Lake Marion fishing: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Spotted Sunfish

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Spotted Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Warmouth, Green Sunfish
Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct for Largemouth Bass
Second window: Apr, May, Oct, Nov for Striped Bass
Boat: 16 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at John C Land III, 6 lanes.

The lake

Lake Marion covers 80,886 acres in South Carolina, across 3 counties: Clarendon, Orangeburg and Berkeley. It is a lake: 93.8% of it is 33 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 44 feet (13.4 m). Our records hold 36 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Striped Bass — Best months: Apr, May, Oct, Nov.
  • Spotted Sunfish — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Pumpkinseed — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.
  • Bluegill — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Warmouth — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Green Sunfish — Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct.

Also recorded here: Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Channel Catfish, American Shad, Chain Pickerel, White Catfish, White Bass, Black Crappie, Redfin Pickerel, White Crappie, Yellow Perch, Redear, Flier, Redbreast, Longnose Gar, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Grass Carp, Tadpole Madtom.

Lake Sunset (52955817665).jpg
Andrew Parlette from Elkridge,MD, US · CC BY 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 44 ft (13.4 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93.8% of the water is 33 feet or shallower. We hold 711 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 8.3% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 11.6% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 11% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 9.1% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 9.7% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 1.6% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 42–44 ft: 0.1% of the water

16 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 16 trailer ramps, 3 fishing piers and 5 shore access points.

  • John C Land III — 6 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Low Falls — 4 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Rimini — 4 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • C Alex Harvin III — 3 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Santee State Park — 3 lanes. SCPRT.
  • Borrow Pit — 2 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Calhoun Subdivision — 2 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Cathead — 2 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Rowland Subdivision — 2 lanes. Santee Cooper.
  • Spiers — 2 lanes. Berkeley County.

Fishing piers

  • C. Alex Harvin Landing Pier — restrooms. Santee Cooper.
  • Rimini Landing Pier — Santee Cooper.
  • Spiers Landing Park Pier — restrooms. Berkeley County.

Shore access for bank fishing

  • Hickory Top Boat Landing
  • Santee National Wildlife Refuge Bank — restrooms. USFWS.
  • Santee State Park Bank — restrooms. SCPRT.
  • Spiers Landing Park Bank — restrooms. Berkeley County.
  • Taw Caw Creek Park Bank — restrooms. Clarendon County.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 18 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.9–5 feet on our readings, averaging 3.4 feet, from 1,435 readings. Water temperature averages 67°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 39°F and the warmest is 91°F; the warmest monthly average is 85°F. pH averages 7.2. These readings span 2016–2026.

Monthly average water temperature: Jan 50°F · Feb 52°F · Mar 58°F · Apr 66°F · May 75°F · Jun 81°F · Jul 85°F · Aug 85°F · Sep 80°F · Oct 73°F · Nov 60°F · Dec 54°F

Season by season

  • Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb, 50–54°F) — Steady but no peak: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Spotted Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Green Sunfish.
  • Spring (Mar, Apr, May, 58–75°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Spotted Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Warmouth.
  • Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, 80–85°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Spotted Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Warmouth, Green Sunfish.
  • Fall (Oct, Nov, 60–73°F) — Biting: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Spotted Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Warmouth.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 80,886 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Winter water drops to 50°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Summer water sits at 85°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.

Where this data comes from

  • U.S. Geological Survey bathymetry of Lake Marion (4-ft contours, NGVD29), filed by Santee Cooper with FERC, P-199, accession 20230330-5329 — USGS Bathymetry Lake Marion Contours 4ft NGVD29: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.