santee cooper south carolinag
- Thread starter verruckt
- Start date
depends on the size of cats you want.
shrimp will fill a cooler full of eaters on out river in no time.
Use whole bluegill (2-3") or cut bait (shad or bluegill) if u want to land a big one
i suggest a 3-4oz sinker carolina rigged with a 6/0 gamakatsu circle hook. this will prevent most of the fish you want to release from swallowing the hook.
shrimp will fill a cooler full of eaters on out river in no time.
Use whole bluegill (2-3") or cut bait (shad or bluegill) if u want to land a big one
i suggest a 3-4oz sinker carolina rigged with a 6/0 gamakatsu circle hook. this will prevent most of the fish you want to release from swallowing the hook.
Yeah I'm going to have to buy some sinkers when I get down there. Can't find anything over 1 oz here and I don't have the tools to make my own. I use gamakatsu 6/0, 7/0, & 8/0 octopus circle hooks. Won't use any thing else. I'm a firm beleiver in these things. I have caught around 30 to 40 cats on these hooks, a nice sized crappie, and a smaller (18 inch or so) gar. Every single fish except the gar was hooked in the corner of the mouth like there suppose to and no swallowed hooks. The gar had took the bait on a noodle rig I use for jug fishing and apparently spun because the line was wrapped around his mouth a few times. I primarly jug fish but I'm not going to have a chance to jug santee. (Oh how I wish I could though). I thought about using shrimp as bait also but I'm after lunkers not eating size. I'm strictly catcch and release (except bait fish). Thanks for the info 
Well I'm back from santee. Landed one blue cat at 27 lbs. 1 blue cat at 9 lbs. 1 gar (dunno species) around 36 inches long. And a nice bowfin at around 25 inches long. Thought about mounting the bowfin but his colors weren't nice and dark. He was tanish colored. All that cat caught on night one. Night 2 we fished the canals and didn't catch **** except one striper then the grass started coming in and messing up lines etc.. all and all was a nice first trip to santee and can't wait to go back!