Excerpt from:
Game & Fish Magazine

By Jeff Samsel

SANTEE-COOPER "Don't be scared to go shallow," said Capt. Steve Shipley of Ships Guide Service, who turns to night-fishing during the summer on Santee-Cooper.

Shipley said that nighttime trips commonly yield 100-200 pounds of catfish total. "That's when we catch our biggest catfish," he said, noting that last summer's night trips yielded two 70-pound-plus flatheads.

Shipley begins summer trips late in the afternoon and targets blues in the shallow water. The blues generally serve up the fastest action, but some monster flatheads show up on summer nights.

"We'll often catch eight to ten  catfish that average 30 pounds," Shipley said.

Shipley's favorite bait for summer-night blues on Santee-Cooper is a piece of cut white perch. He strings big chunks of bait on 7/O Kahle hooks.

Shipley strongly encourages the release of all catfish over 30 pounds, and he requires it for all fish over 50 pounds. "We're mostly catch-and-release. We have to conserve this resource if we want to keep catching these fish," he said.