March 15, 2013
Santee Cooper System
Catfish: Fair. In both lakes the catfish bite has been inconsistent, with fish feeding well some days and other days being a little slower. After a prolonged period of low water temperatures the catfish’s metabolism will inevitably slow and they will feed less. Move from deep to shallow water depending on the location of the fish. Try drifting gizzard shad chunks or anchoring with cut baits, and don’t be afraid to look shallow. Crappie: Fair. With the cold water crappie fishing has dropped off, and fish are in a winter pattern. Fish are moving out of brush and moving along the ledges and creek channels.
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Midlands area
Lake Wateree
Catfish: Good. Catfish are scattered across the mudflats in 18 to 20 feet of water. Fresh gizzard shad or cut perch are among the most productive baits, and perfect bait sized 4 to 5 inch gizzard shad are thick in the channel and can be cast netted with a heavy cast net of 8 foot diameter or more. Look for the continuous band of bait from 20 to 30 feet down. Striped Bass: Fair. Striped bass fishing has slowed considerably in the last couple of weeks although live shiners or herring in the lower part of the lake will still produce. Look for schools of bait in the Colonel’s Creek area. Largemouth Bass: Slow. Lake Wateree bass fishing remains difficult and the fish seem to be turned off. Try finesse fishing very slowly with soft plastics, or slow roll spinnerbaits along the bottom.
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Good. Drift cut bait across shallow flats at these times. A cold snap will push the baitfish back out to deeper water and slow the fishing considerably. Crappie: Good. Crappie action has been good at the forks of the Reedy and Saluda Rivers, and also below the 72 Bridge in the Quarters Creek area. Drifting and spider rigging in 12 to 20 feet using worms and jigs seems to be the ticket. Striped Bass: Fair. Few striper reports are coming in, but the best striper action is being reported jigging spoons in 25 feet of water. There is still some schooling activity being reported.
Lake Monticello
Catfish: Good. Patience is very important right now to catching big blues on Monticello. The most consistent way to catch big fish is to anchor on humps with baitfish nearby when you are marking fish underneath them; it make take the catfish a long time to feed, but eventually they will.
Lake Murray
Crappie: Fair to good. Lake Murray crappie fishing has been feast or famine recently, and on some days anglers are wearing the fish out and then the next day no one seems to get a bite. Most anglers are concentrating on the Kempson’s Bridge area up the lake and tight-lining in 10 to 12 feet of water. Purple and yellow jigs are the go-to color. Catfish: Fair to good. Blue cat bite is inconsistent from day to day, and the fish seem to be scattered and moving a lot. Best action is coming for channel and white catfish, which are holding in 10 to 15 feet of water on flats adjacent to the channel. Drifting cut herring is most effective. Largemouth Bass: Slow. Anglers fishing recent tournaments have had tough time, and just weighing in a fish has usually been enough to at least put you in the middle of the pack. Despite warmer air temperatures bass have stayed deep; try Carolina rigging with green worms or fishing Tennessee shad or shad colored crankbaits.
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Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Crappie: Fair. Fish small to medium minnows or slider jigs in 6 to 12 feet of water around tree tops. Largemouth Bass: Slow. After feeding well for much of the early winter the largemouth bite has really slowed down. Try live herring or jigging spoons in deep water by the Lake Russell dam in 30 to 50 feet. Striped Bass: Slow. Very few fish are being caught right now.
Lake Thurmond
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. After being down for several weeks the striper fishing has really improved, and even some bank fishermen report really getting into the fish. There is good fishing in the Little River area, and the fish are starting to stack up down close to the dam. However, these fish are not feeding aggressively, although they may turn on when water temperatures start to warm. Crappie: Good. Look for 20 feet of water in creeks and fish only 2 to 4 feet below the surface. Best jig colors are black and chartreuse, brown and yellow, black and yellow, and black and chartreuse.
Lake Wylie
White perch: Good to very good. White perch action continues to be hot, particularly at night and in the Crowders Creek area, although on some days the schools may be difficult to locate. Look for large schools in 18 to 24 feet, and fish live minnows vertically or small spoons. Crappie: Fair. Crappie are still in deeper water, and 18 to 20 feet is good a depth to start prospecting. A good Lake Wylie pattern is to find deep boat docks or marina structure and drop a chartreuse jig all the way to the bottom and slowly wind up. Slabs can be caught this way on Wylie right now. Catfish: Fair. Cold water can slow the channel cat bite on Lake Wylie, but for blue cats this can be a good time to drift the deep flats on the middle to lower lake with cut bait.
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Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Trout: Good. Fish are suspended from 40 to 50 feet deep up to the surface over 100 to 200 feet of water. Target them with Bad Creek trolling spoons, or by trolling or drifting large minnows. Black Bass: Fair. Bass fishing has improved slightly, although pressure remains very low and few reports are coming in. Fish in 20 to 30 feet of water using dark green swamp crawler pumpkinseed worms Texas or shaky-head rigged, or try deep diving plugs. Catfish: Slow. A few catfish are being caught with cut bait fished on the bottom in 60 to 70 feet of water in the rivers.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Lake Keowee bass fishing is improving, but water temperatures are still very cold. The predominant pattern remains fishing very deep and slow with drop shot rigs or doodling shaky head worms. Target fish in 30 to 70 feet of water.
Lake Hartwell
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Striper and hybrid fishing is good, particularly in the Conneross area, and some very nice fish continue to be caught. Trolling the major creeks is working well, and umbrella rigs are very productive right now. Look for the birds which will tip you off to where the bait and fish are. Largemouth Bass: Good. Bass are still doing well although up and down temperatures have slowed the fishing a bit from two weeks ago. Fish jigging spoons, crankbaits, or drop shot rigs in 10 to 30 feet around secondary points, at the mouths of major creeks, and on main channel points. Fish are also being picked up fishing jigs around deep structure and brushpiles.
