The stage is being set, quite literally, for the 2023 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes. We are midway through practice now for the fourth stop of the season, as the Elite Series returns to this famed fishery just 13 months after the last event was held here in March of 2022. But things are different this go round.
Caleb Kuphall managed to muscle in 19 bass last year to the tune of 103 pounds and 1 ounce … and lost, finishing runner-up to champion Drew Cook.
“I guess, I’ll take it,” said Kuphall.
Kuphall was no doubt disappointed to not close out the victory at the third Elite Series stop of last season. It would have been his second blue trophy in just his third year on the Elites, having won the previous season on Lake Guntersville. But losing while still earning a century belt takes a little bit of the sting away.
“You catch a hundred pounds, you’re probably going to do pretty good, so I’ll take it.”
According to Kuphall, a hundred is looking harder to come by this year. The tournament lands on the calendar over a full month later, and the fish are in a different phase.
“Last time, it was pretty much all prespawn, and they just started to come up when the tournament started. That’s how Drew Cook won it. But this one is on the tail end.”
Cook sight fished his way to his first Elite Series victory here in 2022, after what was a dismal practice for all. The weather was brutally cold at the start of official practice, and anglers were more likely to predict zeros than someone breaking a hundred pounds. But the sun popped out, the bass went on the move and the lake exploded with shallow prespawn and spawning activity. This year though, things are different.
“There are definitely some spawners still, which I’m kind of surprised at. I thought definitely coming into this one, especially after Murray, that they’d be done. I thought they’d be a little further along than Murray.”
The presence of spawning bass will have anglers on the lookout for shallow beds. And this year it will be a good bit easier to spot them, due to an improvement in water clarity.
“The lake has changed a little bit since last year. I’m seeing a lot more clear water, and a I’m see a lot more eel grass. That eel grass is filtering the water.”
Though clear water makes the beds and bass easier to see, it’s not a necessity by any means. Kuphall caught his fish last year in stained water. And he says there are plenty of options when it comes to water clarity this week.
“I’ve found you can catch them out of both. As long as it doesn’t get real muddy. If we have a lot of rain or something that dumps a lot of mud in the system, that can be bad.”
There is rain in the forecast for Friday; a half inch is predicted. Kuphall believes this could muddy up things in certain areas, but he doesn’t believe it will affect the whole lake, just keep a good color in the water.
“I’ve caught them good out here in off-color water. That’s kind of how I caught them last year. I was in real off-color water. And when it cleared up is when I didn’t catch them.”
Though several tactics play better in clear water, Kuphall’s one-two approach last time around set up better for stained to muddy water. He kept one of two rods in his hand, alternating between a spinnerbait and a jig depending on the wind.
“I was strictly fishing cypress trees. When the wind was blowing, I was throwing that spinnerbait. And when it wasn’t I was throwing that jig.”
It’s no news that Santee Cooper Lakes are littered with cypress tress. And there are obviously some giant bass too. But there aren’t a lot of numbers. So confidence can be hard to come by when you’re only getting a few bites.
“That’s kind of the way it’s been for me. That’s what this lake is notorious for. It’s just that there’s not a whole ton of fish in here.”
But when a bite does come, it’s often big. That’s what Kuphall experienced in 2022 when he weighed 29 pounds, 10 ounces on Day 1.
“I had eight bites. So you just catch the right ones. My practice so far has been that way too. Except I’ve been lacking the big ones. A few smaller bites so far.”
Some anglers are more comfortable weeding through large numbers of fish to cull up to a solid five-fish limit. Those typically have a harder time on a place like Santee. It fits Kuphall’s style though, and it’s something that he accredits his success here to.
“That’s the way I like to fish. Kind of grind it out with a very few baits. There’s definitely a lot of things you can do out here, and a lot of things you can throw. But that’s kind of my deal.”
While Kuphall hopes to get on a similar pattern as he did before, simply exchanging prespawn fish that were coming for the postspawn fish that are going, he thinks there will be a couple more ways to catch them. The sight fishing deal will still play for guys like Drew Benton, Drew Cook and others on the prowl. And then there’s the shad spawn, or at least there should be.
“It’s supposed to be happening. But I haven’t found anything, and the guys that I’ve talked to so far haven’t found a good shad spawn bite. But it should be happening right now.”
As always, the shad spawn is very localized and hot and heavy only for an hour or so in the mornings. So it’s hard to find, but for those who find it, hay will be made quickly. The prevailing pattern for most of the anglers that do well will still revolve around the cypress trees though.
“They’re always a big deal out here, and there’s a couple million of them. So that’s going to be a deal. I think guys are going to catch them out of that eel grass. There’s a lot more out here than I’ve seen in the past. I think that might play too.”
With more to choose from in regards to water clarity and cover than ever before, we’ll see a new Santee emerge this season. Most of the bass are either on beds or heading off of them. Someone will find a shad spawn and ride it all the way to Championship Sunday. The weather is favorable for most part, with the exception of storms on Friday. But the strong winds that postponed a day in 2022 shouldn’t be that big of a factor this year.
Will someone catch 100 pounds this week? It seems unlikely at the moment. But when we asked the anglers that question during practice last year, they laughed in our faces. Cook and Kuphall both preceded to complete the task. Moving out of the spawn, the bass are a little lighter on average, but this is still Santee. And these are still among the best anglers in the world. Expect the unexpected to happen.
