** Archived Article - please check for current information. **

Sept 25 , 2006

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area - Piedmont Area - Midlands Area - Santee Cooper System

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs with slow retrieve. Also in early morning drifting minnows off shallow points.
• Trout: Slow, trolling early in the day in 70 to 90 feet water with Sutton , Doctor and Apex spoons. Also try drifting large minnows and nightcrawlers early in the morning in 75 to 100 feet of water.
• Smallmouth Bass: Good. Try drifting large minnows and brown hair jigs around rocky points and rocky banks.
• Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles.
• Catfish: Fair, using nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom.
• Bream: Good, using crickets and redworms around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, night fishing with buzzbaits and plastic worms in shallower water.
• Crappie: Fair, using small minnows and jigs in 20 to 25 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings.
• Catfish: Good, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom.
• Bream: Excellent, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try fishing around bridge pilings.

Lake Hartwell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, crankbaits, topwater lures and flukes fishing off points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep.
• Crappie: Fair, using small and medium minnows along with small crappie jigs. Fish are being caught in 15 to 30 feet of water over structure.
• Catfish: Good, using cut herring, large shiners nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using redworms and crickets under boat docks and bridges.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, try shallow creeks, flats, and rocky points with medium-running crankbaits and plastic worms. Better at night.
• Yellow Perch: Fair, fishing medium minnows deep and jigging spoons.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam. Night fishing has been the most productive.
• White Bass: Good, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam.
• Crappie: Good, using minnows around brush piles and bridge pilings in 14 to 15 feet of water. Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover.
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
• Bream: Excellent, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers around bridge pilings.

Lake Thurmond:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms. Also try Little Cleos and spinnerbaits.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Also try live and cut herring.
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows around brush tops.
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers fishing on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using Louisiana pink worms, crickets and jumbo redworms around the banks.

Lake Wylie:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic lizards, floating worms and topwater lures in the back of creeks.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Spoons and Bucktails.
• White Bass: Good, fish are schooling in the afternoon.
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and chartreuse jigs around rip-rap and brush tops.
• Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom.
• Shellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using earthworms, redworms and crickets around the banks.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting floating worms, topwater plugs. Plastic worms in around docks and structure in 12 to 15 feet of water during the day.
• Stripers: Good, behind the dam using Bombers, Charlie plugs and bucktails.
• White Bass and White Perch: Good, fish are schooling around Goat Island and around the dam area. The most productive way to catch these fish is casting a popping cork , trailing it with 18 inches of leader with a medium-size popping bug or spinnerbait.
• Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 12 to 15 feet of water. Night fishing is the most productive.
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
• Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets along shore and docks.

Lake Wateree:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using, crankbaits and Carolina-rigged worms . Fish have moved into deep water along drops around brush. Look for water currents and schooling fish.
• Striped Bass: Good, using live shad with down-rods in 15 to 25 feet of water. Good catches reported with top water plugs Stripers also suspended in 15 to 22 feet of water all over the lake.
• White Bass: Good: Try shad-like baits on points.
• Crappie: Good, try Wow grubs and Slider worms using 1/8 ounce heads in neutral colors, casting and jigging along old river beds in 11 to 13 feet of water. Fish are beginning to move into creek areas.
• Catfish: Good, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in 10 to 20 feet of water and deeper down the lake. Night fishing has been productive along underwater bars off points.
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets and redworms.

Lake Murray:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, using topwater lures early in the morning and floating worms, jerk baits and buzz baits along the banks. Try fishing Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged worms midday around stumps and other structure in 8 to 20 feet of water.
• Striped Bass: Good, using live bait on downrods and free-lining at depths of 40 to 70 feet. Fish are schooling very early, Good catches with topwater plugs, pencil poppers and striper delights.
• Crappie: Fair, using jigs and small tuffies trolling in creek runs and medium minnows fishing brush piles at depths of 10 to 20 feet.
• White Perch: Good, jigging Flex-it spoons and fishing red worms in 15 to 20 feet of water.
• Catfish: Good, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on bottom.
• Bream: Good. Try fishing redworms, baby night crawlers and crickets in 3 to 15 feet of water.
• Shellcrackers: Fair, using redworms and baby night crawlers in 6 to 20 feet of water. 
• Sunday, September 17, 2006, 24-lb. striper was caught in the Saluda River below the Lake Murray dam, using live herring.

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms, topwater lures, crankbaits and spinnerbaits fishing along banks and points.
• Striped Bass: Good, using shad and live or cut herring with down rod in about 20 feet of water. Free-lining live shiners has also been productive. Trolling has produced some stripers also.
• White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons.
• Crappie: Good, Crappie are starting to bite, using small and medium minnows around deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Also, try fishing at night.
• Catfish: Good, fishing with live-herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water.
• Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, using crickets, redworms, wigglers and nightcrawlers in 5 to 10 feet of water.
  

Lake Moultrie:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure.
• Striped Bass: Good, fishing live herring 30 to 40 feet deep with down-rods. Also, try flex-it spoons jigging in schools of fish.
• Crappie: Fair, Try small to medium sized minnows around fish attraction areas and brush piles.
• Catfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 40 to 50 feet deep. Night fishing the most productive.
• Bream: Good, using crickets, green worm and redworms around public fish attractors. Fish are in 8 to 25 feet of water on beds.
• Shellcrackers: Fair, try redworms and green worms along the banks along river runs and points.

REPORTERS: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources appreciates the cooperation of fishing trend reporters for South Carolina's major lakes: Jocassee - Jocassee Outdoor Center; Keowee - Fishing Hole; Hartwell - Lake Hartwell Fishing and Marine; Russell - Tony's Bait and Tackle; Thurmond - Bladon's; Wylie - Catawba Tackle; Greenwood - Sportsman's Friend; Wateree - Wateree Marina; Murray - Dooley's Sport Shop, Lake World; Marion - Randolph's Landing; and Moultrie - Atkins Boat Landing.

For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf