06-25-2013, 02:24 PM
So, I ventured to Lake Wateree, here in SC over the weekend. I've never taken my boat there before, and it looks like a promising place to target various species of fish. I know there are trophy blue catfish there, along with great crappie and panfish. In addition, there are White Perch and Stripers, neither of which I have ever targeted before. With that said, I need some help. I'm hoping there will be some savvy striper anglers on here that can point me in the right directions. Some information about the lake:
Average Depth: 30 feet
Deepest points: 60 feet
noted structure: A dam on the south end (deepest point i've found), various exposed islands, ledges, and submerged islands of high relief, various coves with shallow sandy bottoms.
Thermocline: very defined, in about 15 to 20' of water in the deepest areas.
Water clarity: Variable
Water Temp: 84.5 on average
other notes: I talked to a guy running the local marina, but he was a dick and played stupid. (common for certain areas if you're not local to the area) So, I ran to the dam, and found bait pods on the sonar and cast netted bait, confirming shad in the lake. I know the stripers are pretty much land locked, and average in the 10 to 15 pound range, with the occasional 30+ pounder coming up. I fish out of a skiff, so I got very skinny and killed the panfish. I was ill prepared for drifting or anchoring, so not much luck with the larger gear. I know the bream and other panfish are spawning right now, as I was fishing over beds the size of a truck's hood in every cove I went in to.
With all that said, i'm hoping to target some summer striped bass, and also perch for the fun of it. I've never targeted either one, and hope to get my son and wife out there for some fun. I tried taking the wife in the ocean over the weekend, and she got sea sick, so that's not going to happen. So, I need a viable alternative to keep my family active on the water. Thanks in advance for any help.
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Average Depth: 30 feet
Deepest points: 60 feet
noted structure: A dam on the south end (deepest point i've found), various exposed islands, ledges, and submerged islands of high relief, various coves with shallow sandy bottoms.
Thermocline: very defined, in about 15 to 20' of water in the deepest areas.
Water clarity: Variable
Water Temp: 84.5 on average
other notes: I talked to a guy running the local marina, but he was a dick and played stupid. (common for certain areas if you're not local to the area) So, I ran to the dam, and found bait pods on the sonar and cast netted bait, confirming shad in the lake. I know the stripers are pretty much land locked, and average in the 10 to 15 pound range, with the occasional 30+ pounder coming up. I fish out of a skiff, so I got very skinny and killed the panfish. I was ill prepared for drifting or anchoring, so not much luck with the larger gear. I know the bream and other panfish are spawning right now, as I was fishing over beds the size of a truck's hood in every cove I went in to.
With all that said, i'm hoping to target some summer striped bass, and also perch for the fun of it. I've never targeted either one, and hope to get my son and wife out there for some fun. I tried taking the wife in the ocean over the weekend, and she got sea sick, so that's not going to happen. So, I need a viable alternative to keep my family active on the water. Thanks in advance for any help.
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