Santee Cooper
According to information provided by S.C. DNR, these are the top three fish being hooked in the Santee Cooper lake and freshwater systems.
Bass: Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the spawn is pretty much over by May, although a few straggler fish will still get on beds. This month the topwater bite should come on early and late, while during the day fishing gets tougher but bass can still be caught dragging soft plastics around trees.
Crappie: Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that some white crappie will spawn this month, but the black crappie spawn is finished. The best pattern for catching fish is to target mid-depth brush with minnows.
Catfish: Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in May he usually fishes a pretty straight-forward pattern – anchor in shallow water early and late, and then drift mid-depths during the day. Cut bait will work but chicken can also be effective in May. Dip baits will catch more small fish.
Lake Murray
According to information provided by S.C. DNR, these are the top three fish likely to be hooked by anglers in Lake Murray.
Bass: Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria and Stan Gunter of Saluda report that this May things are running a little behind normal, and there could even be some fish on beds particularly at the beginning of this month. However, the herring spawn is likely to be the main deal for most of this month and fish should be caught on topwater lures, flukes and soft plastics/ jigs fished on the bottom around spawning herring. As the month progresses more fish will also start to key on bream and a buzzbait should work well.
Striped bass: Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports that in May there should be a couple of different ways to catch bass, and fish should key on spawning herring especially early in the day. They can be caught on free lines and planer boards by anglers simply covering water, and there should also be a lot of smaller fish caught on down lines. Cut bait should also generate some big bites.
Crappie: Captain Brad Taylor reports that in April the fish should start to get out of their post-spawn feeding slump, and fish should start to feed up around docks, bridges and brush. They will be eating young of the year fry as well as baitfish and small minnows and jigs will work.
Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that May is usually a good month for channel catfish on Lake Murray, and typically they will be caught in areas with depth changes from the bank out to about 25 feet. Put out baits including dip baits, cut herring and worms at a variety of depths. Sometimes night fishing will outperform fishing during the day, particularly as the water gets hot.