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11/19/2007
 
 

News Release
November 19, 2007
DNR News (803) 734-3815Striper
SC Dept. of Natural Resources

Freshwater Fishing Trends

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair. Try casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs and jerk baits with slow retrieve.
bulletTrout: Slow, trolling early in the day in 70 to 100 feet water with Sutton, Doctor and Apex spoons. Also try drifting large minnows and nightcrawlers early in the morning in 70 - 100 feet of water. Jocassee trout tournaments scheduled for December 15, January 12, February 9, March 8, April 12.
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: Good, using crickets and redworms around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, crankbaits and jerk baits to the banks around brush and using top-water plugs. Good catches in deep water using drop-shot rigs. Most productive time to catch fish is early morning and throughout daylight hours.
bulletCrappie: Fair, using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings.
bulletCatfish: Excellent, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom.
bulletBream: Good, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try fishing around bridge pilings.

Lake Hartwell:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, crankbaits, topwater lures and flukes fishing off points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk.
bulletStriped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 25 to 30 feet deep. Good catches with top water plugs, spoons and Little Cleos when in schools. Also trolling RoadRunners with bucktail jigs and hybrids being caught with minnows.
bulletCrappie: Fair, using small and medium minnows along with small crappie jigs. Fish are being caught in 10 to 15 of water over brush and structure.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut herring, large shiners, nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom.
bulletBream: Good, using redworms and crickets under boat docks and bridges.  

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, try shallow creeks, flats, and rocky points with medium-running crankbaits and plastic worms along grass banks. Better at night.
bulletYellow Perch: Fair, fishing medium minnows deep and jigging spoons.
bulletStriped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam. Night fishing has been the most productive.
bulletWhite Bass: Very Good, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam.
bulletCrappie: Good, using minnows 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: Excellent, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers around bridge pilings.       

Lake Thurmond:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, casting plastic worms. Also, try Little Cleos, spinnerbaits and top water plugs. Good catches with deep-running Rebels and ShadRaps. Yozuri plugs and Challenger plugs.
bulletStriped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using Little Cleos, Berry Spoons, 1/2 ounce yellow and white RoadRunners with bucktails and KastMasters. Good catches 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: Excellent, using Louisiana pink worms and jumbo redworms in 5 to 10 feet of water around brush-tops.

Lake Wylie:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium-running crankbaits along points close to the bottom.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, using spoons and bucktails behind Lake Wylie dam.
bulletWhite Bass: Fair, below the dam casting small bucktails and spoons.
bulletCrappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops in 12 to 20 feet of water. Best time to catch crappie is at night.
bulletCatfish: Good, using various baits on the bottom.
bulletShellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
bulletBream: Good, using earthworms and crickets around the banks.    

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Good, casting to deep banks with deep-running crankbaits and plastic worms.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, using cut bait in the lower end of the lake, 40 to 50 feet of water, near the dam. Stripers schooling in the lower half of the lake early and late, mostly smaller fish. Some fish being caught below Wateree Dam with topwater lures.
bulletWhite Bass: Slow. Some being caught in striper schools.
bulletWhite Perch: Fair, using various baits including jigs, grubs and live minnows.
bulletCrappie: Fair, try trolling with Wow grubs or Slider grubs. Fish are at the mouths of major feeder creeks suspended in the water column 12 feet deep.
bulletCatfish: Good, live redworms, nightcrawlers, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in major feeder creeks.
bulletBream: Excellent, try worms and crickets fished around bedding bream and around mayfly hatches.

Lake Wateree:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, casting to submerged grass along banks in up to 8 foot of water with horny-toad frogs and floating worms, Texas-rigged worms or lizards in pumpkin, watermelon seed and redbug colors. Fish are hitting topwater baits, Sammy 100's, floating worms and double buzz baits.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, using down-rod with live herring, 20 to 60 feet deep, in up to 100 feet of water; also free-lining herring. Schooling activity reported early morning and late evening hours, try pencil poppers and spooks.
bulletCrappie: Good, using jigs tipped with small tuffy minnows and shiners trolling in creek runs and fishing brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water and at bridge pilings.
bulletWhite Perch: Good, jigging spoons and night crawlers in 15 to 20 feet of water.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom in 5 to 15 feet of water.
bulletBream: Good, fishing redworms and crickets around grass wall and docks in 5 to 15 foot of water. Also try Beetlespins when live bait does not produce.
bulletShellcrackers: Fair, using redworms and baby nightcrawlers in 6 to 20 feet of water off points. 

Lake Murray:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, casting to submerged grass along banks in up to 8 foot of water with horny-toad frogs and floating worms, Texas-rigged worms or lizards in pumpkin, watermelon seed and redbug colors. Fish are hitting topwater baits, Sammy 100's, floating worms and double buzz baits.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, using down-rod with live herring, 20 to 60 feet deep, in up to 100 feet of water; also free-lining herring. Schooling activity reported early morning and late evening hours, try pencil poppers and spooks.
bulletCrappie: Good, using jigs tipped with small tuffy minnows and shiners trolling in creek runs and fishing brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water and at bridge pilings.
bulletWhite Perch: Good, jigging spoons and night crawlers in 15 to 20 feet of water.
bulletCatfish: Good, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom in 5 to 15 feet of water.
bulletBream: Good, fishing redworms and crickets around grass wall and docks in 5 to 15 foot of water. Also try Beetlespins when live bait does not produce.
bulletShellcrackers: Fair, using redworms and baby nightcrawlers in 6 to 20 feet of water off points. 

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Fair, using artificial worms, and topwater Rebels fishing along the banks and point early in the morning.
bulletStriped Bass: Fair, using shad and live herring with down rods in 25 feet of water.
bulletWhite Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons.
bulletCrappie: Fair, Try using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers.
bulletCatfish: Excellent, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water.
bulletBream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using redworms and crickets in 4 to 8 feet of water.

Lake Moultrie:

bulletLargemouth Bass: Slow, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure.
bulletStriped Bass: Good, Jigging and with down-rods in 30 feet of water with live herring near the powerhouse and also trolling stretch 25's when live bait does not produce fish in 30 feet of water. Night fishing has been the most productive.
bulletCrappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles.
bulletCatfish: Excellent, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, mullet, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 35 to 40 feet deep.
bulletBream: Excellent, using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors, crappie beds and around the dam. Shellcrackers: Fair, 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.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf

 

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