need some information on shellcrackers and bream fishing on Lake Marion…
Have been out of commission for two years because of back surgery…but now ready to start fishing again…
want to start by catching some bream or shellcrackers…I know it is almost time for them to be on the beds…
I appreciate any help… 
Hi Carl,
I’m just getting my season started here on Lake Moultry. I
missed the last season of fishing due to a pair of knee surguries.
I havn’t really hit the shellcrackers (red eared sunfish) in any
great numbers or size yet this season though I’ve heard of a few folks that have.
Nor am I finding beds in areas where I have in previous years.
Perhaps they bedded early and in the depths? Can’t say. I am
confident however that I’ll be into them within the next couple
of weeks. Currently, the channel cats are shallow and eating
anything that even remotely favors food. Next couple of trips
for me will be to stock my freezer with catfish fillets.G Then
I’ll be all over the Shellcrackers.
The hot lick here on Moultry involves dropping scud patterns on
the shady side of the cypress on bright days or broadcasting
thread midges in the open areas when we have heavy overcast.
Feel free to email me if you’d like to get together sometime and
persue those feisty shellcrackers. Warm regards, Jim
A friend of mine just bought a lake front place on the north shore of Lake Marion … on one of those coves that comes off the main body. You take exit #108 off I-95 (Summerton exit), cross back over I-95 and go to the end of the road ~ hang a left and go to the first stop sign, then take a right (sign says it goes to “Goat Island”). Enroute to Goat Island, maybe a couple of miles, you’ll come to two public boat landings, one on each side of the road. You can launch your boat right there and all along the shore lines there will be brem fishing galore. In fact, you’ll see folks fishing right from shore in these areas. You can just meander along, not too far from shore, and find plenty of beds. My buddy’s place is just down the road from these landings and we’ve found the fishing is better there than it is in front (or near) his place!
Dale
ummm…Goat Island…I know where that is…I will have to give that spot a look-see in the next couple of weeks…Bream should bed on the next full moon (June 1)…so hopefully, I will find a bed and load the boat…lol…
On Moultrie…catfish…I catch catfish by accident…never fish for them…I am a striper man when it comes to fishing Lake Moultrie… Three years ago…caught the stripers at night in from of dam and off to the point…great time…not sure how they did last year…will have to get some reports…
keep me posted guys…
So, Hatch, what is your go-to for the cats? Just curious because they’re think in the Minnesota – as always. Water is very murky so if I target the cats I’ll need something dark and flashy I suppose. JGW
Not so much flashy…smelly. Try chicken livers. They always work for me.
Hey JGW,
Don’t tell anyone but at present, they are hitting beetle spins
slow trolled in 6 foot of water. Yeah I know, spinning rods and
lures but some mighty fine eating for the non purists.G Warm
regards, Jim
My best two cats (which you’ve posted earlier on FAOL) were on flies, one a white bunny, the other on a clouser. One of my favorites, though, was on a zoo cougar topwater that just exploded. I don’t recall ever targeting cats on a fly, although one of the guys on the Mara Blonde swap had one of those flies he really like for cats. JGW
Jim Hatch: have you gotten your freezer full of catfish yet…I still need some info on shellcracker beds or bream beds…point me to them…got some friends coming down in a couple of weeks from up North…never caught fish…want to put them on a bed and catch some fish…let me know if have any info you can pass on to this rookie… :lol:
I grew up in TX, and for years I didn’t know you could catch any BUT cats on a fly rod. We used live yellow grasshoppers, and sometimes they would explode as soon as the hopper hit the water.
I’ve got some hopper patterns, gonna try them this summer…once the hoppers come out. Nothing like a 5 or 6 lb cat on a fly rod.
CC
Hey Carl,
Today is the 9th day in a row that conditions here were just
too darned windy to put the boat in the lake. Early next week
is looking promising. Got my fingers crossed.G Warm
regards, Jim
Jim: this storm really kept the wind blowing and impossible to get out…let me know when you start finding the fish on the bed…next full moon is June 2…this should be a hot time for the bream if they are out there…
have you seen any stripers being caught in the lake.??
Carl
Hey Carl,
Just made plans to get out after the crackers on Monday with
my bud. We don’t fish weekends. We leave it for the worker
bee’s.G Havn’t seen or heard any info on stripers lately.
Warm regards, Jim
Tomorrow I’ll be heading on down to Lake Marion to see by fishing buddy. The object of the visit is to repair and paint the bottom of my canoe (that’s already there). I just might very well wet a line down around those boat landings and see just what’s going on.
Plan to be there sometime after high noon.
Dale
Jim: got a question for you…the shellcrackers were on the bed during May full moon…I know that the bream pretty well follow the next full moon…but do shellcrackers come back on the bed also…
I know bream bed thru July …but was not sure about shellcrackers…
I’m still learning…
Hey Carl,
Yes, the crackers can bed multiple times a season. But I
have no idea how often. I generally find some bedding
around every full moon, but not all of them. It seems that
pretty much all of the sunfish are capable of bedding multiple
times but not all at the same time. Also, getting good info on
their mating and feeding habits isn’t as easy as I’d like.G
Not a lot of info out there and much of it conflicting.G The
best shellcracker fishing I have yet to experience has been
“pre-spawn”. Large quantities coming shallow for the spawn
and feeding heavily before going on the beds. I don’t know
how broad that window is but I have only hit it right a very
few times. They were however most noteworthy.G Warm
Regards, Jim
well–thanks for the info…I plan on fishing the next weeks looking for the shellcrackers in Lake Marion out from Stumphole landing or Packs landing on the other side…If I happen to “hit upon the lil devils” – I’ll you know…
And you know–there is not a lot of information on the internet about the habits of the bream and shellcrackers…
but I will keep working at it…and maybe learn a little…
:shock: