Catchin' em early in 'The Jungle'

The swamps of Lake Marion, also known as “The Jungle,” always attract attention from anglers, so Bassmaster Senior Editor Craig Lamb and Bassmaster photographer Andy Crawford headed into the maze of flooded cypress trees to document the beauty of the area and decipher how anglers can find success there.

The first day of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes dawn foggy and dreary, lending a heightened sense of mystery to the landscape of The Jungle.

The swamp is simply gorgeous, with towering cypress trees surrounded by bass-filled waters.

Sure enough, anglers began filtering into The Jungle shortly after blast-off. Here, Elite pro Caleb Sumrall idles out of the main lake into the flooded swamp that are reminiscent of those he fishes around his South Louisiana home.

Rains have pushed muddy water into the Santee Cooper Lakes, but local angler Bucky Black said The Jungle is one of those areas in which Elite pros can find a little more clarity because it’s protected from the main push of muddy water in the river by a spoil bank. “It’s like a little lake that stays a little cleaner,” Black said.

This photo of the river, taken by Lamb with a drone, shows the chocolate waters of the main water flowing past The Jungle.

As we pushed farther back into The Jungle trying to find Sumrall, it was evident just how much life the fertile swamp supports.

There is no shortage of places for fish to hide in this swamp, with overhanging cypress limbs, tree trunks, tangles of fallen trees and the ring of roots surrounding these cypress trees. Black said the key is to find the cleanest water possible and then really fish the cover hard.

We finally caught up with Sumrall as he worked down a line of cypress trees, picking apart the flooded timber.

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Sumrall zigzagged through the timber, often barely visible through the trees.

And he broke the ice early with a 3-pounder snatched from the base of a tree

Anglers often have to really examine the tangle to make precision casts in their search of the big bass for which the Santee Cooper Lakes are known.

As we eased around, Elite pro Keith Combs popped out of the thick cypress forest.

Combs was pitching a soft-plastic lure in and around the cover formed by the flooded cypress trees.

Combs often was easier seen from above, as he worked to find channels through the thick trees.

He set the hook while barely visible, putting his third bass in the boat. Combs said he only had about 8 or 9 pounds, however.

The cover can be hard on terminal tackle, so Combs took the opportunity to re-rig before continuing to pick through the heavy timber.