Post by Steve Sutton on Jun 10, 2010 17:20:48 GMT -5
June 14, 2010 DNR News (803) 667-0696
The following information is provided courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports. DHEC Fish Consumption Advisories: www.scdhec.net/environment/water/fish.
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Largemouth bass: Good. Post-spawn fish are hanging around blowdowns, especially in the vicinity of spawning areas, before they move out to deep water. Fish soft plastics slowly, and expect best results on overcast or rainy days.
Trout: Good. Fish the intakes early in the morning and pulling spoons for the first few hours of daylight. As the sun rises moves out to the main lake and fish both spoons and live shiners. Good spoons to use are the Sutton 44, 31 and 72, and most trout are being caught in 35-60 feet of water throughout the day.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good to very good. The shallow bite remains very good, catching fish in less than 10 feet of water off main lake points and in the backs of main lake pockets on the south end of the lake, and the topwater bite is starting to come on. Nemire Lures Baby Buzzers, shakey head worms and shallow running crankbaits are all productive. Sammy topwater lures are also reportedly doing very well, and this is a good time for Carolina rigging.
Lake Hartwell
Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley blue catfishing has slowed down as the blues have headed out to deeper water on the main lake and in the rivers. Flathead fishing is picking up and Captain Bill is picking up some flatheads when he sets up off points early in the morning and casts several rods out for striper and hybrids. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. striper and hybrid fishing is strong off points in 30-40 feet of water. Down lined live herring have been the ticket, and fish have been running in different sizes from day to day. Occasional schooling action is reported, and some fish can be picked up on free lines.
Largemouth Bass: Good. The blueback herring spawn is over, but there is still good topwater action on Lake Hartwell early in the morning. Spooks, flukes, and topwater lures will all catch fish. After 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning fish will be found off points and humps, and pulling a Carolina rig is a good way to catch them. Some fish still remain shallow, especially in the brush that grew up when the water was down.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Some fish can still be found fairly shallow in shady coves and near-shore around rocky points, but fish are moving deeper and into a summer pattern. Fishing main lake points with a Carolina rigged finesse worm or a Spot Remover is a good pattern for spotted bass, and if you want to catch largemouth in the same areas try a Carolina rigged lizard. The best largemouth pattern, though, is flipping visible timber in 25-50 feet with Texas rigs or spot removers for bass suspended 12-15 feet down.
Crappie: Good. The best crappie fishing is in more stained water, such as above Middleton Bridge in Beaverdam Creek. The best depth to target crappie is 3 feet down over 10-12 feet of water near brush piles, using live minnows or casting small jigs.
Lake Thurmond
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent. Catching good numbers of stripers on down lined live herring fished 30 feet deep, over whatever depth (40 feet, 80 feet, etc.). Stripers are generally running in the 7-10 pound range. Schools of hybrids are suspended just above the striped bass 20-25 feet deep, and they are running in packs of 1-2 pound or 4-5 pound fish. Look for schools off points on the lower end of the lake.
Crappie: Excellent. Most fish are being caught 16 feet deep over 20-25 feet of water around brush piles and trees. Anchoring and fishing vertically with either minnows or white popeye jigs is working well.
Lake Wylie
Largemouth Bass: Good. The strongest bite right now on Lake Wylie is the bream bed bite. Early in the morning look for bass feeding on topwater, and then look for bass cruising in packs and targeting spawning bream around docks and in the backs of sandy coves. Prop baits, swimbaits and weightless Senkos will all work. Some fish have also moved into a summer pattern, and can be caught deep around humps and drops with spoons, crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Good to very good. Drifting or double anchoring on main lake or secondary points, the best fishing is in 2 to 15 feet of water, with fish moving shallower at night. Shrimp and small pieces of herring or shad will both work, and stink bait is also catching fish for many people.
Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Fish are moving into a normal summer pattern, with some fish being caught early in the morning against block walls and rocks on topwater lures and floating worms. Later in the day the majority of fish can be found off points and around humps and ledges. Carolina rigging plastic worms is most effective. Occasional schooling activity is also being reported in the lower lake on cloudy days, with white perch, white bass and striped bass sometimes mixed in with largemouth.
Lake Murray
Striped Bass: Very good. Early in the morning fish are being caught shallow around shoal markers on topwater lures. Later in the day fish are being caught from Bomb Island down to the dam on down lined live herring fished along the river channel 40-60 feet deep.
Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Early in the morning there can be a pretty decent topwater bite, but the overall bite really slows down after 10 a.m. Fish are mainly in 10-12 feet of water right now, and they are feeding hard on crayfish. Try fishing shakey head worms and Carolina rigs off rocky points.
Lake Monticello
Catfish: Inconsistent. Water fluctuation has made for an unpredictable bite. On days when the water is moving, anchoring on main lakes humps with water flowing over them is a productive way to go after big blues, but on days without current a better big fish pattern is to fish in the coves around timber and over mussel beds. The free line drift bite continues to be strong for smaller fish.
Lake Wateree
Crappie: Fair. Lake Wateree crappie fishing is day to day, with fish cooperating some days and not others. Best fishing is coming over brush piles in 15-22 feet of water vertical jigging or tightlining. Minnows will work, and Fish Stalker jigs in Ugly Green or Pearl White and mini jigs in yellow/ white and dark green/ chartreuse will also catch fish.
Catfish: Good. The upriver bite has been good lately, especially with good water flow. Anytime current is present in the river section, the chances of getting a good fish are good. Point fishing will also be good in the evenings and late at night when big blues come shallow to feed up. Some scarred up male fish are being caught which indicates the major part of the spawn is ending as these fish start to leave nests and get into post spawn patterns. Drift fishing will produce about 50 percent blues and 50 percent channels on the shallow flats. Large fish are taken on occasion in water less than 10 feet drifting cut bait near shore.
Santee Cooper System
Catfish: Good. Daytime drift fishing has produced some nice blue cats in the early part of the day. Cut white perch has been the bait of choice, and most fish have been caught in less than 30 feet of water. A number of 6-10 pound channel cats are also showing up, especially in deeper water. Smaller channels are being caught on dip baits in shallow water. Drift fishing the Rediversion Canal out of Arrowhead Landing in the evening, and anchoring at night in the Diversion canal, is good and should only improve as summer progresses.
Crappie: Very good. Catching some good stringers of crappie in the lower lake around brushpiles 15-30 feet deep. Both minnows and jigs are working.
Purchase a SC fishing license at: www.dnr.sc.gov/purchase.html
South Carolina freshwater recreational fishing regulations: (Pdf file): www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf
The following information is provided courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports. DHEC Fish Consumption Advisories: www.scdhec.net/environment/water/fish.
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Largemouth bass: Good. Post-spawn fish are hanging around blowdowns, especially in the vicinity of spawning areas, before they move out to deep water. Fish soft plastics slowly, and expect best results on overcast or rainy days.
Trout: Good. Fish the intakes early in the morning and pulling spoons for the first few hours of daylight. As the sun rises moves out to the main lake and fish both spoons and live shiners. Good spoons to use are the Sutton 44, 31 and 72, and most trout are being caught in 35-60 feet of water throughout the day.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good to very good. The shallow bite remains very good, catching fish in less than 10 feet of water off main lake points and in the backs of main lake pockets on the south end of the lake, and the topwater bite is starting to come on. Nemire Lures Baby Buzzers, shakey head worms and shallow running crankbaits are all productive. Sammy topwater lures are also reportedly doing very well, and this is a good time for Carolina rigging.
Lake Hartwell
Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley blue catfishing has slowed down as the blues have headed out to deeper water on the main lake and in the rivers. Flathead fishing is picking up and Captain Bill is picking up some flatheads when he sets up off points early in the morning and casts several rods out for striper and hybrids. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. striper and hybrid fishing is strong off points in 30-40 feet of water. Down lined live herring have been the ticket, and fish have been running in different sizes from day to day. Occasional schooling action is reported, and some fish can be picked up on free lines.
Largemouth Bass: Good. The blueback herring spawn is over, but there is still good topwater action on Lake Hartwell early in the morning. Spooks, flukes, and topwater lures will all catch fish. After 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning fish will be found off points and humps, and pulling a Carolina rig is a good way to catch them. Some fish still remain shallow, especially in the brush that grew up when the water was down.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Some fish can still be found fairly shallow in shady coves and near-shore around rocky points, but fish are moving deeper and into a summer pattern. Fishing main lake points with a Carolina rigged finesse worm or a Spot Remover is a good pattern for spotted bass, and if you want to catch largemouth in the same areas try a Carolina rigged lizard. The best largemouth pattern, though, is flipping visible timber in 25-50 feet with Texas rigs or spot removers for bass suspended 12-15 feet down.
Crappie: Good. The best crappie fishing is in more stained water, such as above Middleton Bridge in Beaverdam Creek. The best depth to target crappie is 3 feet down over 10-12 feet of water near brush piles, using live minnows or casting small jigs.
Lake Thurmond
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent. Catching good numbers of stripers on down lined live herring fished 30 feet deep, over whatever depth (40 feet, 80 feet, etc.). Stripers are generally running in the 7-10 pound range. Schools of hybrids are suspended just above the striped bass 20-25 feet deep, and they are running in packs of 1-2 pound or 4-5 pound fish. Look for schools off points on the lower end of the lake.
Crappie: Excellent. Most fish are being caught 16 feet deep over 20-25 feet of water around brush piles and trees. Anchoring and fishing vertically with either minnows or white popeye jigs is working well.
Lake Wylie
Largemouth Bass: Good. The strongest bite right now on Lake Wylie is the bream bed bite. Early in the morning look for bass feeding on topwater, and then look for bass cruising in packs and targeting spawning bream around docks and in the backs of sandy coves. Prop baits, swimbaits and weightless Senkos will all work. Some fish have also moved into a summer pattern, and can be caught deep around humps and drops with spoons, crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Good to very good. Drifting or double anchoring on main lake or secondary points, the best fishing is in 2 to 15 feet of water, with fish moving shallower at night. Shrimp and small pieces of herring or shad will both work, and stink bait is also catching fish for many people.
Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Fish are moving into a normal summer pattern, with some fish being caught early in the morning against block walls and rocks on topwater lures and floating worms. Later in the day the majority of fish can be found off points and around humps and ledges. Carolina rigging plastic worms is most effective. Occasional schooling activity is also being reported in the lower lake on cloudy days, with white perch, white bass and striped bass sometimes mixed in with largemouth.
Lake Murray
Striped Bass: Very good. Early in the morning fish are being caught shallow around shoal markers on topwater lures. Later in the day fish are being caught from Bomb Island down to the dam on down lined live herring fished along the river channel 40-60 feet deep.
Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Early in the morning there can be a pretty decent topwater bite, but the overall bite really slows down after 10 a.m. Fish are mainly in 10-12 feet of water right now, and they are feeding hard on crayfish. Try fishing shakey head worms and Carolina rigs off rocky points.
Lake Monticello
Catfish: Inconsistent. Water fluctuation has made for an unpredictable bite. On days when the water is moving, anchoring on main lakes humps with water flowing over them is a productive way to go after big blues, but on days without current a better big fish pattern is to fish in the coves around timber and over mussel beds. The free line drift bite continues to be strong for smaller fish.
Lake Wateree
Crappie: Fair. Lake Wateree crappie fishing is day to day, with fish cooperating some days and not others. Best fishing is coming over brush piles in 15-22 feet of water vertical jigging or tightlining. Minnows will work, and Fish Stalker jigs in Ugly Green or Pearl White and mini jigs in yellow/ white and dark green/ chartreuse will also catch fish.
Catfish: Good. The upriver bite has been good lately, especially with good water flow. Anytime current is present in the river section, the chances of getting a good fish are good. Point fishing will also be good in the evenings and late at night when big blues come shallow to feed up. Some scarred up male fish are being caught which indicates the major part of the spawn is ending as these fish start to leave nests and get into post spawn patterns. Drift fishing will produce about 50 percent blues and 50 percent channels on the shallow flats. Large fish are taken on occasion in water less than 10 feet drifting cut bait near shore.
Santee Cooper System
Catfish: Good. Daytime drift fishing has produced some nice blue cats in the early part of the day. Cut white perch has been the bait of choice, and most fish have been caught in less than 30 feet of water. A number of 6-10 pound channel cats are also showing up, especially in deeper water. Smaller channels are being caught on dip baits in shallow water. Drift fishing the Rediversion Canal out of Arrowhead Landing in the evening, and anchoring at night in the Diversion canal, is good and should only improve as summer progresses.
Crappie: Very good. Catching some good stringers of crappie in the lower lake around brushpiles 15-30 feet deep. Both minnows and jigs are working.
Purchase a SC fishing license at: www.dnr.sc.gov/purchase.html
South Carolina freshwater recreational fishing regulations: (Pdf file): www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf