Santee Shellcrakers

Hey guys. I get to come down to Santee about 3 or 4 times a year. Me and dad normally catfish 2 weeks in June and crappie fish late Nov. Dec. and early Feb. I'm looking for a guide or local who would be willing to take us out and put us on some big Shellcrackers. We just dont have enough time when we are down to find them and figure them out. If you know a guide or someone who is willing to take us out please let me know. Thanks. We are planning a 2 to 3 day trip the first full moon of April if we can line something up then that would be great

Long live the Redear, wish I could help you. Someone will!

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This what you looking for? Honestly if I didn't have a friend with a cabin at Stumphole I'd never find them.

Best I can tell you is redworms on the bottom in the woods. 3-6 FOW and keep moving until you find them.
If you are in the upper lake stop in at the Stumphole store and ask the locals. They won't give you their honey hole but they will put you in the area to start looking.
Mid March through Mid May is our best time.

That's exactly what I'm looking for. We catch a lot on lake Greenwood but nothing the size in Santee. When you say on the bottom how do you rig it?

Just a hook, split shot and cork. We set the cork so worm is just at or above bottom. We used 10' bream poles .No reels just 10 feet of 6# mono.

That makes more sense to me. I have rods to do both. Is stump hole a good area to start fishing. I've never been up that far

I'm just familiar with that area .Jacks Creek is good also I've never fished below the I95 bridge but a world record Shellcracker came from the canal .Not sure it still stands. Point being there are good spots everywhere.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully we can put some in the boat. Its different than catching them on our lakes in the upstate

Interesting thread. How do you target them on Greenwood? I occasionally luck into a nice one on Greenwood or Murray while jigging for perch out deeper but never targeted them on the beds. Just curious how you locate them. I have heard of people riding the shorlines with structure scan and seeing their beds off to the side. Every winter I tell myself I'm going to do it, then the hybrid spawning run heats up in the rivers and I forget all about it.

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Originally Posted by kerriedale88

Thanks for the info. Hopefully we can put some in the boat. Its different than catching them on our lakes in the upstate

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Yes completely different. 3 of us hired a guide on Lake Murray to target Shellcrackers . We had read several articles stating that Murray is one of the best Shellcracker lakes in the state and we had never fished for them here. It was a brutal day to fish with a sudden cold snap and high winds but the technique he taught us has served well.
He looked for points that had freshwater shells visible on the bank, then anchored both ends of boat(important to hold boat still) in about 6-10 FOW and fan cast several rods baited with crawlers or red worms. One trick we learned was to use a slip cork with no peg in it.
This helped you detect that a fish had picked up the bait and was moving and the cork helped reduce hangups by lifting the hook vertically during retrieve. We used a larger cork than you might normally use if you were pegging it to the line. Also if we didn't catch fish in 30 minutes we moved to a different point.
This method is effective most of the year as it targets fish moving in and out to feed.

Hey SeaRay, great tips. I'm on Murray every weekend right now fishing stripers and perch, I will be sure to look for mussel shells all over the points as I run around. With the lake drawn down close to 10 feet right now, it's an ideal time to find them. I have a little boy that's 2 and getting him on some bream beds in a couple years will be a top priority.

That's why I would really like to find a guide on Santee. What they can teach you in a day you may spend weeks trying to figure out. Only having 2 to 3 days to fish makes it hard to figure them out

The only guides I know are the Pack brothers at Packs Landing. They are good on the upper end. having spent their entire life on the water there. We used to stay in the rooms their Granddad, Mr. Pack rented there.
There are plenty of good ones further down the lake at the various camps. Blacks has some and the Canal landings have some, so depending on where you are you should be able to find one.

There is a guide named Steve English. He usually guides out of Canal Lakes or Blacks. You may want to give him a call. PM me if you are interested and I will get you a phone number.

If you cant find a guide and want to try, try on the right side of where the canal dumps into the lower lake. There is a sand and gravel flat there that holds them year round. It is shallow so mind the stumps. Try to fish in the 3-6' range with the split shot and worm rig right on the bottom. You will likely see several boats there doing the same thing. Those Asian clams are good for bait but the very best are little crayfish 1-2" long. Red worms and crawlers work also and are a lot easier to get. Don't be surprised if a blue cat runs off with your tackle.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the help guys. I couldn't figure out how to pm you money but if you don't mind send me Steve's phone number

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Originally Posted by kerriedale88

Thanks for the help guys. I couldn't figure out how to pm you money but if you don't mind send me Steve's phone number

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Just click on his name in his post. It should open a window with the option to send a PM.