Post by Steve Sutton on Jun 25, 2010 9:09:05 GMT -5
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Black Bass: Good. Captain Pat Bennett reports that 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. Captain Steve Pietrykowski recommends fishing at 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. Captain Chris "Fishboy" Schuber reports that the shallow bite remains very good. Chris has been 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
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that 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. Guide Brad Fowler reports that 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 a.m. or 9 a.m. 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. Catfish: Good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that the bite for channel cats and flatheads is strong. Channel cats are being caught on night crawlers, chicken livers and cut herring in 5-25 feet. Flatheads are being caught at night in 5-25 feet of water with live bait fished around brush piles and timber. Blues have moved out to deep water, and Captain Bill's boat is not targeting them. Crappie: Slow. Captain Bill Plumley reports the crappie bite remains tough, and the best fish are being caught before daylight under lights. For pre-dawn fishing set up over brush in 12-20 feet of water.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that 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. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that 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. Bream: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that bream are shallow, but finding good size fish is difficult. Fish worms on a split shot rig or under a cork, or fish micro jigs under a cork. Catfish: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that catfish are being caught on cut herring fished 2-3 feet below floats around riprap near bridges. Striped bass: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that the best striped bass fishing is coming between the Highway 72 Bridge and the dam. Free line live herring or down line live herring 20-25 feet deep.
Lake Thurmond
Crappie: Good. The Herring Hut reports some outstanding, 100 fish trips recently. 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.
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. The Clark's Hill Herring Hut reports that reports that they are catching good numbers of striper on down lined live herring fished 30 feet deep, over whatever depth (40 feet, 80 feet, etc.). Striper 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. Black bass: Fair. The herring spawn is finished but some topwater action is still possible early in the morning. After the first couple of hours of daylight fishing gets tougher; try dragging a Carolina rig along main lake points. The best fish may be suspending and relating to herring schools. Bream: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that at the top of Clarks Hill he is catching good numbers of shellcracker in 7-8 feet of water. These fish are running up to the 1 pound range.
Lake Wylie
Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that the big three - channel, blue and flathead catfish - are cranked up and biting well. Channel catfish are tearing it up in 4-15 feet of water on the southern end of Lake Wylie in the major creeks. Fresh cut baits are the ticket to a great bite. Blue catfish are best sought after in the river arms where anchoring in current is producing good numbers of fish in the 10-20 pound range. The classic presentation for flatheads is night fishing with live bait. Bottom fishing at night can produce both blues and flatheads. Largemouth Bass: Good. FLW Professional and Lake Wylie Guide Matt Arey reports that 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. White perch: Fair. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that perch fishing remains hit or miss, and some days the fishing is hot while on other days they seem to disappear. Try anchoring on offshore humps and fish about 20 feet down with minnows and worms. Some white perch have also been caught in shallow water.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Go deep with crankbait and worms over brushpiles. Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Chris Simpson recommends 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 Bream: Good. Sportsman's Friend reports that bream have moved onto the beds for a second wave of spawning. Look in coves and on the side of points, and fish with crickets and red worms. Crappie: Look around deep brush or up the Saluda River.
Lake Murray
Bream: Very good. Lake World reports that bream are the hot fish right now. Use popping bugs and crickets around docks. Striped Bass: Very good. Lake World reports the best fishing is 45 to 60 feet with live herring. Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Captain Doug Lown reports that 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. Captain Chris Simpson reports that 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.
Lake Wateree
Crappie: Fair. Fish in 12 to 20 feet of water over brush. The crappie are bunching up tight. Largemouth Bass: Good. Camden's Dearal Rodgers reports that some residual fish can still be found shallow especially as long as high water levels remain. Other fish have moved into a summer pattern and caught be caught around offshore structure on shakey head worms, deep running crankbaits, and jigs, or off deep docks. Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor reports that 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. Large fish are taken on occasion in water less than 10 feet drifting cut bait near shore.
Santee Cooper System
Bream: Fair. Bream have moved into shallow water due to the full moon. Catfish: Good. Captain Jim Glenn reports that day time 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: Good. Fish in 10 to 12 feet of water over brushpiles with minnows.
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
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Lake Jocassee
Black Bass: Good. Captain Pat Bennett reports that 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. Captain Steve Pietrykowski recommends fishing at 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. Captain Chris "Fishboy" Schuber reports that the shallow bite remains very good. Chris has been 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
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that 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. Guide Brad Fowler reports that 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 a.m. or 9 a.m. 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. Catfish: Good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that the bite for channel cats and flatheads is strong. Channel cats are being caught on night crawlers, chicken livers and cut herring in 5-25 feet. Flatheads are being caught at night in 5-25 feet of water with live bait fished around brush piles and timber. Blues have moved out to deep water, and Captain Bill's boat is not targeting them. Crappie: Slow. Captain Bill Plumley reports the crappie bite remains tough, and the best fish are being caught before daylight under lights. For pre-dawn fishing set up over brush in 12-20 feet of water.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that 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. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that 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. Bream: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that bream are shallow, but finding good size fish is difficult. Fish worms on a split shot rig or under a cork, or fish micro jigs under a cork. Catfish: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that catfish are being caught on cut herring fished 2-3 feet below floats around riprap near bridges. Striped bass: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that the best striped bass fishing is coming between the Highway 72 Bridge and the dam. Free line live herring or down line live herring 20-25 feet deep.
Lake Thurmond
Crappie: Good. The Herring Hut reports some outstanding, 100 fish trips recently. 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.
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. The Clark's Hill Herring Hut reports that reports that they are catching good numbers of striper on down lined live herring fished 30 feet deep, over whatever depth (40 feet, 80 feet, etc.). Striper 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. Black bass: Fair. The herring spawn is finished but some topwater action is still possible early in the morning. After the first couple of hours of daylight fishing gets tougher; try dragging a Carolina rig along main lake points. The best fish may be suspending and relating to herring schools. Bream: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that at the top of Clarks Hill he is catching good numbers of shellcracker in 7-8 feet of water. These fish are running up to the 1 pound range.
Lake Wylie
Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that the big three - channel, blue and flathead catfish - are cranked up and biting well. Channel catfish are tearing it up in 4-15 feet of water on the southern end of Lake Wylie in the major creeks. Fresh cut baits are the ticket to a great bite. Blue catfish are best sought after in the river arms where anchoring in current is producing good numbers of fish in the 10-20 pound range. The classic presentation for flatheads is night fishing with live bait. Bottom fishing at night can produce both blues and flatheads. Largemouth Bass: Good. FLW Professional and Lake Wylie Guide Matt Arey reports that 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. White perch: Fair. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that perch fishing remains hit or miss, and some days the fishing is hot while on other days they seem to disappear. Try anchoring on offshore humps and fish about 20 feet down with minnows and worms. Some white perch have also been caught in shallow water.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Go deep with crankbait and worms over brushpiles. Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Chris Simpson recommends 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 Bream: Good. Sportsman's Friend reports that bream have moved onto the beds for a second wave of spawning. Look in coves and on the side of points, and fish with crickets and red worms. Crappie: Look around deep brush or up the Saluda River.
Lake Murray
Bream: Very good. Lake World reports that bream are the hot fish right now. Use popping bugs and crickets around docks. Striped Bass: Very good. Lake World reports the best fishing is 45 to 60 feet with live herring. Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Captain Doug Lown reports that 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. Captain Chris Simpson reports that 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.
Lake Wateree
Crappie: Fair. Fish in 12 to 20 feet of water over brush. The crappie are bunching up tight. Largemouth Bass: Good. Camden's Dearal Rodgers reports that some residual fish can still be found shallow especially as long as high water levels remain. Other fish have moved into a summer pattern and caught be caught around offshore structure on shakey head worms, deep running crankbaits, and jigs, or off deep docks. Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor reports that 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. Large fish are taken on occasion in water less than 10 feet drifting cut bait near shore.
Santee Cooper System
Bream: Fair. Bream have moved into shallow water due to the full moon. Catfish: Good. Captain Jim Glenn reports that day time 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: Good. Fish in 10 to 12 feet of water over brushpiles with minnows.
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
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