NEWS RELEASE
May 29, 2006
DNR News (803) 734-3950

Freshwater Fishing Trends:

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting crankbaits and dark green plastic worms up rivers. Trout: Good, fishing nightcrawlers and minnows 40 to 55 feet deep or trolling with Sutton or Doctor spoons early in morning. Good, at night using large minnows and cut bait. 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: Good, using nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Fair. Try using worms and crickets in sandy pocket 4 to 5 feet deep.

Lake Hartwell: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting topwater lures on humps and points. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, casting to schools with Super Flukes humps and points. Crappie: Good, using small and medium minnows around bridge pilings and brush piles. Catfish: Good, using cut herring on the bottom. Bream: Good, using crickets around brush piles.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell: Largemouth Bass: Fair casting Carolina-rigged worms and lizards. Yellow Perch: Fair. Try fishing minnows deep. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Try using bucktails, cut bait and jigs below the dam. 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: Good, casting jigs and trolling and fishing big minnows. Crappie: Good, using minnows and mini-jigs over brush. Catfish: Good, using worms and cut bait along banks. Bream: Excellent, using crickets, worms and popping bugs.

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 15 feet deep. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Good, fishing with crickets and worms from the bank.

Midlands Area

Lake Greenwood: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting topwater worms, plugs and buzzbaits. Striped Bass: Good, casting flukes and topwater plugs behind the dam. White Perch: Good, using berryspoons in 12 to 15 feet of water. Also some schooling activity reported. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and mini jigs over brush in 20 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Excellent, using crickets and worms along shore and docks and fishing from banks.

Lake Wateree: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting spinnerbaits worms and crankbaits on structure in deeper water. Striped bass: Excellent, using bucktails, cut bait and live shad fish moving downriver from Cedar Creek dam. White Bass: Good, using small live shad and jigs. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and jigs, fishing deep brush. Catfish: Good, using live shad in 3 to 5 feet of water. Bream: Good, using crickets and worms around mayfly hatches. Shellcrackers: Fair, using crickets and worms.

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 around bridge pilings. White Perch: Fair, jigging small tuffies, worms or spoons in 20 to 60 feet. Catfish: Great, using cut herring and nightcrawlers 5 to 15 feet deep. Bream: Good, using crickets and worms 6-8 feet of water.

Santee Cooper System

Lake Marion: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try lizards and worms in the shallows. Striped Bass: Slow. Try casting bucktails to fish schooling in creeks or cut bait off the bottom. White Perch: Slow. Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Fair. Try using medium minnows around deep brush piles. Catfish: Good, fishing with cut bait off the bottom. Bream and Shellcracker: Good, using crickets and small minnows.

Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try topwater lures and plastic worms early and late. Striped Bass: Fair, using live herring from anchor and casting light spoons to schooling fish. Crappie: Poor. Try minnows around fish attraction areas. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers. Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, 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.

- Written by Brett Witt -

For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations: http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/regs/
pdf/freshfishing.pdf