MOUNTAINS-PIEDMONT AREA
LAKE JOCASSEE: Largemouth Bass: Very Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs with slow retrieve. Also in early morning drifting minnows off shallow points. Trout: Excellent, trolling early in the day in 30 to 40 feet water with Sutton spoons, Doctor spoons and Apex spoons. Also try drifting large minnows early in the morning in 40 feet of water. Smallmouth Bass: Slow. Try drifting large minnows and brown hair jigs around rocky points and rocky banks. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Fair, using nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom. Bream: Good, using popping bugs and redworms around banks and brush. Water temperature is 56 and water is clear.
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LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, casting Carolina-rigged worms, crankbaits and jerk baits to the banks around brush. Fish bedding in center of pockets and around stumps. Also some schooling activity has been reported. Crappie: Excellent, using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. Catfish: Excellent, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Excellent, using redworms around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try fishing around bridge pilings. Water temperature is 70 degrees and clear.
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LAKE HARTWELL: Largemouth Bass: Good, using 5 to 6-inch lizards, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures and Trick worms fishing off points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk. Also try fishing in coves. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep. Crappie: Very Good, using small and medium minnows along with small crappie jigs. Fish are being caught in water 10 to 25 feet of water over structure. Catfish: Very Good, using cut herring, large shiners nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and in covers. Water temperature is 65 degrees.
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LAKE RUSSELL: Largemouth Bass: Good, try shallow creeks, flats, and rocky points with medium-running crankbaits and plastic worms. Fish are bedding. Yellow Perch: Excellent, fishing medium minnows deep and jigging spoons. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent, early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam. Night fishing has been the most productive. Reports of 6 to 8-pound fish being caught. White Bass: Very Good, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. Crappie: Good, using minnows around brush piles and bridge pilings in 14 to 15 feet of water. Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Excellent, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers. Water temperature is 68 to 70 degrees and mostly clear.
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LAKE THURMOND: Largemouth Bass: Very Good, casting plastic worms. Also, try Little Cleos and spinnerbaits. Good catches with deep running Rebels and ShadRaps. Bass are beginning to bed. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent, using Cleos, Berry Spoons 1/2 ounce yellow and white RoadRunners with bucktails and KastMasters. Also, try large minnows and live herring. Limits are being caught. Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around deep brush tops. Limits are being caught. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers fishing on the bottom. Limits are being caught. Bream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using Louisiana pink worms and jumbo redworms around the banks.
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LAKE WYLIE: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, casting bass jigs and medium-running crankbaits along points close to the bottom. Striped Bass: Good, using spoons and bucktails behind Lake Wylie dam. White Bass: Good, casting small bucktails and spoons Crappie: Excellent, using small minnows and jigs around riprap, docks and brush tops in 3 to 8 feet of water. Limits reported caught. Catfish: Good, using various baits on the bottom. Average catch of 2-pound fish reported. Shellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom. Bream: Good, using earthworms and crickets around the banks.
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LAKE GREENWOOD: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting spinnerbaits and chatterbait around the banks. Also using plastic worms and lizards around points in 8 to 12 feet of water. Floating worms and topwater lures are producing some fish along banks. Stripers: Good, behind the dam using Bombers, Charlie plugs, and flukes. White Bass and White Perch: Good, using spinners and small jigs in 8 to 10 feet of water. Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 8 to 12 feet of water. Large crappie reported caught. Catfish: Good, using redworms with a standard hook, line, sinker and cork in 3 to 4 feet of water. Bream: Excellent, using redworms and crickets along shore and docks. Fish are bedding at this time. Some limits are being caught.
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MIDLANDS AREA
LAKE WATEREE: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, casting to the bank with crankbaits and spinnerbaits in shallow water. Striped Bass: Fair, using live, cut bait and bucktails. A few fish are being caught around Cedar Creek Dam. Spawning run is over and fish are moving downstream. Fish reported caught below Wateree Dam with topwater lures. White Bass: Slow: Try shad-like baits off points and around Cedar Creek dam. White Perch: Excellent using various bait including Sassy Shad, jigs, grubs and live minnows. Crappie: Excellent, try trolling with Wow grubs or Slider grubs. Also, try fishing in major feeder creeks and around docks. Fish are suspended in the water column 12 feet deep. Catfish: Good, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in major feeder creeks and below Cedar Creek Dam. Bream: Excellent, try worms and crickets fished around bedding bream. Water temperature averaging 72 to 74 degrees. Water conditions clear all over the lake.
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LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, casting to banks with Texas-rigged worms or lizards in pumpkin and redbug colors. Fish are hitting topwater baits, buzzbaits Sammy 100's and floating worms. Bedding reported around structure. Striped Bass: Good, try a double-rigged set-up with bucktail, trailed by an Ice Fly. Cast this set of lures to schooling fish. Also, try a Striper Delight. Schooling activity reported throughout day. Trolling deep-running lures has produced some fish. Also fishing with down rods in 20 to 60 of water with live bait. Crappie: Good, using jigs tipped with small tuffy minnows trolling in creek runs and fishing brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water. Some fish are in shallow water and spawning. White Perch: Good, jigging spoons and or redworms in 20 to 40 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom in 5 to 15 feet of water. Bream: Good, fishing redworms and crickets around grass wall and docks. Also try Beetlespins white with red dot when live bait does not produce. Shellcrackers: Fair, using redworms and baby nightcrawlers in 10 feet of water to the bottom off points. Water conditions are clear and 62 to 68 degrees.
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SANTEE COOPER SYSTEM
LAKE MARION: Largemouth Bass: Fair, using artificial worms, and topwater Rebels fishing along the banks and point early in the morning. Striped Bass: Fair, using shad and live herring with down rods in 25 feet of water. White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Excellent, Try using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Catfish: Very Good, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Bream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using redworms and crickets in 4 to 8 feet of water.
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LAKE MOULTRIE: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure in shallow water. Striped Bass: Good, still fishing live herring near the powerhouse and night fishing at same location trolling and/or down rods in 30 feet of water. Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles. Also try fishing in shallow water 3 to 7 feet deep. Catfish: Fair, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 8 to 30 feet deep. Bream: Excellent, using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors. Shellcrackers: Fair, try redworms and green worms along the banks along river runs and points. Water temperature is 65 degrees. Lake is clear and full.
REPORTERS: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources appreciates the cooperation of fishing trend reporters for South Carolina's major lakes: Jocassee - Hoyett's Tackle; 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; Marion - Lanes; and Moultrie - Atkins Boat Landing.
- Written by John Lucas -
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