Freshwater Fishing Trends - August 4, 2011
Fishing Information


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



Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee:

Largemouth Bass: Fair. Patterns are pretty much the same with the heat. Water levels have dropped so fish are moving deeper and the size of the fish is smaller. Best and late evening casting Carolina-rigged worms, purple watermelon plastic worms and jerk baits with slow retrieve.
Trout (unchanged from July 28): Fair. Captain Steve Pietrykowski advises that the fishing has slowed. Bites are spread out and you have to work to catch fish. Trolling in the 60-70 foot range has been most productive and live shiners are outfishing spoons right now. A few fish are still being caught on hardware. The best action is in the main lake and fishing at the intakes has been hit or miss. Night fishing has only been fair, but suspending nightcrawlers and shiners 25 to 40 feet down near the intakes should catch some fish.

Lake Keowee: (no change from July 28)

Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Slow to fair. Guide Brad Fowler reports that early in the day there is occasional topwater activity, but overall fishing has slowed in the dog days of summer. After the sun gets up anglers need to drop back and fish drop shot rigs, Carolina rigs and shakey head worms over deep structure such as points and humps. Many anglers are heading up the lake to the cooler, running water below the Lake Jocassee dam. At night some fish move shallower where they can be caught on worms around brush and lighted docks.

Lake Hartwell:

Striper: Fair. The fish are still somewhat deep at 35-50 feet off the main points and edges over trees. Troll umbrella rigs, free-lining live herring and large minnows and jigging. Catfish: Slow. Smaller fish seems to be biting well. Zip baits are outperforming anything else right now. Blues are slow, but some fishing can be had at night. Large flatheads can occasional be caught with large shiners, nightcrawlers or shrimp. Crappie: Slow. The fish have moved slightly deeper at 20-30 feet over trees in the main lake or over brush. A few are being caught around deeper bridges with minnows.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell:

Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting shallow-running crankbaits, plastic worms around flats and points. Better late in the evening.
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs below the dam if the water is running.
Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom and around the riprap at bridges.

Lake Thurmond:

Striper: Very good. Fish at 35-40 feet on the bottom with live herring, especially in front of the dam. Some trolling in the afternoon is producing around 25 feet down mostly with bucktails. Some action reported at the top of the lake in the tailrace.
Crappie: Slow. The summer lull is on and there are not good numbers, but the fish they do catch are fair size. Check around 25 feet deep for best results with medium and large minnows.
Largemouth: Improving. Some schooling activity reported on the surface because the shad and small herring are in the top of the water column, but it's all over the lake and can be tough to find. Cast plastic worms for best results.
Shellcracker: Good. The fish are bedding all over the lake even though it's a bit late in the season. A worm on a split shot will produce.

Lake Wylie:

Largemouth: Poor. Not worth the effort. Bass are not producing.
Bream: Fair. The bedding has slowed down and most of the fish are offshore. There is some schooling activity, but it's hard to get them at the right time or find them. A classic needle in the haystack, but find 'em and the results are good using earthworms.
Catfish: Very good. Despite the heat there have been some reports of big blues on the bottom with a variety of baits.

Midlands Area

Lake Greenwood:

Bass fishing: Slow. Sportsman's Friend reports your best bet is going early and late. Some schooling activity reported around the lake, but there is no set pattern. Cloudy days are reportedly better. Topwater lures and floating worms are a good bet.
Crappie (unchanged from July 28): Slow to fair. Sportsman's Friend reports that the best fishing is at night around bridge pilings, brush and other manmade structure and cover in 20-30 feet of water. Cover and structure in creek channels may be best, and both minnows and jigs will catch fish.
Bream: Fair. Decent around docks and coves.

Lake Wateree:

Catfish: Very good. Many anglers are coming back with filled coolers with some big fish scattered in smaller ones. Try nightcrawlers, shrimp, small pieces of cut bait and live shad.
White perch: Very good casting and jigging grubs and minnows.
Largemouth: Poor. Small jigs, small worms on Carolina rigs and other finesse-style baits, but nothing much is really producing.
Crappie: Fair. The fish have moved deeper to 15-21 feet over brush piles. Early in morning over brush later in the day in the brush have produced results with jigging.

Lake Murray:

Striper: Lake World reports that some fish are still on the surface occasionally, but primarily have a wide range of 30-80 feet. Open water humps are also producing. Trolling is starting to improve with Roadrunners. Any rain moves the fish up the water column.
Shellcracker: Fair. Check around 12-15 feet. The fish are harder to find, but good when you do. Use redworms, baby nightcrawlers and crickets.
Crappie: Fair. No real change except the fish are almost in a spring-like pattern only a few feet deep in rivers and creeks. Still stay over the brush and drop minnows down 12-20 feet.

Santee Cooper System (unchanged from July 28)

Crappie: Good. Captain Steve English reports that the crappie bite remains strong around offshore brushpiles in 7-18 feet of water in both the upper and lower lake. Some really nice fish over 2 pounds have been caught in 10-12 feet of water. The best brush is proximate to depth changes, and fish will take both minnows and jigs. Use your trolling motor to hold over the brush. Summer heat does not necessarily force the fish deep, and so fish may stay around brush at this depth for some time.
Bream: Good. Captain Steve English reports that bream are scattered out in 3-5 feet of water around grass, lily pads and shallow brush. Crickets are the best bait. They will spawn throughout the summer on the full moons, and at those times they will be found over shallow beds.
Largemouth bass: Slow to fair. Captain Jimmie Hair (843-553-1139) reports that fishing remains more difficult with the intense heat, and he is still targeting much of his effort in the swamp above the I-95 Bridge. Fish in the shade of cypress trees in 5-10 feet of water. Captain Hair is making his best catches on a creature bait called an Ugly Otter. In the main lakes the shallow bite has turned off, but a few fish can be caught off drops on Carolina rigs. In the Cooper River fishing remains strong because of the current and cooler water temperatures. 1-2 pound fish can still be caught at the lower stages of the tide on Senkos, with the best tide being the outgoing around the ditches and rice fields. The best river bite for larger fish is in the late evening and after dark. Big worms and buzzbaits will catch quality fish, but the best night-time lure is a black jitterbug.