FRESHWATER FISHING TRENDS

MOUNTAINS-PIEDMONT AREA

LAKE JOCASSEE: Largemouth Bass: Fair, slow worming and casting Carolina-rigs and jigging spoons. Trout: Good, casting from bank with little Cleos and Roostertails, Also trolling with Apex lures, Sutton spoons and Yozuri baits from surface to 35 feet. Smallmouth Bass: Fair, drifting live bait on rocky points and rocky banks. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Fair. Try nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom at night. Bream: Very Slow. Try earthworms around banks and brush. .

LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth Bass: Good, doodling plastic worms, jigging spoons and drop-shotting lures on the bottom 30 to 50 feet down. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs 28-30 feet in the brush. Catfish: Slow Try nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms around brush piles and around stumps.

LAKE HARTWELL: Largemouth Bass: Fair, using buzzbaits and planer boards to get bait close to shore. Also try casting plastic purple worms. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, up the creeks with live herring and large minnows. Crappie: Fair, using small minnows. Catfish: Fair, using cut herring on the bottom. Bream: Good, using red worms around brush piles.

LAKE RUSSELL: Largemouth Bass: Slow, try casting deepwater crankbaits. Yellow Perch: Slow, try fishing minnows deep Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using bucktails, cut bait and jigs especially when water is running below dam. White Bass: Poor. Try bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and jigs around brush piles and bridges. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Good, using red wigglers and nightcrawlers.

LAKE THURMOND: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting plastic worms and Cleos. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Some Hybrid Bass caught in the 30-40 pound range. Crappie: Fair, using medium minnows around rip-rap and brush tops. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait, nightcrawlers and livers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using earthworms around the banks.

LAKE WYLIE: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms and plastic crawfish jigs. Striped Bass: Good, below Wylie dam using bucktails, jigs and spoons when water is running. White Bass: Fair, casting small spinners and jigs behind the dam. Crappie: Excellent, using jigs and minnows around piers. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms and nightcrawlers from the bank.

LAKE GREENWOOD: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting crankbaits and plastic worms on the bottom and jigging around structure. Stripers: Good in lake, using live bait, herring or shad 20-25 feet deep. Also casting spoons and bucktails to schools. Good catches behind the dam using flukes and shallow-running crankbaits. 20 to 30 pound fishing are reported being caught. White Perch: Fair, jigging bucktails and berry spoons 15-20 feet deep. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and mini jigs over brush in 10 to 20 feet of water. Catches of 3/4 to 1 pound crappie being caught. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait and worms on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along shore and docks.

MIDLANDS AREA

LAKE WATEREE: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try fishing deep with Hopkins spoons or pig and jigs on structure likes humps and rises. Striped bass: Good, using live bait in river channel 12-15 feet deep. White Bass: Slow. Try trolling shad-like baits. Crappie: Good, using live bait 13-15 feet deep right off the bottom along the river channel and slow trolling Wow jigs deep at edge of old river bed. Catfish: Good, using live bait close to bottom 12-15 feet and deeper. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along the bank. Water about 46 degrees at surface and clear.

LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth Bass: Fair, using crankbaits, number 5 or 7 Shad-raps or Carolina-rigged worms about rocks upper lake casting to channel from middle of lake. Striped Bass: Good, using ice flies and bucktails in the upper part of lake around Hollow Creek and Rocky Creek. Crappie: Good, using jigs and small tuffies around bridge pilings and brush piles. White Perch: Fair, jigging Flex-it spoons in 15-20 feet of water. Catfish: Slow. Try cut live herring, cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms deep.

SANTEE COOPER SYSTEM

LAKE MARION: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try artificial worms deep. Striped Bass: Fair casting bucktails to schooling fish or fishing live small blueback herring, shad or shiners. White Perch: Slow, try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Slow, Try small minnows around deep brush piles. Catfish: Good, fishing with fresh cut shad off the bottom. Some 32 to 47 pound range.

LAKE MOULTRIE: Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try plastic worms deep. Striped Bass: Fair, fishing live herring off the bottom, casting bucktails to schools, trolling Stretch 25s or jigging Flex-It spoons. Crappie: Slow. Try minnows around fish attraction areas. Catfish: Good, using cut shad and menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 10-15 feet around drops and ledges. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms around public fish attractors. Shellcrackers: Slow. Try red-worms around public fish attractors.

REPORTERS: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources appreciates the cooperation of fishing trend reporters for the state's major lakes: Jocassee - Hoyett's Tackle; Keowee - Fishing Hole; Hartwell - Garrett's 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 -

For South Carolina freshwater fishing regulations: http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/etc/rulesregs/img/freshfishing.pdf