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12/11/2006

DNR News (803) 734-3815

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms in morning and late evening.
bulletTrout: Good, try drifting large minnows from surface to 80 to 100 feet and trolling with minnows. Fish at 80 to 115 feet with nightcrawlers and at 100 to 115 feet with Sutton, Doctor and Apex spoons.
bulletSmallmouth Bass: Fair. Try drifting large minnows and brown hair jigs around rocky points and rocky banks.
bulletCrappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles.
bulletCatfish: Fair, using nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom.
bulletBream: Fair, using redworms around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, try doodling with drop-shot rigs in 30 to 40 feet of water and using jigging spoons.
bulletCrappie: Fair. Try small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings.
bulletCatfish: Good, using minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom.
bulletBream: Slow. Try using redworms and crickets around brush piles, around stumps and around bridge pilings.

Lake Hartwell:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Slow. Try channels and deep creeks using jigging spoons and deep-running crank baits. Also, try plastic worms along grass banks.
bulletYellow Perch: Good. Try fishing deep with medium minnows and jigging spoons.
bulletStriped and Hybrid Bass: Good, early morning with bucktails, cut, live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam.
bulletWhite Bass: Very Good, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam.
bulletCrappie: Excellent, using minnows and jigs around brush piles and bridge pilings in 14 to 15 feet of water. Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
bulletBream: Slow. Try using crickets and earthworms around bridge pilings.

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, Try buzzbaits around bush in creeks and shallow running crankbaits.
bulletYellow Perch: Fair, fishing minnows deep. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, night fishing and early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam.
bulletWhite Bass: Fair, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam.
bulletCrappie: Good, using minnows and around brush piles and bridges. Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
bulletBream: Good, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers around bridge pilings.

Lake Thurmond:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, casting deep-running Rebels, ShadRaps, plastic worms, CountDown lures.
bulletStriped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Little Cleos, Berry Spoons, 1/2 ounce yellow and white RoadRunners with bucktails and KastMasters around the dam in 30 to 50 feet of water. Also, try large minnows and live herring.
bulletCrappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around deep brush tops.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers fishing on the bottom.
bulletBream and Shellcrackers: Slow. Try using earthworms in 5 to 10 feet of water around brush-tops.

Lake Wylie:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium-running crankbaits along points close to the bottom.
bulletStriped Bass: Good, using spoons and bucktails behind Lake Wylie dam.
bulletWhite Bass: Excellent, below the dam casting smaller bucktails and spoons, improved.
bulletCrappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops in 12 to 20 feet of water.
bulletCatfish: Good, fishing on the bottom with a variety of baits.
bulletShellcrackers: Try using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
bulletBream: Slow. Try using earthworms and crickets around the banks.

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair. Try spinnerbaits, jigs, plastic worms and lizards around points and brush piles in 8 to 12 feet of water.
bulletStripers: Good, behind the dam using Bombers, Charlie plugs, and Flukes.
bulletWhite Bass and White Perch: Good: Schools are scattered. Good results with Berry Spoons in 10 to 12 feet of water.
bulletCrappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 12 to 15 feet of water. Good catches of crappie along brush and bushes on the Reedy River.
bulletCatfish: Good, using redworms with a standard hook, line, sinker and cork in 6 to 8 feet of water.
bulletBream: Fair, with redworms and crickets along shoreline structure and docks in 6 to 12 feet of water.

Lake Wateree:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, best caught with shad-like lures on points.
bulletStriped Bass: Good. Some schooling activity early morning and late afternoon. Fish 12 feet deep with live shad.
bulletWhite Bass: Slow.
bulletWhite Perch: Good, casting and jigging Twister-tail grubs and live minnows.
bulletCrappie: Excellent, best fishing with jigging around brush piles. Also in shallow water in the creeks, along edge old river channel and trolling Wow grubs, Sliders and live bait.
bulletCatfish: Good, using earthworms, nightcrawlers, shrimp, small pieces of cut bait and live shad.
bulletBream and Shellcrackers: Slow, using crickets, worms and artificial lures fished around piers, structure and brush.

Lake Murray:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, fishing Flukes off of points and using top-water lures early in the morning and jerk baits along banks. Try Texas rigging Finesse Worms with a shaky jig head and Pig and Jig in 8 to 15 feet of water, around structure.
bulletStriped Bass: Good catches in backs of creeks, freeling herring and using plainer boards. Fish are schooling very early and periodically throughout the day. Lots of schooling activity from Shull Island to Rocky Creek. Good catches in schools casting Ice Flies and with top-water plugs, like pencil poppers and striper delights.
bulletCrappie: Fair, using jigs and small tuffies trolling the creek runs, at 4 to 15 feet, and in the upper part of the lake around the confluence of the little and big Saluda rivers. Try medium minnows around brush piles, docks and around bridge pilings, at 6 to 18 feet depths.
bulletWhite Perch: Good, jigging Flex-it spoons down 10 to 20 feet and casting little cleos.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on bottom. Bream: Fair. Fish with redworms, baby nightcrawlers and crickets in 3 to 12 feet of water.
bulletShellcrackers: Good, using redworms and baby nightcrawlers in 4 to 15 feet of water around rocks, stumps and other structure.

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms, and bucktails fishing along the banks and point early in the morning.
bulletStriped Bass: Excellent, using live shiner with down rods in 25 feet of water.
bulletWhite Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Good, Try using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers.
bulletCatfish: Excellent, use live shiners, cut shad, and herring off bottom drifting in deep water and at night in shallow water.
bulletBream and Shellcrackers: Good, using redworms, crickets and waxworms in 4 to 6 feet of water and fishing shallow.

Lake Moultrie:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass: Fair, cast spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure. Also cast Rattletraps and Rapala lures around Pinopolis Point and Old Hatchery.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, casting and trolling. Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, mullet, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 35 to 50 feet deep on bottom.
bulletBream: Fair. Try using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors, crappie beds and around the dam around grates at powerhouse.
bulletShellcrackers: 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.

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

 

 

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