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

May 1, 2006

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting crankbaits and dark green plastic worms up rivers. Trout: Good, during the day fishing nightcrawlers and minnows 40to 55 feet deep. Smallmouth Bass: Fair. Try drifting large minnows along red clay and rocky points. Crappie: Slow. Try using small minnows. Catfish: Fair, using night crawlers or cut bait on bottom. Bream: Slow. Try worms or crickets.

Lake Keowee: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting topwater lures and jerk baits off points and deep banks early and late. Crappie: Excellent. Try small minnows and jigs in 5 to 10 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. Catfish: Fair. Try using nightcrawlers and cut bait on bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using red worms and crickets around brush piles.

Lake Hartwell: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting topwater lures and jerkbaits. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, free-lining live blueback herring up in the creeks. Crappie: Good, using medium and small minnows in about 10 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut herring in 2 to 3 feet of water. Bream: Excellent, using crickets and worms 5 to 8 feet deep.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting worms and lizards. Yellow Perch: Fair. Try fishing minnows deep. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Try jigging bucktails. White Bass: Poor. Try bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. Crappie: Fair. Try using minnows and jigs around brush piles and bridges. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Fair. Try fishing along steep banks with crickets and earthworms.

Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms and spinnerbaits into the banks. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good using jigs and Cleos. Crappie: Excellent, around docks using jigs and minnows. Catfish: Good, using worms on the bottom. Bream: Fair. Try crickets and worms 3 to 8 feet deep around brush.

Lake Wylie: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms along shallow points and banks. White Bass: Good, casting small spinners and jigs. Crappie: Good, using jigs and minnows around piers about 10 to 15 feet deep. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. Shellcrackers: Fair. Try using redworms and crickets on the bottom. Bream: Fair. Try red worms near the bottom. Also try nightcrawlers.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting topwater worms, plugs and buzzbaits. Stripers: Good, using live bait, herring or shad 15 to 20 feet deep. White Perch: Good, using berryspoons in 12 to 15 feet of water. Also some schooling activity reported. Crappie: Fair. Try using minnows and mini jigs over brush in deeper water. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and worms on the bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using cricket and redworms along shore and brush piles.

Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting spinnerbaits in shallow water. Striped bass: Excellent, using bucktails, cut bait and live shad at Cedar Creek dam. White Bass: Good, using small live shad and jigs. Crappie: Excellent, using minnows and grubs around piers and in shallows, also trolling and drifting with jigs. Catfish: Good, using live minnows or worms in the creeks. Bream: Fair, using crickets and earthworms in warmer areas of coves.

Lake Murray: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms and topwater lures early from bank to 8 feet deep. Striped Bass: Good, try drifting shiners in 6 to 8 feet of water. Crappie: Good, using jigs and small tuffies around bridge pilings and brush piles. White Perch: Good, using live minnows near the bottom. Catfish: Good using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Good, using crickets and worms shallow around docks and bushes.

Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try using lizards and worms in the shallows. Striped Bass: Fair. Try casting bucktails to schooling fish or fishing live small blueback herring, shad or shiners. White Perch: Slow. Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Fair, using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Catfish: Good, using cut shad in the shallows. Bream and Shellcrackers: Fair. Try red-worms, wigglers and nightcrawlers.

Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Good, using topwater lures and plastic worms in 5-8 feet of water. Striped Bass: Fair. Try trolling lures or fishing live herring if available. Crappie: Fair. Try minnows around fish attraction areas. Catfish: Good, using cut bait 20 to 35 deep. Bream: Fair. Try using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors. Shellcrackers: Slow, try redworms 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