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

May 15, 2006

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee: Good, slow retrieves with plastic worms, casting Carolina-rigged worms and spinnerbaits. Trout: Excellent, trolling with Apex lures, Sutton spoons and Yozuri baits from 30 to 60 feet deep. Smallmouth Bass: Fair. Try drifting large minnows along red clay and rocky points. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers or frozen herring at night. Bream: Good, using crickets around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting to schools in early morning with soft jerkbaits like Super Flukes. 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 on humps and points. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, casting to schools with Super Flukes on humps and points. Crappie: Good, using medium and small minnows in about 10 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut herring, nightcrawlers and chicken livers on the bottom. Bream: Excellent, using crickets and worms 5 to 8 feet deep.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting shallow crankbaits along rocky points and in the back of creeks. Yellow Perch: Fair. Try fishing minnows deep. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Try jigging bucktails. White Bass: Slow. Try bucktails and spinners below the dam. Crappie: Slow Try minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Good, fishing cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Good, fishing with red wigglers and nightcrawlers.

Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms, crankbaits to the banks. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent, using Cleos, Berry Spoons. 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. Striped Bass: Good, below Wylie dam using bucktails, jigs and spoons when water is running. 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: Good, using earthworms and crickets around the banks.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood: Largemouth Bass: Very 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: Good, using crickets and worms along shore and docks and fishing from banks.

Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting spinnerbaits, worms and crankbaits on structure in deeper water. Striped bass: Good, using live shad fish in the river channel 15 to 25 feet. 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: Excellent, using spinnerbaits, number 5 or 7 Shad Raps or Carolina-rigged worms around rocky points and grass. Striped Bass: Good, try drifting shiners in 6 to 8 feet of water. Crappie: Fair, using jigs and minnows in 20 feet of water 12-15 feet deep. White Perch: Fair, jigging small tuffies, worms or spoons 20 to 60 feet. 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: Excellent, using artificial worms deep. Crankbaits and white spinnerbaits are being fished along the banks. Striped Bass: Slow, Try casting bucktails to fish schooling in creeks or cut bait off the bottom. White Perch: Fair. Try jigging off the bottom with spoons. Crappie: Fair, using medium minnows around deep brush piles ledges. Catfish: Good, using cut shad in the shallows. Bream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using crickets, red worms, wigglers and nightcrawlers.

Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try topwater lures and plastic worms early and late. Striped Bass: Good, fishing live herring 30 to 50 feet deep using down-rods. 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: Fair. Try using crickets around fish attraction areas.

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