Fishing action is good for catfish and crappie
Fishing continues to be good for several species of fish and the recent rains have seemed to help the overall lake conditions. While the action on bluegill and shellcrackers has slowed since the last bedding, the fish are more scattered but are still being caught in decent numbers by probing around a variety of different weed beds, trees and other cover. Largemouth are being taken in reasonable numbers, but anglers are having to work a bit harder for them. Crappie fishing is a bright spot with lots of fish being taken on the sunken brush piles in water 12-22 feet deep. For those interested, the white perch fishing has been very good and worthwhile if you take time to find the larger fish. Striper fishing season is closed until October.
The largemouth bass fishing is still quite good and some fishermen report the recent influx of water has helped the shallow water action. Mid-June is certainly the time of year when getting out early is the best bet, not only to beat the heat but to get in on some shallow water action while the fish maybe feeding on the flats and points. Top water lures such as Devil’s Horse and buzz baits are productive right now. Crank baits on stumpy flats are producing some fish as well.
Reports have also been received of largemouth being caught in shallow water using worms and spinner baits fished around logs, trees and weedlines have been received. During midday, more of the larger fish are being taken in the 3-8 foot depth range. Also, some schooling fish have been reported, so have a heavy bodied lure you can cast a long distance ready to make a quick cast into the schooling. Timing is crucial to get a fish like this.
The catfish action continues to be good and a lot of fishermen are drift fishing for the catfish right now, but the blue catfish is the most frequently caught. Some anglers are anchor fishing in the main lake part of Lake Marion around the trees and stickups with good success as well. Cut bait, both herring and shad, has been the best bet for the blue catfish, plus some hefty channel catfish have been caught recently as well on the cut bait as well as stink baits. The flathead action is good on live bait along the drops and ledges.
The crappie fishing is very good fishing brush piles in 12-22 feet of water. Most anglers are using minnows, however small jigs will work as well. Fishing straight down under the boat, right at the top of the brush, or into the brush if they are holding tight, has been productive.
Bream fishing has been good in shallow water around all sorts of cover such as trees, logs and weeds on a variety of live baits and artificial lures. Crickets, worms, beetle spins and top water popping bugs are all producing good results. Be sure to watch for mayfly hatches and you can get into some exceptional bream fishing in that specific area.
The saltwater fishing news is still excellent for redfish and flounder inshore and fishermen are enjoying one of the best dolphin (mahi) fishing seasons in a while.
