+ months out of the year I bet we don't see baitfish in the stomachs out a 200 fish maybe 1 fish will have fish in it. Only when this bait gets deep in the winter months do these fish fatten up. Rest of the year after the spawn they have no fat in them until winter again. Matter of fact they have proven than the growth rate is different from Marion to Moultrie. I knew that before they even told me that from my experience of cathing them. Pound to pound a fish on the upper lake has to be inches longer to have the same weight as the lower lake.
Lake Wateree is packed with shad, and other panfish so those fish are growing fast, but mark my word, that is going to change!! Between the white perch, and the cormorants, eating all the shad and baitfish faster than it can hatch and grow. It will be not long you are going to see changes there. The shad the baitmen catch now out of there is LARGE! It is almost impossible to get that 4-6 inch shad anymore in numbers there.
Here at Santee we have seen a drop in Bream, and Crappie population badly. The guides who fish for them cannot hardly even find them anymore. Most are telling they will not even guide for them. The white perch, and cormorants are cleaning house on the baitfish here as well. Sled agents came here last year and shot a lot of them. I watched them running around chasing the flocks shooting. It was wild! The birds they shot was to study to find out what size, and what type fish they are eating. I have proof a cormorant can eat a 21 inch fish. I have a client that gets paid over 300,000 a year to study them. He sent me the pictures.