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Santee River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Santee River below the Santee Cooper lakes: striped bass under SCDNR's slot and summer closure, and a 20-shad limit.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
69 / 70 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Santee River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:54 AM-11:54 AM and 10:22 PM-12:22 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 74 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

South Carolina requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $10.00 for residents. What a South Carolina licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with SCDNR before you keep anything. The season dates for South Carolina, read off the agency, are on the South Carolina seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low70 / 41 F
WindNE 8-14 mph
Pressure1021.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:30 / 18:36
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Santee River this week

The best day on Santee River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” good at 4/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:54 AM-11:54 AM and 10:22 PM-12:22 AM
Minor period
4:16 AM-5:16 AM
Sun
07:30 to 18:36
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Santee River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

When to come: the Santee River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Santee River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

South Carolina requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

SCDNR (Aug 2026): Santee River system striped bass/hybrids Oct 1–Jun 15, 3 a day, 23–25 in., one may exceed 26 in.; closed Jun 16–Sep 30. Shad 20 a day in the Santee River and Rediversion Canal.

Access

Santee Delta WMA public boat landing (closed Oct 15–Feb 8 except special hunts).

About this water

The Santee River from below the Santee Cooper lakes to the Atlantic, South Carolina.

Fishing Santee River: the full guide

Striped bass rules

SCDNR's Santee River system rule covers striped bass, hybrids and combinations: from October 1 to June 15 anglers may keep 3 a day, between 23 and 25 inches, except that one may be longer than 26 inches. From June 16 to September 30 the season is closed.

Shad

South Carolina's shad limit is 10 a day statewide, but 20 a day in the Santee River and the Rediversion Canal. A recreational freshwater fishing license is required to take shad or herring by hook and line, cast net or skimbow net in fresh water.

Gauges

USGS gauges on the river below Lake Marion include 02171500 near Pineville, 02171560 near Russellville and 02171700 near Jamestown, which is tidally affected.

Santee Delta

Near the coast, SCDNR's Santee Delta WMA lies between the North and South Santee rivers with a public boat landing, and is closed to all public access from October 15 to February 8 except during special hunts.

Common questions

When can I keep a striped bass on the Santee?

From October 1 to June 15: 3 a day between 23 and 25 inches, and one of the three may be over 26 inches. The season is closed June 16 to September 30.

How many shad can I keep?

Twenty a day in the Santee River and the Rediversion Canal, double the statewide limit of 10.

Is fishing good at Santee River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Moultrie12 miLake Marion32 miCharleston39 miMurrells Inlet49 miMyrtle Beach60 miSaluda River84 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.3500, -79.8500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.