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

February 6, 2006

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee:Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting Carolina-rigged worms and Hopkins, Berry or flexing spoons. Trout: Good, fishing early morning using minnows and herring 55 feet and up. Also trolling early morning and during the day with Sutton spoons and Bad Creek spoons in water 55 feet and up. Smallmouth Bass: Fair, casting brown hair jigs or drifting live bait on rocky points and rocky banks. Crappie: Slow. Try using small minnows. Catfish: Fair, using night crawlers or cut bait on bottom. Bream: Fair, using redworms around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee: Largemouth Bass: Good, doodling plastic worms, jigging spoons and drop-shotting lures on the bottom 30 to 50 feet down. 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. 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 deep-running crankbaits. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep and using umbrella rigs. Crappie: Fair, using medium minnows in about 10 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using shrimp and chicken livers, cut herring, large shiners, and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Good, using red worms around brush piles.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try casting deepwater crankbaits. Yellow Perch: Slow. Try fishing minnows deep. 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: Slow. Try fishing deep with crickets or live worms.

Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting plastic worms and Cleos. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Roadrunners, Mr. Champ spoons or deep-running Rebels. Crappie: Good, around docks using jigs and minnows. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait, nightcrawlers and livers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using earthworms around the banks.

Lake Wylie: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms and plastic crawfish jigs. White Bass: Good, below the dam using bucktails, jigs and spoons. Crappie: Excellent, using small minnows and jigs in 20 to 30 feet of water. 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 using crankbaits off main points or jigging around brush piles and deep holes. Stripers: Fair, using live bait, herring or shad 20 to 25 feet deep. White Perch: Fair, jigging bucktails and berry spoons 15-20 feet deep. 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: Poor. Try using crickets and red worms.

Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try using worms and crankbaits. 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: Slow. Try using live bait. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along the bank.

Lake Murray: Largemouth Bass: Good, best fishing on primary edge grass and using spinnerbaits and Sammie lures. 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: 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: Slow. Try artificial worms deep. Striped Bass: Slow. 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: Excellent, using cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Bream and Shellcrackers: Slow. Try using crickets.

Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try using or Carolina-rigged worms, spinnerbaits or Sammie lures. Striped Bass: Good, trolling with artificial worms. Crappie: Fair. Try 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 30 to 40 feet deep on bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors. 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