Cooper River Bass Fishing Reports

[lakecityyankee]

Fishing in cooper river is picking up as the water temps have finally begun to drop into the mid 50's. Pimlico Rice field has been productive and the fish are tearing up the early morning topwater bite.

[USMC DI]

 
Looking for a helpful fellow bass fisherman, want to try the cooper river.  Wondering where to launch, possible patterns, etc.  From the Beaufort area, would like to have a productive day (long drive!) Thanks in advance

-Neil

[MotherNature]

Neil I don't have many folks here from the Carolinas I hope that someone pops in to give you a hand. Mornings are pretty busy around here as well as late at night so we will have to see what happens...

[Keeper]

I have fished the upper Cooper river for 30 years.  Today is your lucky day!  I would launch at Cypress Gardens(Turn at Cypress Gardens Road off HWY 17-A or 52). From the ramp follow the Back River(right) until  it opens up(about a mile).  Take a right to take you down river toward the tees or go straight and bear up to the left to take you up the west branch(either way is fine you are already in lunker land at this point).  The best bassin is the last hour before low to an hour or so rising.  Keep in mind that the Charleston Harbor tide is approx. three hours earlier than it is up here.  Try in the deep holes around the breaks in the rice fields or main river structure.  You can see the structure good at low tide and the river is lot easier to navigate.  The fish will be positioned in the current breaks behind the stucture.  The fishing this time of year can be tough.  However, it is also an excellent time to catch a TOAD.  Jig-n-pig, 3/4 hopkins, 1/2 Little Georges, bucktails, shad raps and crawdad pattern crankbaits are the baits of choice.  All I ask for in return is an honest report on how you do.  I have a club tournament on the river the 19th.
Good luck,
Keeper       

[MotherNature]

Thanks for the tips Keeper, I hope that USMC D1 is able to come back and check out the report that you left him. You two should register I don't spam your email box like some forums and you wont get any junk mail from us. I don't even keep track of the email addresses

You get a lot of great new options if you are a registered user including chances to win free tackle and a chance to share what you know with the others here on the site...

Not pushing by any means, I allow guest posting just for this reason. I hope you both do great in your tournaments!

[RNS2Fish]

Just found this site. We fished the Cooper today and it was slow but to be expected for Feb. Only caught some small ones on dark colored worms and a Little Rebel minnow. Will try Keepers advice next time. Hope more ppl post about this area.

[Mike Cork]

RNS2Fish glad to have you stop in. This area has been a little slow growing but it will. Especially since a couple folks have started posting in it. Kinda like the snow ball effect, get a couple posts and then it takes right off. No one wants to be first

So back to that fishing, How deep were your fish today, they should be moving up shallow at least thinking about the springs events. Do you know what the water temp was?

[RNS2Fish]

About 2-3 feet. Not sure about the water temp. I was'nt running the electronics. :-)

Thanks Mike,

[Mike Cork]

Their moving shallow already, that is good news. With a few days of warmer weather they should be on fire. 

[T1A]

WOW...we have got to get this place somemore action!!!  I fish the Cooper and the lakes....C'mon guys/ gals let get to postin'

[Mike Cork]

triton1a awesome to hear you fish this area. We really need to get some posts going. Posting generates posting

[T1A]

I agree Mike....I actually work at a place on the lake and we have rental boats here...We just put a new engine on one and had to break it in...Scwildbill who is also a new member and another boat were fishing the lakes today.  I knew they were meeting at Canal Lakes Resort for lunch so I ran up that way to meet them...Man they got on some nice fish today...biggest 5 went about 17-18#'s with a 6.5 kicker   and here I am stuck at work    now if I can get the renovations done to the master bath tonite...I can go tomorrow

[Mike Cork]

That's and awesome stringer did they say what they were doing to catch them

I hope you get them renovations done and get after them tomorrow

[scwildbill]

Mike Triton1a has turned into a looky lou.... He don't fish any more.... ... Boy done went and got his priorities all backwards!

[Mike Cork]

  Well we need to fix that 

[BigCheese]

The bite on the Cooper River has been slow the past week.  Fished Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Found fish in grass from 3ft of water to 8ft of water, caught them on cranks, plastics, and jerkbaits.  With the weather and water temp going up and down I believe the fish are still in some-what of a transition between fall and winter.  Watched 4 weigh-ins and 12 1/2 pounds was the heaviest weight I saw.  Fished a local tournament with Wild Bill on Sunday, we had 9.5 lbs and finished 4th or 5th.  Just couldn't get the big bite that is needed to win this time of year.  Sure wish we would have had that 7+ Bill caught on Saturday but I guess that's all part of fishing.

[silversalmon]

THat is the way it goes don't it. Poor fellow this year durin the silver derby caught himself a 20.61 pounder, did not have a derby ticket that day, would have won him 15K But the good news is, sounds like you guys know right where they are at, and next time will nail them

[BasshfulBob]

Fished the West Branch from 11:30 to 3 pm.  Tried Wadboo, some grass lines and Mulberry with cranks and plastics. Nothing on cranks.  Took three 1 1/2 # bass on a Senko along a grass line in 20 minutes around 1:45.  Then nothing.  Probably a school of passing bass.  Was a cool day on the water.  Tight lines.  Bob

[Mike Cork]

BasshfulBob thanks for the update, you wouldn't happen to know what the water temp was do you ?

[scwildbill]

Bigcheese and I fished a small 25 boat T this past weekend. We fished the Bushy Park area. Air temp was mid 50's and water temp hovered around 54deg. Vegitation is starting to die off with the couple of freezing nights we've had. Fished isolated grass clumps T-rigged style and threw stickbaits at a couple places. Crankbait bite is picking up and should only get better. Key with the Crankbaits is to SLOW DOWN! And then, SLOW DOWN SOME MORE.... Most fish were caught using stickbaits and T-rigging the clumps. Tide was outgoing most of the times with the better bites coming later in the day in 3-6 feet of water. Winds were about 20mph and kept use from some of the spots we wanted to fish. Had a limit and were culling by noon. Never got the big bite that we needed to win, but we did come in Second Place and missed first by about 8ozs. Biggest fish weighed in was a 6.8#.... Lots of small stringers for this time of year which was very surprising. Most teams brought in under a limit so we must have been doing something right.