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

January 23, 2005

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting Carolina-rigged worms and jigging spoons. Trout: Fair to Good, fishing early morning using minnows and herring 30 feet and up. Also trolling early morning and during the day with Sutton and Bad Creek spoons in water 40 feet and up. Report of some night fishing activity producing catches on cut bait. Smallmouth Bass: Fair, casting brown hair jigs or drifting live bait on rocky points and rocky banks. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Fair, using night crawlers or cut bait on bottom. Bream: Fair, using redworms around banks and brush.
Lake Keowee: Largemouth Bass: Good, Try drop-shot Carolina-rigged worms and doodling in green or red colors and jigging spoons in 30 to 50 feet of water off rocky points after mid-morning and in the mouths of creeks. Crappie: Fair. Try small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms around brush piles and around stumps.
Lake Hartwell: Largemouth Bass: Good, using buzzbaits and planer boards to get bait close to shore. Also try casting plastic purple worms. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, up the creeks with live herring and large minnows also with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep and using umbrella rigs. Trolling activity has increased, try depths of 15 to 25 feet of water. Crappie: Good. Try using small and medium minnows along with small crappie jigs in 15 to 20 of water over brush and structure. Catfish: Good, using shrimp and chicken livers, cut herring, large shiners, nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try using redworms and crickets under boat docks and bridges.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try jigging in 40 feet of water. Also try channels and deep creeks using jigging spoons and deep-running crank baits. Yellow Perch: Fair. Try fishing deep with medium minnows and jigging spoons. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair. Try early morning with bucktails, cut, live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam. 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 using red wigglers and nightcrawlers.
Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Slow, using Cleos. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Roadrunners, spoons or Mr. Champ spoons. Crappie: Good, around docks using jigs and minnows. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait, nightcrawlers and livers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using crickets, worms and popping bugs.
Lake Wylie: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms and plastic crawfish jigs. White Bass: Good, below the dam using bucktails, jigs and spoons when water is running.. Crappie: Excellent, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops in a variety of depths. Catfish: Good, fishing on the bottom with a variety of baits. Shellcrackers: Try using redworms and crickets on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms and nightcrawlers from the bank.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try crankbaits, jigs, plastic worms and lizards around points and brush piles in 12 to 15 feet of water. Stripers: Fair, using live bait, herring or shad 20 to 25 feet deep. Also casting spoons and bucktails to schools. Some stripers being caught behind the dam. White Perch: Good, casting jigs and bucktails to schools. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and mini jigs in black and chartreuse over brush in 10 to 20 feet of water. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait and worms on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along shore and docks.
Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try fishing deep with Hopkins spoons or pig and jigs on structure such as humps and rises. Striped bass: Good. Try fishing with down-rods 14 feet deep with small shiners in 25-35 feet of water. White Bass: Slow. Try trolling shad-like baits or same as striper fishing. Crappie: Good, trolling jigs, grubs and minnows 10 to 15 deep in creeks. Catfish: Good, using live bait blues 15to 25 feet in deep water. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along the bank.
Lake Murray: Largemouth Bass: Good, best fishing on primary edge grass. Striped Bass: Good, try dragging free lines along banks. Early fishing is best with free lines and down fishing to 30 feet. Fishing with freelining live bait, Striper Delights. Crappie: Good, using minnows and jigs around brush piles in 8 to 20 feet of water and casting toughie minnows and jigs in creeks runs and around docks. White Perch: Good, jigging with small spoons in 8 to 35 feet. Catfish: Slow. Try cut live herring, cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms deep.

Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion: Largemouth Bass: Good, using and bucktails and artificial worms fishing along the banks and point early in the morning. Also try artificial worms deep. Striped Bass: Good, using live shiner with down rods in 25 feet of water. 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: Excellent, using cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Bream and Shellcrackers: Slow. Try using redworms and crickets in 4 to 8 feet of water.
Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Fair, Use spinnerbaits and Sammie lures. Striped Bass: Fair, casting and trolling. Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles. Catfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, mullet, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 25 to 40 feet deep on bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors, crappie beds and around the dam around grates at powerhouse. Shellcrackers: Slow, 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.
- Written by Brett Witt -
For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf