March 31, 2003 DNR News (803) 734-3950

FRESHWATER FISHING TRENDS

MOUNTAINS-PIEDMONT AREA

LAKE JOCASSEE: Largemouth Bass: Good, slow retrieves with plastic worms 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 20 to 60 feet deep. Also night fishing for trout has been productive. A brown trout was recently caught weighing in at 7 pound 8 ounces with a minnow in 30 feet of water. Smallmouth Bass: Good, drifting live bait or brown hair jigs on rocky points and rocky banks. Recently one 8-pound smallmouth was caught. Crappie: Slow. Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Slow. Try nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom at night. Bream: Very Slow. Try earthworms around banks and brush.

LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth Bass: Good, Bass moving into shallow water. Good catches around grass. Try jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and Carolina-rigged worms in green or red colors in 5 to10 feet of water or less off rocky points. Reports of fishermen catching 6 and7 pound Largemouth Bass. Crappie: Good. Try small minnows and jigs in water 10 feet or less in the brush. Catfish: Fair Try nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms around brush piles and around stumps. Water temperature in the upper 50's and mostly clear.

LAKE HARTWELL: Largemouth Bass: Good, try using lizards, small worms, Baby Brush Hogs, Shad Raps and jigging spoons with pork-rinds in 30 to 40 feet of water. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very Good, up the creeks with live herring and large minnows. Also try jigging spoons and crank baits in deeper water. Report of a fish caught recently in the 30-pound range. Crappie: Fair, using small minnows and small jigs. Catfish: Fair, using cut herring, night crawler and chicken liver on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms around brush piles.

LAKE RUSSELL: Largemouth Bass: Good, try casting shallow crankbaits along rocky points and in the back of creeks. Recent tournament weighed 5 fishing at 15 pounds. Yellow Perch: Fair, try fishing minnows deep Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using bucktails, cut bait and jigs especially when water is running below dam. White Bass: Good. Try bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. Crappie: Good, 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: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Some Hybrid Bass caught in the 30-40 pound range. Crappie: Good, using medium minnows around rip-rap and brush tops. Catfish: Fair, using cut bait, nightcrawlers and livers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try earthworms around the banks.

LAKE WYLIE: Largemouth Bass: Good, jigging Creepy Crawlers and spoons on the bottom. Recent tournament weighed 5 fish at 26 pounds. Striped Bass: Slow, due to high water conditions. Try using bucktails, jigs and spoons when the water is running below Wylie dam. White Bass: Fair, casting small spinners and jigs behind the dam. Crappie: Good, using jigs and minnows around piers. Recent tournament weighed 10 fish at 18 pounds. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms and nightcrawlers from the bank.

LAKE GREENWOOD: Largemouth Bass: Good, try casting shallow-running crankbaits and spinnerbaits in about 2 to 4 feet of water. Stripers: Excellent catches behind the dam using flukes with water corks and shallow-running crankbaits. Many fish reported caught when the dam is running water. White Perch: Excellent catches behind the dam in the river using minnows and live worms. Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 2 to 10 feet of water. Excellent catches are being reported behind the dam. Fish are being caught in the 2-pound range. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and worms on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along shore and docks.

MIDLANDS AREA

LAKE WATEREE: Largemouth Bass: Good, using spinnerbaits in 3 to 4 feet of water in the back of coves. Striped Bass: Good, using live bait in river channel 12-15 feet deep. White Bass: Slow. Try trolling shad-like baits. Crappie: Good, some fish are moving into shallow water and are being caught in beaver creek and warmer water creeks in 3 to 5 feet of water with Wow grubs. Bigger fish are being caught in 6 to 10 feet of water trolling Wow grubs. Best results are being reported using Wow grubs in black with chartreuse tails. Catfish: Excellent, using live bait close to bottom 12-15 feet and deeper. Big blues weighing in at 20-pounds or better reported caught. Bream: Slow. Try red worms along the bank. Water about 56 degrees at surface and muddy.

LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, using crankbaits, spinnerbaits, number 5 or 7 Shad Raps or Carolina-rigged worms around rocks, points and grass. Also try floating worms and jerk baits along the banks. First two days of FLW tournament produced ten fish with a total weight of 49 pounds, 8 ounces, second two day total was 30 pounds nine ounces with 8 fish weighed. Striped Bass: Good, using ice flies and bucktails in the upper part of lake around Hollow Creek and Rocky Creek. Also try live minnows and herring free lining. Reports of striper activity increasing form the Dam to the upper part of Lake Murray. Crappie: Good, using jigs and small tuffies around structure and brush piles. Starting to move into shallows. Also try trolling in creek runs. Catches of 1 pound fish are being reported. White Perch: Good, jigging Flex-It spoons and small tuffies in 15-20 feet of water. Catfish: Good Try cut herring, and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, Try red worms in 8 to 15 feet of water.

SANTEE COOPER SYSTEM

LAKE MARION: Largemouth Bass: Excellent. Try artificial worms deep. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are being fished along the banks. Recent winner of Bass tournament weighed in a 3-day total of 91 pounds. Striped Bass: Good. Try using shad and live or cut herring. Also free-lining live shiners. White Perch: Slow, try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Excellent, Try medium minnows around deep brush piles and piers. Large catches of crappie are being reported. Catfish: Excellent, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom. Some fish 18 to 58 pounds are being caught. Bream and Shellcrackers: Fair. Try crickets, red worms, wigglers and nightcrawlers.

LAKE MOULTRIE: Largemouth Bass: Good. Try casting crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Recent catch of an 8 pound bass was reported. Striped Bass: Fair, fishing live herring 18 to 20 feet deep. Also trolling Stretch 25s or jigging Flex-It spoons. Crappie: Good. Try drifting medium minnows in creek beds around stumps and around fish attraction areas. Some 2-pound fish being caught. Catfish: Good, using cut shad and menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 10 feet deep drifting the bait on the bottom. Bream: Slow. Try red-worms around public fish attractors. Shellcrackers: Slow. Try redworms 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