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South Carolina Freshwater Fishing Trends - 7/7/2008
July 7, 2008
Fishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com
. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.
- Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs with slow retrieve. Also in early morning drifting minnows off shallow points.
- Trout: Fair, trolling early in the day in 40 to 65 feet water with Sutton spoons, Doctor spoons and Apex spoons. Also try drifting large minnows early in the morning in 40 feet of water.
- Black Bass: Excellent. Early morning the best action is coming on topwater lures until the sun gets high around 9 or 10 a.m. Areas that have rocks and some wood seem to be most productive, and the hot lure remains dark swamp crawler green pumpkin Zoom trick worms.
- Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, crankbaits and jerk baits to the banks around brush. Also, some schooling activity has been reported. Most productive time to catch fish is at night.
- Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs in 20 to 25 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings.
- Bream: Good. Fish live crickets, minnows, and worms in 5 to 15 feet of water.
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep. Also trolling jigs off points. Visit the Lake Hartwell message board at SCFishingReport.com for more.
- Largemouth Bass: Very good. In the early morning use topwater lures along points and as the sun gets higher switch to shaky head worms and Carolina rigs in 20 to 30 feet of water.
- Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and in covers.
- Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Overall the topwater bite has been strong first thing, and then later anglers are having to fish deep around the trees. Try Carolina Rigging or fishing finesse worms in 15 to 20 feet of water, and green pumpkinseed and purple worms are good choices, as is watermelon color.
- Crappie: Fair. There are reports of decent numbers of crappie being caught trolling up Beaverdam Creek in the late evening.
- Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
- Bream: Excellent, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers around bridge pilings.
Lake Thurmond:
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Striper fishing in 45 feet of water under the 378 bridge is very strong using live herring.
- 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.
- Crappie: Good. Look for brush in 20 to 25 feet of water; minnows are producing better than jigs.
- Shellcracker: Excellent. Target shellcracker using red worms, pink worms, and crickets.
Lake Wylie:
- Largemouth Bass: Good, 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.
- White Perch: Good. Fish in 18-24 feet of water next to river channels and look for sandy bottoms. Use a minnow or small spoon lowered to the bottom and then bumped slowly; crickets will also work.
- Shellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
- Catfish: Good. Use mussels, shrimp, and stinkbaits.
- Largemouth Bass: From very early until 8 a.m. topwaters and floating worms are productive fished around blocks walls, drops, and riprap.
- Striped Bass: Fair. A few anglers are catching fish with bucktail jigs trolled in 30 feet of water.
- Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 12 - 15 feet of water. Night fishing for crappie is the best.
- Catfish: Good, using redworms with a standard hook, line, sinker and cork in 6 - 8 feet of water.
- Bream: Good to very good. The fish are bedding and can be caught using crickets and worms fished in 3-5 feet around docks and tree tops.
Lake Wateree:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting to the bank with deep-running crankbaits and plastic. A few bass have been caught on buzzbaits late in the afternoon.
- Catfish: Very good. Creek mouths where the creeks meet the main river channel are great places to anchor up for bigger catfish.
- Bream: Very good. Fish 1 to 5 feet of water using worms and crickets.
Lake Murray:
- Striped Bass: Good, Try using down-rod with live herring in 20 to 60 feet of water and also free-lining herring. Schooling activity reported early morning and late evening hours.
- Largemouth Bass: Tough. Early in the day fish topwaters like pencil poppers, Zara Spooks, Sammys, and flukes. Later in the day switch to Carolina or Texas rigging with larger worms in the 8 inch range off points.
- Crappie: Poor. Try deep brushpiles.
- Shellcracker: Good. Fish in 8 to 12 feet of water on crickets or worms.
- Bream: Very good. Bream are still shallow. Use crickets.
- Catfish: Good. Cut herring and nightcrawlers are producing over most any area of the lake from the campground down to the dam on the bottom in 5 to 15 feet of water.
Santee Cooper System           Â
Lake Marion:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Some really large bass are still being caught with Texas rigged worms in slightly deeper areas.
- Catfish: 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.
Lake Moultrie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure in shallow water.
- Catfish: Very good. During the day bigger fish seem to be keying on the sides of hills and underwater humps in 18 to 24 feet of water, although they may be shallower at times. Best catches are coming using cut mullet and herring.
- Crappie: Fair. Look for structure in 20 to 25 feet of water and fish minnows vertically.
- Bream and shellcracker: Very good. Most shellcracker have already backed off onto deeper water. Fish 1-5 feet for bluegills and 8 to 10 feet for shellcracker.
Related posts
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South Carolina Freshwater Fishing Trends - 6/23/2008
June 23, 2008
Fishing trends courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.
- Trout: Very good. Very nice catches of large rainbow trout are being reported trolling in 50 - 70 feet of water using trolling spoons or large plugs; also pull large live shiners in the same zone. Night fishing continues to be productive with large fish and good numbers being caught; troll the rivers for best success.
- Black Bass: Excellent. Early morning the best action is coming on topwater lures until the sun gets high around 9 or 10 a.m. By 10 a.m. move out to deeper water and throw soft plastics along 10 - 15 foot drop offs on main and secondary points.
- Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Very good. Early and late topwater action is very good, and Lake Fork Swimbaits and Lucky Craft Sammys fished around boat docks, points and in the backs of coves are productive. Later in the day shallow running crankbaits in 5 to 25 feet and Carolina rigged or shaky head worms in 15 to 40 feet are working.
- Crappie: Good. Crappie have moved out to 30-40 feet of water and can be caught fishing up against bridge pilings at night.
- Bream: Good. Fish live crickets, minnows, and worms in 5 to 15 feet of water.
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Fish in 50-60 feet of water with downrods set at 20 to 25 feet. Try out lead core line and lures such as Cisco Kid and other similar ones as the thermocline may be developing quicker than ever.
- Largemouth Bass: Very good. In the early morning use topwater lures along points, and as the sun gets higher switch to shaky head worms and Carolina rigs in 20 to 30 feet of water.
- Bream: Good. Bream have moved into very shallow water and are feeding aggressively.
- Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Overall the topwater bite has been strong first thing, and then later anglers are having to fish deep around the trees. Try Carolina Rigging or fishing finesse worms in 15 to 20 feet of water, and green pumpkinseed and purple worms are good choices, as is watermelon color. Jigs are also a good choice.
- Crappie: Fair. There are reports of decent numbers of crappie being caught trolling up Beaverdam Creek in the late evening.
- Bream: Good. Fish have already moved into shallow water.
Lake Thurmond:
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Striper fishing in 45 feet of water under the 378 bridge is very strong using live herring. Cut bait fished around points is also producing.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Early in the morning bass are being caught around secondary points using Zara Spooks.
- Crappie: Good. Look for brush in 20 to 25 feet of water; minnows are producing better than jigs.
- Shellcracker: Excellent. Use red worms, pink worms, and crickets.
Lake Wylie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. First thing in the morning fish topwater Pop-Rs over main channel points in about 8 feet of water. After 10 a.m. or so move deeper and fish the drops using Carolina rigs with an extra long leader- a strong color is watermelon seed dipped in chartreuse glow dye.
- White Perch: Good. Fish in 18-24 feet of water next to river channels and look for sandy bottoms. Use a minnow or small spoon lowered to the bottom and then bumped slowly; crickets will also work.
- Shellcracker: Very good. Fish deep drops using red worms fished on a dead line.
- Catfish: Excellent. Catfishing is easy right now and anglers are tearing up the fish using mussels, shrimp, and stinkbaits.
Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:
- Largemouth Bass: From very early until 8 a.m. topwaters and floating worms are productive fished around blocks walls, drops, and riprap. Later in the day fishing is tougher and anglers are targeting ledges with Carolina rigs and finesse worms.
- Striped Bass: Fair. A few anglers are catching fish with bucktail jigs trolled in 30 feet of water.
- Crappie: Very slow. Crappie have moved out over deep brush piles and are also occasionally being caught drifting over deep water. Bream: Good to very good. Use crickets and worms fished in 3-5 feet around docks and tree tops.
- Catfish: Very good. Fish on the bottom using cut bait or worms in 12 to 15 feet of water, and try fishing at night.
Lake Wateree
- Largemouth Bass: Tough. The most successful patterns seem to be throwing soft plastics - both floating worms and Texas rigged worms - around grass and docks. The best bite is early. Night fishing with dark plastic worms around heavy brush is also successful.
- Catfish: Very good. Large fish can be caught on cut bait almost anywhere along the river channel from the upper lake down to the dam. Bream: Very good. Fish 1 to 5 feet of water using worms and crickets.
Lake Murray:
- Striped Bass: Good. Use down rods baited with live herring, although some fishermen are being just as productive suspending cut herring at the depth they mark the fish in the same areas. Deep humps and the towers are both productive, and lower lake creeks are also productive.
- Largemouth Bass: Tough. Early in the day fish topwaters like pencil poppers, Zara Spooks, Sammys, and flukes. Later in the day switch to Carolina or Texas rigging with larger worms in the 8 inch range off points.
- Crappie: Poor. Check deep brushpiles.
- Shellcracker: Good. 8 to 12 feet of water caught on crickets or worms. Bream: Very good. Bream are still shallow. Use crickets.
- Catfish: Good. Cut herring and nightcrawlers are producing over most any area of the lake from the campground down to the dam.
Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Some really large bass are still being caught, though; fish Texas rigged worms in slightly deeper areas.
- Catfish: Very good. At the upper end of the lake some large catfish are being caught in shallow water but not consistently. The bite is hot using cut bait, stinkbaits, or worms.
- Crappie: Fair. Try to locate brush in 25 to 30 feet and fish minnows vertically.
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish shallow using worms and crickets.
Lake Moultrie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try deep Carolina or Texas rigging.
- Catfish: Very good. Drifting is productive, as well as anchoring and fishing cut bait on the bottom when the lake is too calm to drift. Best catches are coming using cut mullet and herring.
- Crappie: Fair. Look for structure in 20 to 25 feet of water and fish minnows vertically.
- Bream and shellcracker: Very good. Fish 1-5 feet for bluegills and 8 to 10 feet for shellcracker.
South Carolina Rivers
Chattooga River
- Trout: Good.
- Fly Fishing report: The dry fly season is winding down, and fishermen are starting to head north for colder waters. The area from Pig Pen Creek up to the North Carolina border should still hold trout, though, and dry flies like the Light Hendrickson, Light Cahill, Addams, and lighter caddis flies tied out of elkhair should produce.
Saluda River
- Striped Bass: Fair. Some striper have been caught in the river but overall fishing is still down. Throw large plugs, topwater poppers, or fish live shad or herring under corks or on the bottom.
- Catfish: Good. Lots of catfish are being reported caught between Corley Mill and the zoo. Fish cut herring, other cut fish, or nightcrawlers on the bottom in deep holes.
- Shellcracker: Good. Fish deep holes.
Santee Diversion Canal
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. The bite is best when water is being pulled through the canal.
- Catfish: Very good. Flathead catfish up to 50 and 60 pounds are being caught in the canal at night. Anchor or slowly drift cut bait.
- Bass: Good. Largemouth are stacked in the canal around drops where the water goes from shallow to 15 feet almost vertically.
Savannah River
- Striped/ Hybrid Bass: Hit or miss. When the correct gates are open on the Lake Thurmond Dam action can be fast, but at other times fish are not feeding.
Related posts
1
South Carolina Freshwater Fishing Trends - 6/16/2008
June 16, 2008
- Trout: Very good. Nice catches of large rainbow trout are being reported trolling in 50 - 70 feet of water using trolling spoons or large plugs; also pull large live shiners in the same zone.
- Largemouth and Redeye Bass: Excellent. Fish have finished spawning but are still up against the banks. The hot lure remains dark swamp crawler green pumpkin Zoom worms.
- Smallmouth Bass: Excellent. Fish Texas rigged worms around rocky points and shallows.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Fish Carolina rigged worms in watermelon, chartreuse, and pumpkin seed colors around islands and boat docks. Around the North end of the lake Lake Fork swimbaits in magic shad, blue back herring, and pearl white are producing good numbers of fish slow rolling around points and coves.
- Spotted Bass: Very good. Spots are biting very well on shallow running crankbaits fished in 18 to 25 feet of water. Fish the upper part of the lake around Mile Creek and High Falls.
- Crappie: Good. Crappie have moved out to 20-25 feet of water and can be caught fishing up against bridge pilings at night.
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. lots of fish are breaking water all over the Seneca, but many of them are short. Later on large schools of fish are being marked from 30 to 35 feet, but enticing them to bite is difficult.
- Largemouth Bass: Very good. Some bass are still shallow and being caught on spinnerbaits. In deeper water many anglers are targeting bass fishing large worms like the Zoom Mag 2 in Tequila Sunrise, black and green pumpkinseed colors. Later in the day many people are Carolina rigging around points.
- Bream: Good. Bream have moved into very shallow water and are feeding aggressively.
- Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Try Carolina Rigging or fishing finesse worms in 10 to 15 feet of water. Green pumpkinseed and purple worms are good choices, as is watermelon color.
- Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers along the bottom.
- Bream and shellcracker: Good. Fish have already moved into shallow water.
Lake Thurmond:
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Striper fishing in 45 feet of water under the 378 bridge is very strong using live herring.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Early in the morning bass are being caught around secondary points using Zara Spooks.
- Crappie: Good. Look for brush in 20 to 25 feet of water; minnows are producing better than jigs.
- Shellcracker: Excellent. Target shellcracker using red worms, pink worms, and crickets.
Lake Wylie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. After 10 a.m. or so move deeper and fish the drops using Carolina rigs with an extra long leader- a strong color is watermelon seed dipped in chartreuse glow dye. Finesse worms in cotton candy, kudzu and green worked very slowly are also productive.
- White Perch: Fair. Fish in 18-24 feet of water next to river channels and look for sandy bottoms. Use a minnow or small spoon lowered to the bottom and then bumped slowly.
- Shellcracker: Very good. Fish deep drops using red worms fished on a dead line.
- Catfish: Very good. Anglers are catching large numbers of catfish fishing with mussels, shrimp, and stinkbaits.
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Early, late and nights are the most productive times to fish for bass right now. Use floating worms around rock piles, brushpiles and drop-offs along the bank.
- Crappie: Slow. Crappie have moved out over deep brush piles.
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish 2-5 feet of water using crickets and red worms.
- Catfish: Very good. Fish on the bottom using cut bait or worms, and try fishing at night.
Lake Wateree:
- Largemouth Bass: Tough. Some schooling action is beginning to be reported and spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and plastic worms are all producing off and on - people are throwing everything and have yet to find a pattern that is consistently working.
- Crappie: Fair. Trolling with jigs and minnows is most effective, and the June Creek area has been productive.
- Catfish: Very good. Target big blue cats using cut bait fished on the edges of holes. Fish are being caught on stinkbaits, worms, cut bait, and live bait fished on the bottom.
- Bream: Very good. Fish 1 to 5 feet of water using worms and crickets.
Lake Murray:
- Striped Bass: Good. Best action is coming fishing down rods with live bait in 30 to 60 feet of water. Cut bait is also working well in the middle of the day, and early and late look for schooling fish chasing bait up to the surface.
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Early morning topwater with pencil poppers, Zara Spooks, and buzzbaits may be productive. Later in the day switch to shaky head worms in watermelon candy and green pumpkinseed colors fished in 2 to 15 feet of water.
- Crappie: Poor. Check deep brushpiles.
- Shellcracker and bream: Good. Fish red worms and baby nightcrawlers around the banks and a few feet off.
- Catfish: Good. Cut herring and nightcrawlers are producing over most of the lake.
Santee Cooper System           Â
Lake Marion:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Fish Texas rigged worms in slightly deeper areas.
- Catfish: Good. Towards the dam catfish are staying deep during the day but being caught shallow at night.
- Crappie: Slow. Crappie are likely making their way towards deep water haunts for the summer.
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish shallow water along the banks near Rimini Swamp, Santee Park, Stump Hole.
Lake Moultrie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try deep Carolina or Texas rigging.
- Catfish: Good. At night large flatheads and blues are both being caught in shallow water. Drifting is productive, as well as anchoring and fishing cut bait on the bottom when the lake is too calm to drift. Best catches are coming using cut mullet and herring.
- Crappie: Fair. Look for structure in 20 to 25 feet of water and fish minnows vertically.
- Shellcracker: Very good. Fish are being caught around cypress trees, especially where they meet lilies. Fish worms shallow.
Chattooga River
- Trout: Good.
- Fly Fishing report: The area from Pig Pen Creek up to the North Carolina border should still hold trout, though, and dry flies like the Light Henderson, Light Cayhill, Addams, and lighter caddis flies tied out of elkhair should produce.
Saluda River
- Striped Bass: Slow to fair. Throw large plugs, topwater poppers, or fish live shad or herring under corks or on the bottom. For now target the area closer to the dam.
- Trout: Fair. Fly fishermen should cast Wooly Buggers or similar flies; several hatches have already taken place.
Santee Diversion Canal
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish are being caught throughout the canal.
- Catfish: Very good. Flathead catfish are being caught in the canal at night. Anchor or slowly drift cut bait.
- Bass: Good. Largemouth are stacked in the canal around drops where the water goes from shallow to 15 feet almost vertically.
Savannah River
- Striped/ Hybrid Bass: Hit or miss. When the correct gates are open on the Lake Thurmond Dam action can be fast, but at other times fish are not feeding.
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