Post by Steve Sutton on Jul 15, 2010 12:13:12 GMT -5
July 19, 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. Captain Steve Pietrykowski recommends fishing blowdowns near deep water. At some point during the day decent sized fish will relate to them. The bait fish are in the blowdowns and sometimes in large numbers. Use weightless senko's and shakey heads.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Finding some good spots on topwater Sebile splashers and Nemire buzzbaits in the morning. Throw the DT-6 bluegill crankbait and the DT-10 crankbait (speed fishing). Most caught in less than 15 feet of water on the south end of the lake around Cane Creek.
Lake Hartwell
Striper/hybrid: Good. Captain Bill Plumley is targeting deep main lake points all the way down to the dam in 35-45 feet of water. He locates the fish on his graph and then drops multiple down lined live herring to them and he uses his trolling motor to stay on top of the fish. Catfish: Good. Captain Plumley today reports he is catching an unusually high number of channel catfish on live and cut herring fished in 20-35 feet of water off main lake and river points. Crappie: Poor. Captain Bill has heard no reports of anyone getting into them in numbers. .
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Crappie: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that crappie have moved out to deeper brush. The most productive pattern is fishing 12 feet down over brush 20 feet deep with minnows.
Lake Thurmond
Striper: Good. Herring Hut owner and guide William Sasser reports the pre-dawn bite is very good and the daytime bite "good." Before daylight he is catching fish on the bottom around points and humps in 30-45 feet of water with down lined live herring. Later in the day fish are suspending and spreading out at the same depths, and they are catching them on down lines in the backs of coves, around points and on the main lake. Crappie: Good. Sasser reports no major changes in the crappie pattern, but he says the bite remains strong and the sizes are good over brush. Night fishing should also be strong around the 378 bridge and the Little River bridge. Bass: Poor. Jon Hair with Buckeye Lures in Augusta, winner of the 2010 Easter Seals tournament on Clarks Hill, reports that the bass bite on Clarks Hill remains slow. Shallow buzzbaits fished early may pick up some fish, and fish can also be caught at times over deep humps.
Lake Wylie
Catfish: Good. Channel cats are doing well in the southern end of the lake. Occasionally a nice blue is taken of the drift also. Best baits include white perch, bluegill and threadfin shad. Bream: Good. A few bream remain on the beds and for a little while longer bass that are feeding on them can be caught on prop baits.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Good. Getting a few drifting but anchoring on secondary points in creeks and in the backs of creeks is paying off a lot more. Shrimp and stink bait is the best bet to fill the cooler up with fish in a very short time and you won't have to worry about gar bugging you. Bass: Good. Stanley Gunter of the Greenwood Bassmasters reports early in the morning some fish can be caught around sea walls on topwater lures. When the sun gets up fish can be caught on the bottom in 18-20 feet of water around rocks points and brushpiles, mainly on plastic worms.
Lake Murray
Bass: Poor. Captain Doug Lown caught fish from 5-30 feet deep, and a few fish still remain shallow. However, they are very scattered and difficult to target. The most effective pattern right now is fishing deep brush in 22-30 feet of water, and especially brush that is way offshore and located fairly close to the main river channel. Striper: Fair. Richard Hall says striper fishing is good in the lower lake near Turner's Point, in the "extreme" Ballentine area and by the dam. Daytime, anchoring or drifting in 40-70 feet of water over open water humps with live bait should catch fish.
Lake Monticello
Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the bite is still a tad inconsistent, but he has been catching some monster fish up to about 60 pounds. Some days the best fishing is off steep ledges, but other days the biggest fish are feeding on long sloping points. Cut bait is the ticket for large catfish, and the free line drifting bite also remains strong.
Lake Wateree
Catfish: Good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports down the lake catfish are fat and drifting cut bait is working well. Largemouth Bass: Good. Camden's Dearal Rodgers reports that a strong summer pattern on Wateree is fishing around offshore structure such as ledges, humps or underwater points on shakey head worms, deep running crankbaits, and jigs. Crappie: Good. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports that fish can be found around most any brush in 12-20 feet of water. Plain minnows or Fish Stalker Jigs in Ugly Green or Yellow Pepper colors have been working.
Santee Cooper System
Crappie: Fair. Fish can be caught in 6-30 feet, but are especially bunched up in 12-18 feet. You would think that with the heat they would go deeper, but there is very little oxygen right now at greater depths. The bite remains good over brush.
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. Captain Steve Pietrykowski recommends fishing blowdowns near deep water. At some point during the day decent sized fish will relate to them. The bait fish are in the blowdowns and sometimes in large numbers. Use weightless senko's and shakey heads.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Finding some good spots on topwater Sebile splashers and Nemire buzzbaits in the morning. Throw the DT-6 bluegill crankbait and the DT-10 crankbait (speed fishing). Most caught in less than 15 feet of water on the south end of the lake around Cane Creek.
Lake Hartwell
Striper/hybrid: Good. Captain Bill Plumley is targeting deep main lake points all the way down to the dam in 35-45 feet of water. He locates the fish on his graph and then drops multiple down lined live herring to them and he uses his trolling motor to stay on top of the fish. Catfish: Good. Captain Plumley today reports he is catching an unusually high number of channel catfish on live and cut herring fished in 20-35 feet of water off main lake and river points. Crappie: Poor. Captain Bill has heard no reports of anyone getting into them in numbers. .
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Crappie: Fair. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that crappie have moved out to deeper brush. The most productive pattern is fishing 12 feet down over brush 20 feet deep with minnows.
Lake Thurmond
Striper: Good. Herring Hut owner and guide William Sasser reports the pre-dawn bite is very good and the daytime bite "good." Before daylight he is catching fish on the bottom around points and humps in 30-45 feet of water with down lined live herring. Later in the day fish are suspending and spreading out at the same depths, and they are catching them on down lines in the backs of coves, around points and on the main lake. Crappie: Good. Sasser reports no major changes in the crappie pattern, but he says the bite remains strong and the sizes are good over brush. Night fishing should also be strong around the 378 bridge and the Little River bridge. Bass: Poor. Jon Hair with Buckeye Lures in Augusta, winner of the 2010 Easter Seals tournament on Clarks Hill, reports that the bass bite on Clarks Hill remains slow. Shallow buzzbaits fished early may pick up some fish, and fish can also be caught at times over deep humps.
Lake Wylie
Catfish: Good. Channel cats are doing well in the southern end of the lake. Occasionally a nice blue is taken of the drift also. Best baits include white perch, bluegill and threadfin shad. Bream: Good. A few bream remain on the beds and for a little while longer bass that are feeding on them can be caught on prop baits.
Midlands area
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Good. Getting a few drifting but anchoring on secondary points in creeks and in the backs of creeks is paying off a lot more. Shrimp and stink bait is the best bet to fill the cooler up with fish in a very short time and you won't have to worry about gar bugging you. Bass: Good. Stanley Gunter of the Greenwood Bassmasters reports early in the morning some fish can be caught around sea walls on topwater lures. When the sun gets up fish can be caught on the bottom in 18-20 feet of water around rocks points and brushpiles, mainly on plastic worms.
Lake Murray
Bass: Poor. Captain Doug Lown caught fish from 5-30 feet deep, and a few fish still remain shallow. However, they are very scattered and difficult to target. The most effective pattern right now is fishing deep brush in 22-30 feet of water, and especially brush that is way offshore and located fairly close to the main river channel. Striper: Fair. Richard Hall says striper fishing is good in the lower lake near Turner's Point, in the "extreme" Ballentine area and by the dam. Daytime, anchoring or drifting in 40-70 feet of water over open water humps with live bait should catch fish.
Lake Monticello
Catfish: Good to very good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the bite is still a tad inconsistent, but he has been catching some monster fish up to about 60 pounds. Some days the best fishing is off steep ledges, but other days the biggest fish are feeding on long sloping points. Cut bait is the ticket for large catfish, and the free line drifting bite also remains strong.
Lake Wateree
Catfish: Good. Captain Rodger Taylor reports down the lake catfish are fat and drifting cut bait is working well. Largemouth Bass: Good. Camden's Dearal Rodgers reports that a strong summer pattern on Wateree is fishing around offshore structure such as ledges, humps or underwater points on shakey head worms, deep running crankbaits, and jigs. Crappie: Good. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports that fish can be found around most any brush in 12-20 feet of water. Plain minnows or Fish Stalker Jigs in Ugly Green or Yellow Pepper colors have been working.
Santee Cooper System
Crappie: Fair. Fish can be caught in 6-30 feet, but are especially bunched up in 12-18 feet. You would think that with the heat they would go deeper, but there is very little oxygen right now at greater depths. The bite remains good over brush.
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