Story by Justin Brouillard
The Strike King NPFL Stop #1 at Santee Cooper Lakes, hosted by Clarendon County Tourism brings the anglers and their families to South Carolina to the big fish factory, Santee Cooper, to kick off the 2025 season. The system consists of two lakes—Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie—connected by a six-plus-mile canal. Moultrie covers 60,000 acres while Marion is over 110,000 acres, offering anglers a wide range of fishing opportunities and the chance to catch giant bass.
Next week’s stop at Santee Cooper marks the NPFL’s fifth visit to South Carolina, each event delivering an exciting tournament. Drew Six won at Lake Hartwell in 2022 with 51-5, while Patrick Walters dominated Santee Cooper in 2023 with 67-12. In 2024, Mike Corbishley edged out the field at Hartwell with 44-1, and Bailey Gay closed the season with a 39-15 win on Lake Murray. Now, the NPFL returns to Santee Cooper, where another champion will be crowned.
Local angler and Berkley and Abu Garcia pro Ronnie McCoy grew up fishing Santee Cooper with his dad, targeting crappie and striped bass. But once he got his driver’s license in the early 1980s, largemouth bass became the focus. Over the years, he’s explored every inch of the lake system, using his deep history on this Palmetto State fishery to rack up multiple victories, including a Toyota Series (formerly Costa Series) win in 2018.
He’s seen both the highs and lows of Santee, with the lake’s vegetation playing a major role in tournament weights.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes out here,” McCoy said. “In the early 2000s, we were seeing 40-pound limits. Then they killed off the hydrilla, and things started to decline. Now, it’s coming back, and we have more vegetation—coontail, hydrilla, eelgrass, and lily pads for anglers to fish.”
With Santee’s average depth around 12 feet, there are thousands of acres less than four feet deep, plus countless backwater areas McCoy calls “black water ponds.” As water temperatures rise, bass push into these areas, and even during cold fronts, they don’t abandon them completely. Instead, they hold tight in the grass and ditches, waiting for warmer weather.
“The full moon is March 14, and once these fish move into the back areas, they stay put,” he said. “Even with a cold front, they’re not going to swim all the way back out. They’ll just hunker down in the ditches and depressions until it’s time to spawn. Just this week, the BFL took over 30 pounds to win, and the big fish was over 13 pounds. The NPFL is going to be here at a great time to catch big fish.”
With the NPFL’s no forward-facing sonar rule in place for 2025, McCoy believes 90% of the field will be fishing shallow, focusing on either cypress trees or grass—both of which will be key. Depending on the weather, some fish could already be spawning, and a plethora of baits will produce bites.
“If things stay the same, guys will be able to throw reaction baits—lipless cranks, jerkbaits, bladed jigs. But if the water hits the 60s, we could see buzzbaits, frogs, and big swimbaits like the Berkley CullShad come into play. Either way, it’s going to be a slugfest. Even if it gets tougher, fish will still be catchable in those same areas.”
Predicting weights this far out is tricky, but McCoy expects a shallow-water showdown.
“The NPFL picked a perfect time for Santee to show out,” he said. “I think someone could catch close to 77 pounds over three days. You’ll probably need 60 pounds just to make the top ten. The only wildcard is the wind—some days, it can get bad enough to make running around nearly impossible.”
The Strike King NPFL Stop 1 at Santee Cooper Lakes, hosted by Clarendon County Tourism is shaping up to be an exciting kickoff to the 2025 season. With prime conditions, a stacked field, and a lake known for producing giant bass, all signs point to a slugfest. Whether targeting cypress trees, grass, or backwater ponds, anglers will need to adjust to changing weather and capitalize on the shallow-water bite. With past events showcasing impressive weights, expectations are high for another record-breaking tournament—one where strategy, execution, and a little luck could make all the difference in claiming the first NPFL title of the season.
How to Watch
Tune in daily to watch the action from Santee Cooper – watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers from the South Carolina.
Catch the LIVE Coverage with Luke Dunkin and FatCat covering Day 2 & 3.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
And be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, & Twitter.
