The urge to spawn triggers a general movement up the system late in the winter and into the spring. While not all fish make the run and the movements are widespread, anglers should be aware that concentrations of fish will begin working their way up the Santee River as winter gives way to spring.

Despite very good natural reproduction, the SCDNR stocks 2.5 million 1- to 2-inch fingerling stripers per year in the Santee Cooper lakes. During years when the spawn is highly successful, most fish recruited into the fishery come from natural reproduction. However, during poor years, the stocked fish fill the same niche and get recruited into the population, virtually eliminating "down years."

The abundance of baitfish and the diversity of baitfish species clearly help the overall quality of the striped bass population. In years when certain species are less abundant, others tend to be plentiful. In short, there is always food.

At the same time, the widely varied forage probably makes winter patterns a bit less defined than they otherwise might be. Each baitfish species is a little different from the rest in its behavior and habitat preferences, so the stripers find food in a lot of different types of areas. While that makes big concentrations of stripers a little less certain, it opens more possible patterns for fishermen.

During the coldest part of winter, the most significant baitfish concentrations, and consequently stripers, tend to be in the lower ends of the lakes, where the water is deepest, according to Lamprecht. Menhaden, which are exclusive to the Santee Cooper lakes in South Carolina, are the most temperature-sensitive of the baitfish species, followed by threadfin shad. Both species congregate near Santee Dam on Lake Marion and Pinopolis Dam on Lake Moultrie throughout the winter. While the other species are less temperature sensitive, they, too, tend to favor the same areas during the coldest parts of winter.

Anglers who fish around the dams typically use the same baitfish that attract the concentrations of stripers. However, when stripers push baitfish to the surface within casting range, a white bucktail cast into the melee is likely to get stopped in its tracks by a hungry striper.

The lower end of Lake Moultrie is significantly easier to fish than the lower end of Lake Marion because of all the standing timber and stumps in the Marion. Lamprecht believes that Marion's action holds more of the lakes' stripers most of the time; however, catch rates are always higher on Moultrie because navigation and fishing are easier for most fishermen.

The first warm days of late winter and early spring begin triggering changes in fishing patterns. Baitfish and stripers will begin moving to shallow areas that get warmed by the sun and toward any warm areas of rain run-off, and some fish begin migrating up Santee Cooper system, toward the spawning grounds.

Unlike the Savannah River lakes and Lake Murray, the Santee Cooper lakes do not produce many true heavyweights. Marion and Moultrie are far better known for fast action from 5- to 10-pound fish than for trophy stripers. The lakes do still contain a remnant from a fabulous 1998 year-class, which now weigh between 12 and 15 pounds, but those fish are becoming ever fewer in number, Lamprecht said.

Dozens of marinas and fish camps and a few public ramps provide access to all parts of the Santee Cooper system. Randolphs Landing offers good access to the lower end of Lake Marion. Blacks Camp offers good access to Lake Moultrie. For information about landings, guides, lodging and much more, call Santee Cooper Country at (800) 227-8510 or go online to www.santeecoopercountry.com.

The striped bass limit on the Santee Cooper lakes is five fish, with a 21-inch minimum size.