Freshwater Fishing Trends - Nov. 25, 2010
Fishing Information

* Mountains Area
* Piedmont Area
* Midlands Area
* Santee Cooper System
* SC Freshwater Fishing Regulations (Adobe PDF)
* Purchase a fishing license
* Boat Ramp Locations
* State Fish Consumption Advisories

StriperFishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.



Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee:

* Trout: Slow. Captain Steve Pietrykowski reports that trout fishing has slowed down for the season on Lake Jocassee. If you’re going to give it a try he recommends fishing spoons or live shiners (or herring if you can’t get shiners) in the main lake in 80-90 feet of water.
* Black Bass: Slow. Captain Pat Bennett reports that Lake Jocassee bass fishing continues to be slow, but once the lake finishes turning over the bite may start to improve and more fish should be found shallow. Some trout fishermen report catching bass trolling in very deep water, but to catch easier to target fish try using finesse worms around visible cover adjacent to deep water, or fishing off sloping main lake points. The creek bite should improve for several weeks before fish return to deep water for the winter.

Lake Keowee:

* Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Guide Brad Fowler reports that spotted bass are spread out all over the lake, both on the main lake and in the creeks. Some topwater schooling activity has been occurring, and there has also been a pretty good crankbait and spinnerbait bite around rocky points early in the day. On windy days that bite can continue all day. Still, as usual the most productive pattern is fishing finesse worms either shakey head or drop-shot style around points and humps in 15-40 feet of water.

Lake Hartwell:

* Largemouth Bass: Very good. Guide Brad Fowler reports that there is a very good shallow bite on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Fish are spread out over most of the lake, and with the water down fish are being caught on bare rocky banks in the main lakes as well as up the creeks. Bait is moving up the creeks and occasional schooling activity is being reported in pockets.
* Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good to very good. Captain Bill Plumley and Captain Steve Pietrykowski’s report that striper fishing remains strong. Schooling activity can be found all over the lake, and there is no particular time of day, area or other apparent pattern to it. Very nice 4-6 pound hybrids are making up a large part of the schooling catch. Many fish are moving into the creeks, and the most productive pattern when fish aren’t showing themselves on top has been fishing down lined live herring 40-50 feet deep.
* Catfish: Fair to good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that they are catching small blue catfish up to about 10 pounds on cut bait in 30-40 feet of water. Numbers are good but the big fish have so far been absent.
* Crappie: Slow to fair. Captain Bill Plumley reports that crappie fishing may be beginning to pick up just a little, and some decent catches have been reported on both minnows and jigs in 15-22 feet of water. Troll jigs or fish minnows around brush at that depth.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell:

* Black Bass: Very good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that spotted bass fishing remains very strong. Fish are bunched up in 18-25 feet of water around crappie brush piles, and they are feeding so aggressively that they are running off most of the other fish. Look for schools of bait on your depth finder before choosing an area to fish, and then lower a drop shot rig baited with either a medium minnow or a four inch finesse worm to the bottom. Most of the fish are in the 1-2 pound range, and about 90% of the bass catch is spotted bass. Trolling crankbaits will also catch fish.
* Crappie: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that crappie are suspended 10-12 feet down over brush in 20 feet of water. Small minnows will catch crappie and spotted bass. Catfish: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that he hasn’t spend much time targeting catfish recently, but some good channels are suspended around shad schools in 18-25 feet of water and he has occasionally picked them up bass and crappie fishing. To target catfish specifically try anchoring cut blueback herring on the bottom in 15-20 feet of water.
* Striped bass: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that striper are on the move, but gulls should arrive soon from the coast and provide clues about where the striper are located. Free lining live herring is a good option right now.

Lake Thurmond:

* Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good to very good. Captain William Sasser reports that free lining live herring in the backs of creeks is the best way to catch nice fish in the 8-12 pound range. Fish are also being caught on herring pulled away from the boat with planer boards around 12-14 foot deep points in front of the dam. In the lower half of the lake from the 378 Bridge to the dam and the Little River Bridge to the dam, fish are being caught 35 feet down on down lined live herring in the backs of deep coves.
* Crappie: Good to very good. Captain William Sasser reports that crappie can be found in the back of Soap Creek and the South Carolina Little River where they will take trolled jigs. In the Georgia Little River fish are suspended 20 feet down over trees in 30 feet of water; fish small minnows vertically.
* Black bass: Slow to fair. Buckeye Lures in Augusta reports that fishing has slowed down as the lake turns over, but in a couple of weeks the bite should be much improved. For now floating worms fished in shallow water may catch fish, and spinnerbaits fished around hydrilla may also be productive. Once the lake settles fish should stay shallow for a few more weeks before a winter pattern develops.

Lake Wylie:

* Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that the channel catfish bite is strong. The bite has been better in the creeks than the main channel, and early in the morning the bait seems to be 15-25 feet deep. As the day progresses the bait will move shallower, and by late afternoon it is not uncommon to see schools of surfacing shad in the creeks. Drifting in the major creeks is the most productive way to catch fish; start off deeper and move shallower as the sun gets up. Cut white perch is a good bait, but most fresh cut fish will work.
* Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. FLW Professional/ Guide Matt Arey reports that the fish are relating almost 100% to schools of shad, which are now thick in the very backs of the creeks and pockets. Schooling activity is strong, and particularly on cloudy days topwater activity will continue all day long. Small grubs or blade baits are good options for schooling bass, and to draw fish up to the surface try buzzbaits or Zara Spooks.
* White perch: Sporadic. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that white perch schools are moving around, and some days they have been difficult to locate. In general the first two hours of the morning have been best, with most people reporting the bite slowing down as the sun gets up. The most productive depth is 16-30 feet, and minnows fished vertically will work.

Midlands Area

Lake Greenwood:

* Catfish: Very good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that channel catfish are biting very well right now. The thermocline has disappeared and the majority of the fish have moved deeper. Both anchoring and drifting will produce, and the best areas have been around channel ledges, flats next to the channel and in the channel. 22-30 feet is the most productive depth range. It has gotten too cold for stink bait, and fresh cut bait is the best option for drifting or anchored fishing.
* Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Sportsman's Friend reports that schooling activity is scattered from the mid-lake down to the State Park, with largemouth, small striper and white perch all mixed together. In the backs of coves bass are taking shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits as bait and fish have moved shallow.
* Crappie: Fair. Sportsman's Friend reports that crappie are being caught drifting in coves with jigs and minnows, or fishing minnows around brush 12 feet deep.

Lake Wateree:

* Largemouth Bass: Good. Camden’s Dearal Rodgers says that early in the morning fish will be found staging near steep rocky banks and adjacent to feeding flats. They will be relatively inactive, and so working a jig or worm slowly is important. Later in the day fish will move onto flats in the back of coves and on the main lake, and they will be willing to chase a Rattle Trap-type bait.
* Catfish: Good. Captain Rodger Taylor recommends drifting cut bait on the bottom for channel cats in 15-20 feet on the lower end of the lake. Crappie: Fair to good. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports that crappie have made their way back out to the main river channel where they are suspending on the ledges to the side of the channel. Tight line minnows or jigs about 14-16 feet down in 18-24 feet of water. Fish should stay in this general pattern for the next couple of months, moving up and down the lake, but right now the best bite is around the State Park.

Lake Monticello:

* Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that anchoring on humps and points where you mark thick schools of baitfish near the bottom, or on the edges of drops where baitfish are present, is working well. Be sure to also mark some catfish before committing to an area, and then wait patiently. 40-70 feet of water is a good depth for the next month or so, but be alert to where the baitfish are holding on your graph. Fish no more than 10 feet below the bait. Big pieces of cut gizzard shad are productive, but cramming three or four threadfin shad or small gizzard shad on a hook will also work.

Lake Murray:

* Catfish: Very good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that drifting cut bait such as herring, perch, bream and shad at depths of 25 to 45 feet is working best. Each day is different, and some days the productive zone will be 25 to 35 feet, the next may be 40 to 45 feet, and some days they will be feeding at all depths. Watch at what depth the baitfish are holding, because the catfish will not be far away.
* Bream: Very good. Lake World reports the shellcracker bite is still very hot. Fish red worms, blue worms or baby nightcrawlers on the bottom in 2-10 feet of water around rocky points. Bluegills are harder to find right now. Striped Bass: Fair to good. Lake World reports that schooling has slowed, and fish are spread out all over the lake. The best fishing is coming with down lined live herring fished 35 feet deep around the mouths of the bigger creeks, but some people are also doing well with free lined live herring.
* Largemouth Bass: Slow. Captain Doug Lown reports that bass fishing has gotten pretty tough, probably because the middle and upper end of the lake are in the process of turning over. Bait has pretty much left the main lake and moved into the creeks, and the middle of the lake seems to be producing better than the lower end or rivers. About half of the bass seem to be in deep water 14-25 feet deep, and about half of the fish seem to be shallow. Most of the fish are related to points and secondary points, with some in short pockets, but few fish except dinks seem to be at the very backs of long pockets or ditches. Jigs and shakey head worms seem to be working as well as anything.

Santee Cooper System

* Largemouth bass: Very good. Captain Inky Davis reports that bass fishing continues to be very strong, with excellent numbers of fish caught as well as some real monsters. The good spawns of the last three, post-drought years combined with abundant native and non-native vegetation appear to be really paying off. Fish have moving shallow just like in the spring. Right now soft plastics and crankbaits are among the best ways to catch fish, and it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for topwater activity.
* Bream and crappie: Very good. Steve English reports that bream and crappie are schooled up 15-20 feet down over brushpiles in 25-35 feet of water. His boat is catching excellent numbers of good sized bream on crickets and crappie on minnows.
* Catfish: Fair. Captain Jim Glenn reports that fishing continues to be erratic, and fish have yet to lock into a strong fall pattern. 25-45 feet of water has been the most productive depth, and drifting is working best. To catch numbers of channels or juvenile blues in the 2-6 pounds range downsize to smaller hooks and pieces of cut bait; big blues are finicky right now, probably because of weather and falling lake levels.