howsthebite
rebuilt 5:26 AM CDT

SC · Thu, Aug 6

How's the bite at Santee Cooper today? Decent — fish it after dark.

Steady action if you work it.

6/10
Decent

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Minor
11:35 PM–12:35 AM
Moonrise
Major
6:20 AM–8:20 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
2:13 PM–3:13 PM
Moonset
Major
6:48 PM–8:48 PM
Moon underfoot

Sunrise 6:36 AM · sunset 8:15 PM · tomorrow's first major 7:18 AM–9:18 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 6:26 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
85.5°F
USGS 02171000 updated 5:45 AM
Water level
73.95ft
0 ft in 24h
USGS 02171000 updated 5:45 AM
Pressure
30.17inHg
rising · +2 hPa/12h
NOAA KMKS updated 5:35 AM
Wind
0mph N
NOAA KMKS updated 5:35 AM
Moon
44% waning
Solunar · computed updated 6:26 AM

Nearby gauges

These sit on connected water, not on Santee Cooper itself.

  • Second stretch
    USGS 02172000 updated 5:45 AM
  • Release below the dam — 524 cfs · 84.7°F
    USGS 02172002 updated 5:45 AM

What this means

Largemouth bass
85°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Crappie
85°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Catfish
85°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.

Santee Cooper water level today

73.95 ft down 0.00 ft in 24 hours

That sits 48% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 73.81 and 74.1 ft. Over the week it is down0.01ft.

07-29 73.81–74.10 ft 08-06
USGS 02171000 updated 5:45 AM

The week ahead

Fri 7 Good
Sat 6 Decent
Sun 6 Decent
Mon 6 Decent
Tue 6 Decent
Wed 7 Good
Thu 7 Good

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A SC fishing license covers this water. The state agency sets the rules and is the one that counts.

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Santee Cooper

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Santee Cooper.

Is it worth fishing Santee Cooper today?
6 out of 10 — decent. Steady action if you work it. The strongest stretch is 6:20 AM–8:20 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
What time should you fish Santee Cooper?
Today's major windows run 6:20 AM–8:20 AM and 6:48 PM–8:48 PM, with minor windows at 11:35 PM–12:35 AM and 2:13 PM–3:13 PM. Sunrise is 6:36 AM and sunset 8:15 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Santee Cooper?
85.5°F, read at 5:45 AM from USGS station 02171000. That is 0.2 degrees cooler than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Santee Cooper right now?
73.95 ft, read at 5:45 AM from USGS station 02171000. Over 24 hours it is down 0.00 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Santee Cooper?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. South Carolina Department of Environmental Services publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where this moved from DHEC to SCDES when the agency split in 2024, so older links point to the wrong place. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

SCDES fish consumption advisory

Where these numbers come from

Santee Cooper ist ein System aus zwei Seen. Der Hauptpegel liegt in Lake Marion bei Pineville und misst als einziger auch die Wassertemperatur; Lake Moultrie und der Abfluss am Tailrace Canal stehen als Kontext daneben.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.