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

January 30, 2005

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting Carolina-rigged worms and Hopkins, Berry or flexing 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 spoons and Bad Creek spoons in water 40 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, from 15 to 20 feet deep using plastic worms or doodle-rigged worms, or jigging spoons from 40 to 60 feet deep. 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, 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. 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: Fair, using worms from 10 to 15 feet deep.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try using Carolina-rigged worms in about 20 feet of water. 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: Slow. Try fishing deep with crickets or live worms.

Lake Thurmond: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try using Cleos and Rapalas. 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 crickets, worms and popping bugs.

Lake Wylie: Largemouth Bass: Good, using topwater worms or fishing deepwater drop-offs with a half-ounce or two- ounce spinnerbait. 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. Also casting spoons and bucktails to schools. 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: 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 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, 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 using topwater bait. 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 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, 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