Columbia - Brett Witt (803) 667-0696
Clemson - Greg Lucas (864) 654-1671, ext.22
Charleston - (803) 667-0696
Spokesman - Mike Willis (803) 734-4133
After Hours Radio Room - (803) 955-4000
SC Dept. of Natural Resources
P 0 Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
March 13, 2006
Freshwater Fishing Trends
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee: Largemouth Bass: Good with catches in the early morning drifting minnows off shallow points. Trout: Good, trolling from 60 feet to surface with Doctor, Sutton, Bad Creek, Lucky Jak’s spoons or drifting with large minnows 30 to 60 feet.. Smallmouth Bass: Fair to good, 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: Good, casting crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie: Fair. Try small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. Catfish: Slow. Try using nightcrawlers and cut bait on bottom. Bream: Slow. Try using red worms around brush piles.
Lake Hartwell: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting super flukes or floating worms up in the creeks. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, free-lining live blueback herring up in the creeks. Crappie: Fair, using medium minnows in about 10 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut herring in 2 to 3 feet of water. Bream: Slow. Try earthworms deep around brush.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try worms, lizards and deep crank baits. Also try fishing in coves. Yellow Perch: Fair. Try fishing minnows deep. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using umbrella rigs and live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 20 feet deep. 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: Slow. Try fishing deep with earthworms.
Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Good, try shallow creeks with medium running crankbaits and plastic worms. Also try deep-running plugs. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Crappie: Good, around docks using jigs and minnows. Catfish: Fair, using worms on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using earthworms around the banks.
Lake Wylie: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium running crankbaits. White Bass: Good, casting small spinners and jigs. Crappie: Excellent, jigs and minnows 15-20 feet over brush. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. Shellcrackers: 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: Excellent, casting crankbaits 4 to 8 feet off points and in shallow coves. Stripers: Fair, using live bait, herring or shad 20 to 25 feet deep. White Perch: Fair. Try fishing deep with minnows, spoons and earthworms. Crappie: Fair. Try small minnows in upper part of lake, a few large fish caught. Catfish: Fair. Try using cut bait and worms on the bottom. Bream: Good, using redworms along shore and brush piles.
Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Good, try using crankbaits and spinnerbaits in shallow water. Striped bass: Good, using live bait in the river channel fishing 15 feet deep in upper half of lake. White Bass: Slow: Try shad-like baits off points. Crappie: Fair, using live bait 13 to 15 feet deep right off the bottom along the river channel and slow trolling Wow jigs deep at edge of old river bed. Catfish: Good, live shad, minnows or worms in the creeks. Bream: Slow. Try crickets and worms deep.
Lake Murray: Largemouth Bass: Good on the inside of the grass line on small shad rap and spinnerbaits. Striped Bass: Good, try dragging free lines along banks also using topwater plugs and drifting shiners. 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: Fair. Try fishing worms deep.
Santee Cooper System
* The American shad run is on and the fishery is active in the Cooper River Tailrace Canal near Moncks Corner and in the Santee River and Rediversion Canal. Catch will vary depending upon, among other factors, flow and temperature, but the fishing is expected generally to be good for the next few weeks.
Lake Marion: Largemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms and fishing along the banks. 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, Try using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Catfish: Good, using cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Bream and Shellcrackers: Slow. Try red-worms, wigglers and nightcrawlers.
Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Good, using plastic worms and crankbaits in shallow water in coves 2 to 4 feet deep. Striped Bass: Good, trolling with artificial worms. Also try Flex-it spoons. Crappie: Slow. 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.
- Written by Brett Witt -
For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf