The fish are biting like crazy and there really isn’t much else going on around the Santee Cooper Lakes this weekend so Nelson Walker is hoping bass fishermen will head on down to compete in the 2013 Santee Cooper Open Bass Tournament Saturday.

“We are hoping to have 100 to 125 boats Saturday,” said Walker, tournament director for the event,who noted that early entries are lagging a little. “I think everybody may be waiting to see what the weather is gong to be like. It’s definitely been flip-flopping this year.”

But a little off-seasonal weather is not having any bad effect on the fish and should not deter anyone who wants to put a hefty limit of bass in the live well, he noted, because everything else is falling into place just in time for the tournament.

“We are looking for some really big weights Saturday,” Walker said. “There were a couple of small tournaments last weekend. It took 30 pounds to win one and 27 pounds to win the other one. I’m sure it will take at least 27-28 pounds to win Saturday, but if somebody catches a 10-pounder we might break that 30-pound mark.”

That could easily happen because of several factors, he noted.

“The fish are still moving up on Santee. It’s kind of funny, in some of the other lakes around the fish are done spawning, but they are still coming up here. We had a cold front in March and our fish don’t like cold water so they just never moved up,” he said. Although the water temperature has not been really warm during the day, it has not been cold at night, he noted, and now the water temperature is just about right.

“They’ve been lagging, but a big wave moved up in the lower lake last week. The lake is rising now, too. We had a little issue with the water falling when the fish started to move up, but now it is rising and they are moving up. We’ve also got a full moon coming up as well, so we think the fishing will be wide open this weekend,” he said.

“The rising water level is helping in a lot of places. I think by Saturday you can pick wherever you want to go and catch fish. It will be just a matter of what size they are.”

Entry fee for the tournament is $150, plus an optional $10 for big fish. Teams must be registered by Wednesday or face a late penalty of $25.

“We are trying to cut down on the crush the morning of the tournament, but there probably will be 40 or 50 boats show up and do it on the spot,” he said.

The tournament will pay back 100 percent of entry fees, with the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce guaranteeing $5,000 for first place. Walker said plans are to pay two big fish prizes, split 70-30 for big fish and second big fish.

“We will also pay a bonus to the top finishing youth team, which is anybody 16 or under fishing with an adult. I know several guys who are going to bring their sons to fish with them, so some of the conventional tournament teams will split up for this tournament,” he said.

“The Open Bass Tournament is being held in conjunction with the Clarendon County Striped Bass Festival so bring the family and come to downtown Manning to spend the day. There will be snacks and rides and the weigh-in will be held at 3 o’clock.”

2013 Santee Cooper Open Bass Tournament

Sat, Apr 27, 2013

Santee Cooper Lakes

John C. Land III Landing

Call 803-435-4405 for details

[email protected]

Sponsored by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce