Moving to Charleston and was going to stay at a campsite From Jan-April while house hunting. On Lake Moultrie there is a nice place called Short Stay RV park, but the they new nothing about the lake.
Looking at google maps it looks like you can get to some rivers (Santee Cooper), and make it to the ocean from them. Is there some kind of lock system, or are there just (**()s that seperate the two?
I have a 28’ W/A… is there any rivers/lakes that i can fish in around there?
Thanks for the help (I know nothing about Charleston)
There is a lock that is really close to Short Stay on Lake Moultrie which will enable you to get into the Tail Race Canal which then transitions into the Cooper River. You can get to the ocean via the Cooper River, but it’s probably and hour to hour and a half ride running on plane.
Short Stay is a great place to stay. However, you will be stuck on the lake unless you want to tow your boat. In order to get down to the Cooper River you will have to use the Locke that is just south of Short Stay. The locke isn’t always manned during the winter months and usually requires a phone call ahead of time for it to be operated.
However, there are several landings within 5 miles of Short Stay that will put you into the Cooper River. The Cooper River does run all the way to downtown Charleston and all the saltwater rivers. I do want to advise you that the Cooper River, although marked now, can be very deceiving and tricky to navigate. Many of boats have ended up in the old rice fields. If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks for the info guys!
NOt really big into fishing this time of year, mainly beacause i am horrible at inshore fishing. Since i will be wifeless for 4 months, i guess i might have time to learn.
Sill might stay at another park that is a lot closer to town in goose creek on the weapons staition to be a little closer to the ocean, and the AFB.
Tnanks again
You don’t need to bother with the locks because you can just trailer your boat a few miles, put it in at the Tailrace, and run straight to the ocean from there? The Tailrace landing only about 4 miles from shortstay.
Be very careful running your boat on Lake Moultrie and Marion. Go slow. They can be a little tricky and dangerous. Lots of flats and stump/tree fields. The Cooper gets a little tricky between the Monastery and the T’s also. Careful there or you’ll end up in a rice field.
Get some maps, and take it easy. Don’t run the river at dusk or night until you are well familiar with it.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance Agency, Inc. https://stricklandmarine.net
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
Watch your tides, also. High tide on the upper Cooper it all looks like a smooth ride, but you can get into trouble in a hurry. You need to know the channel.
Don’t bother fishing the dam. No dam fish. Can’t even use dam bait!
Coates - The Joint Base Charleston (Old Weapons Station) in Goose Creek offers a facility for campers and also has townhouses to rent for active duty and retirees. The Weapons Station would be a great place to stay if you want to boat. The Bushy Park Landing is just minutes from there and you can access both Fresh Water and Saltwater. The Saltwater landing will give you access to downtown and ocean. Only thing to look out for is the landing on the saltwater side is extremely tough to use at low tide due to all the silt that is pushed into that cove from barges. I have a bay boat and I have to pick and choose my times coming in and out.
SeaFox, Think i am going to stay at the old weapons station… Going to have big problems with the ramps though. I looked at the ramp by the weapons station (Foster Creek i think), and there is no way i can pull my big boat out of there. It was the ramp that looks like you pull out in the road to back down… don’t know what the name of the landing is, but it was way to steep for my truck.
I have a 25’ Sea Pro CC that is in the process of getting some transom work done, that i could pull out no problem, but the boat that is working is a 2700 Pro-Line W/A that is really heavy. When i bought my truck (2001 2WD Excursion Diesel) i had no problem going in and out of Murrells Inlet (not steep ramp at all), now i think i will have some issues.
After talking to a buddy, he said i won’t be able to even get my boat in the water at Lake Moultrie, even though i saw 25’ Sal Boats parked on the trailer at the ramp. So i guess i should just stay closer to civilization.
Can any of you help me out with which ramp around Goose Creek would be the most forgiving for a 2wd truck, and a 30’ LOA W/A? Might have to buy a new truck, but would hate to sell mine… its a beast.
If any of you would like to jump on with me and fish, please let me know! I don’t know one person in Chucktown, and nothing about the waterways. I’ll cover all expenses if you can keep me from ripping my motors off.
Thanks again!
Coates - The ramps at Cypress Gardens might work. Down side is you would have a pretty good run to get to the salt water side. Another option would be the Farm Landing down by the Riverwatch Marina and Duncan Boat Harbour.
Call me at 843-810-9623 if you have any questions about the area or navigating the rivers…
You might want to try something closer to the harbor. The landing at Remley’s Point (Mt Pleasant) for example is easy to access and is “close” to the ocean. If you look around, you might be able to get a cheap short term rentals in the area (check VRBO) as at least some of your time is low tourist season. There is at least one campground in Mt Pleasant, KOA.