SCDNR - Freshwater Fishing Trends

Freshwater Fishing Trends - Nov. 16, 2009 Mountains Area - Piedmont Area - Midlands Area - Santee Cooper System - South Carolina freshwater fish regulations (PDF) - Purchase a fishing license - Boat Ramp Locations - State Fish Consumption Advisories

Fishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

Black Bass: Fair to good. Captain Pat Bennett reports that fishing is day to day but larger fish have moved into the creeks following baitfish. The baitfish should continue to bunch up tighter and tighter and the bass action should continue to improve until temperatures get cold. His boat is having best luck fishing around blowdowns with Texas rigged worms.
Trout: Slow. Captain Steve Pietrykowski reports that the trout bite has been slow ever since the rain caused levels to rise rapidly and dirtied the water. November is traditionally a tough month but this month has been even tougher than usual. Try trolling minnows and spoons around 80 feet deep.

Lake Keowee:

Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Captain Chris “Fishboy” Schuber reports that shad are starting to ball up tighter and so will the bass. Shakey head worms, drop shot rigs and Carolina rigged worms fished in 15-35 feet of water will catch fish around main lake points, boat docks and in coves.

Lake Hartwell:

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good to very good. Captain Steve Pietrykowski reports that the bigger fish are starting to spread out across the lake which can make finding them a little tougher than when they were concentrated down by the dam. He has found some nice fish up the Seneca River and later in the afternoon good schooling activity has been reported, especially on calm days. Live herring remain the bait of choice. Captain Bill Plumley reports that he is also finding striped bass in the creeks and seeing some schooling activity.
Catfish: Good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that the catfish bite remains fairly strong. In particular channel catfish are biting well in 10-20 feet of water in creek runs and flats. Cut herring and nightcrawlers are the best baits right now.
Crappie: Good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that crappie fishing has picked up in the last week and his boat is catching fish in 6-15 feet of water around docks and decaying brush from when the water was down. Minnows, jigs, and jigs tipped with minnows are all working.
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Guide Brad Fowler reports that bait has made its way back into the creeks and the bass are right behind them. Especially later in the afternoon he has found fish chasing bait; creek fishing should be good until temperatures get very cold.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

Perch: Very good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that a mixed bag of white and yellow perch is being caught with minnows fished just off the bottom or jigging spoons. Fish are 25-30 feet deep and they are following the bait onto flats and halfway up the creeks.
Catfish: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that channel catfish are being picked up with minnows when his boat is fishing for perch. To target cats specifically fish on the bottom in 25-30 feet of water with cut herring.
Striped Bass: Fair to good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that striped bass are scattered throughout the lake and can be found in the lower lake, up near the Hartwell dam and up creeks. The best technique right now is down lining 15-20 feet deep over timber in 40-50 feet of water.
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that largemouth bass fishing has gotten tough. The best bet is throwing topwater lures like Spooks, Sammys and Chug Bugs early in the morning around standing timber in coves.
Crappie: Slow to fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that the crappie bite has been sporadic and only a few fish are being caught off of each brushpile. Fish 10-12 feet down over brushpiles 20-25 feet deep in coves and up the creeks. Minnows are working better than jigs right now.

Lake Thurmond:

Striped and Hybrid Bass: No new report. The Clark’s Hill Herring Hut reports that small striper and hybrids are schooling all over the lower lake early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Popping corks with ice flies, Zara Puppies and Spooks, and Rooster Tails will all catch fish. The bigger fish remain in deeper water down around the dam.
Bream: Good. The Herring Hut reports that shellcracker are being caught in the lake off long sloping points with mussels. Fish with nightcrawlers on the bottom.
Crappie: Fair to good. Fish over brush 18-25 feet deep with small minnows, or troll slider jigs in 10-15 feet of water.
Black bass: Slow to fair. Buckeye Lures of Augusta, Georgia reports that fishing is still tough on the lake for good sized fish but the numbers of fish are improving. The best bite right now is around shallow brush (broom sage, dog fennel or stick grass) that grew when the water was down. Shallow running crankbaits such as the Circuit Breaker or Short Circuit in shad colors are working.

Lake Wylie:

Catfish: Excellent. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that fishing in the upper lake has been excellent for blue cats from 5 to 30 or more pounds. Anchoring with cut gizzard shad has been most effective. The drift bite for channel cats has been fair with fish up to six pounds caught on white perch.
White perch: Very good to excellent. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that the white perch bite remains strong in the southern portion of Lake Wylie, and average sizes are up with some fish in excess of a pound caught.
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Bass fishing has been a little tough on Lake Wylie and tournament weights have been down. Sportsman’s Inc. reports that there is still some topwater action on Lake Wylie and fish are following the baitfish into the creeks and coves. When the sun is higher the fish will be out in the middle of coves but early and late they may be right up against the bank. The plastic worm bite has really slowed down and crankbaits, especially #5 Shad Raps, are most productive right now.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

Striped Bass: Good. Sportsman’s Friend reports that striper are scattered but schooling action has been reported around the State Park and Goat Island and some nice fish have been weighed in. At times bass, white perch and striper all seem to be coming to the surface together and eating shad.
Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that drifting fresh cut gizzard shad is working well.
Largemouth bass: Fair to good. Stanley Gunter of the 2009 SC BASS champion Greenwood Bassmasters reports that fish are spread out. They can still be caught deep around humps on Carolina rigs and spoons but good numbers of fish have also moved shallower into creeks and pockets on the main lake.
Crappie: Fair. Sportsman’s Friend reports that crappie seem to have moved from deep brush piles into channels in about the 10 foot depth range. Use jigs tipped with minnows.

Lake Wateree:

Catfish: Very good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that the bite for juvenile blue catfish in the 1-6 pound range is very good in the main channel near the middle of the lake. Fish are suspended less than 10 feet deep in 20-30 feet of water and feeding on schools of shad. The best way to fill a cooler is to drift small cut perch in 20-25 feet of water on deeper flats which are packed with bait in the morning and afternoon.
Striped Bass: Good. A&B Outfitters reports that striped bass fishing is good early and late. Some fish can be found schooling around points and live or dead herring are good baits.
Crappie: Fair. Look around bridges up the creeks and fish minnows vertically against the pilings.
Largemouth Bass: Slow. Bass fishing is still tough on Lake Wateree and weights in the first few CATT tournaments of the season have been low. 2009 Walmart FLW Co-Angler of the Year Dearal Rodgers suggests following the shad to find bass in Lake Wateree during the fall.

Lake Monticello:

Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the Santee style drift bite over deep water has not turned on yet in Lake Monticello. However, anchoring over ledges holding baitfish and catfish and fishing with cut bait continues to be effective. Catches of fish in the 20s and 30s are fairly common and 5-20 pound fish are feeding very well. Depth is not very important right now but be sure that there are baitfish before setting up. Remember, patience is key.

Lake Murray:

Catfish: Excellent. Captain Chris Simpson reports that catfishing has been outstanding and he has been catching a mixed bag of 8-25 pound blue catfish, channel cats, white catfish and flatheads. His boat is catching fish by drifting cut bait in 20-35 feet of water through large feeder creeks that have healthy populations of baitfish. Cut herring is hard to beat as a bait choice on Lake Murray.
Bream: Very good. Shellcracker are feeding very well and have moved shallow. They are being caught in 4-10 feet of water over hard bottoms on baby nightcrawlers and red worms.
Striped Bass: Good. Lake World reports that striped bass are schooling across the lake from the dam to Black’s Bridge; fish have begun their migration up the lake and into the backs of creeks.
Crappie: Good. Crappie fishing has improved up the rivers. Anglers are catching fish by trolling 10-15 feet deep over 15-25 feet of water with live minnows around drop offs and deep brushpiles. Fish are also being caught around bridges and deep docks. Minnows, jigs and jigs tipped with minnows are all working.
Largemouth Bass: Slow. Captain Doug Lown reports that the bass bite has been tough for the past week and most fish caught are in the 1-2 pound range; better fish are hard to come by right now. This is probably related to the lake turning over which traditionally slows down the fishing for a week or two each fall. A few fish can be found suspended around points but most catchable fish have moved shallower.

Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion:

Bream: Very good. Captain David Hilton reports that he continues to find a strong bream bite over deep brushpiles in the 22-24 foot range. He is catching upwards of 100 fish on many of his trips and all sizes are mixed together. Crickets and nightcrawlers make good bait choices.
Striped Bass: Good to very good. Lil N8s Bait and Tackle in Sumter reports that striped bass fishing continues to be strong with very good numbers of fish being caught. However, few fish are over the legal minimum of 26 inches. Schooling activity has slowed down and most fish are now being caught drifting live herring on free lines.
Catfish: Good. Captain Jim Glenn reports that falling water temperatures have blue catfish on the move and good catches are being reported both deep and shallow. Right now deep water means 30-40 feet and shallow water is 4-10 feet deep. The best baits include cut herring, shad and mullet and both drifting and anchoring will work.
Largemouth bass: Fair to good. Captain Inky Davis reports that most fish he is catching are in the 2-3 pound range but some larger ones are also mixed in. The best bite continues to be around shallow structure with soft plastics or crankbaits. Some of the tournament leaders in the recent Southern Open were fishing around vegetation called “floating hearth.”
Crappie: Fair. Captain David Hilton reports that crappie fishing has slowed a bit in the last week or two although his boat continues to catch fish. He is still finding the best action around brushpiles in 15-18 feet of water on the upper lake.

Diversion Canal:

See Lake Marion report

Lake Moultrie:

See Lake Marion report