South Carolina Freshwater Fishing Trends - 7/14/2008
July 14, 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 60 - 80 feet of water using trolling spoons or large plugs; also pull large live shiners in the same zone. Fishing early and late is best.
- Black Bass: Excellent. Bass fishing continues to be very strong. 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 in the morning Lake Fork swimbaits have been productive in the upper part of the lake when the baitfish are moving - magic shad and albino colors have been most productive. Spotted bass have been biting very well on Bill Lewis rattle traps and shallow running crankbaits in bluegill and chartreuse orange colors in 5 to 20 feet in the backs of coves and around islands.
- Crappie: Fair. Crappie have moved out to 30-40 feet of water and can be caught fishing up against bridge pilings at night.
- Bream: Very good. Fish crickets in 5 to 15 feet of water.
- Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. Fish in 55-65 feet of water with downrods set at 25 to 30 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: Good. Early and late there is still good topwater action along points, and as the sun gets higher switch to shaky head worms and Carolina rigs in 20 to 30 feet of water.
- Bream: Very good. Bream have moved into very shallow water and are feeding aggressively.
- Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. 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 moved into shallow water. Use crickets and red worms.
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. Crappie have moved back out to deeper water but can be caught around brush piles and bridges at night.
- Shellcracker: Excellent. Target shellcracker using red worms, pink worms, and crickets.
Lake Wylie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. First thing in the morning fish topwater Pop-Rs over main channel points in about 8 feet of water - bass are schooling. Night fishing is becoming the preferred time to catch fish - deep crankbaits, dark worms, and jigging spoons are all productive.
- White Perch: Very good. Fish in 18-22 feet of water on drops 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.
- Bream: Very good. Use crickets or worms and try to “smell out” the beds.
- Catfish: Good. Use mussels, shrimp, and stinkbaits. Night fishing is good in shallow water.
- Largemouth Bass: From very early until 8 a.m. topwaters and floating worms are productive fished around blocks walls, drops, and riprap. At night fish dark plastic worms around piers or brush piles.
- 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.
- 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: Fair to Good. Throw soft plastics - both floating worms and Texas rigged worms - around shallow grass and docks in the mid-lake area. The Zoom trick worm in green pumpkin has been hot. The best bite is early, but even once it starts to get warmer shallow docks and other shady areas still hold fish.
- Catfish: Very good. For numbers of fish target the lake flats using cut bait and gizzard shad. 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. Striped bass fishermen are most successful in the lower lake fishing in 55 to 65 feet. The predominate catch is coming with 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.
- Largemouth Bass: Tough. Early in the day fish topwaters like pencil poppers, Zara Spooks, Sammys, and flukes.
- Crappie: Poor. No one seems to be finding the crappie right now, except a few guides and other anglers who have favorite deep brushpiles.
- Shellcracker: Good. Fish 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.
Santee Cooper System           Â
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. Towards the dam catfish are in 15-25 feet of water. 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.
Diversion Canal:
- Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish are being caught throughout the canal; some fish are spawning and others have backed off into slightly deeper water. The bite is best when water is being pulled through the canal.
- Catfish: Very good. 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.
Lake Moultrie:
- Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try deep Carolina or Texas rigging in deeper water.
- Catfish: Very good. At night large flatheads and blues are both being caught in shallow water. 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. Fish 1-5 feet for bluegills and 8 to 10 feet for shellcracker.
Related posts
Become a Better Walleye Angler
May 5, 2008
KEENE, N.H. — Gabe Gries, Region 4 Fisheries Biologist II and Warmwater Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, has set his sights on becoming a better walleye fisherman and offers the following advice for New Hampshire anglers on pursuing this worthy gamefish.
Gries started working on his walleye strategy last year, buying a few walleye crankbaits and putting some time in on the Connecticut River when he could. He caught a few walleye last summer (and tons of smallmouth bass), but he is determined to reach the point where he can consistently catch walleye in spring, summer and fall.Â
“I spent a good part of this winter researching different walleye techniques, buying what tackle I could, and talking to walleye anglers,” said Gries. “Walleye can be a fickle fish, and combining that fact with the ever-changing Connecticut River presents a puzzle that could take a lifetime to figure out. Above all, what you need most is patience.”
Gries plans to start shore fishing just below the major dams this spring as early as river flows allow. “I’ll use mainly live bait (crawlers and shiners), in combination with a number of different jigs. Standup jigs tipped with a shiner or a 3-inch grub always produce well, as do many of your typical bass lures (crankbaits, Shad Raps, rattle traps, etc.).” Be sure to check the river flows and try to fish during moderate spring flows, he advises. As fish start to bite below the dams, also concentrate on the mouths of rivers and streams that flow into the Connecticut River. Walleye will often gather in these areas both during the pre-spawn and the spawning period.Â
After walleye spawn, they can be difficult to find for up to several weeks, but this is also a time when you can catch large numbers of spawned-out females, according to Gries. He recommends concentrating on areas that are 10-20 feet deep and adjacent to deeper water, using jigs tipped with live bait. Again, patience is the watchword.
From early summer to early fall, Gries will pursue walleye using his boat. He’ll start by trolling crankbaits such as Reef Runners and Shad Raps and also using a crawler harness combined with bottom bouncers to keep the night crawler near the bottom. Because walleye feed most efficiently at low light levels, fishing for them is most effective on overcast days and at dusk and dawn.Â
Gries will troll upstream, alternating among water depths until he finds fish. “Troll slowly for the most part, but also increase your speed at times, and let the fish tell you what speed they want the lures/bait trolled at,” he says. Alternate lures, lure colors and sizes, and bead color, blade size and color on your crawler harness until you find the ones the fish want on that particular day. If there is a good wind, you don’t have to troll and instead can just drift jigs or live bait. Focus on river mouths, drop-offs, bridge pilings and rock faces.
“Start fishing with smaller lures, then work your way up to larger-size lures as the summer progresses, in order to mimic the size of baitfish in the river as they grow,” says Gries. He plans to try using a “side planer board” this year, a device that allows you to get your bait/lure away from the boat as you troll, so that the motor doesn’t spook the walleye. When rainfall causes the water level in the river to rise, Gries recommends using jigs tipped with 3-4-inch plastic grubs or worms and casting to shallow water that contains structure such as weeds or downed trees.Â
Walleye tactics change a bit for the fall months. “Although I will still troll during fall, I mainly concentrate on vertically jigging Thumper and Whistler jigs tipped with plastic baits in sand flats, deep holes and drop-offs once water temp drops below 55 F,” Gries says. “When trolling in the fall months, I move as slowly as possible and use my largest lures.” Gries plans to fish at least until Thanksgiving, and beyond if the weather permits!Â
If you want to talk walleye fishing, contact Gabe Gries at (603) 352-9669 or gabe [dot] gries [at] wildlife [dot] nh [dot] gov.
Current New Hampshire walleye regulations on the Connecticut River include a daily limit of four fish, of which only one can be larger than 18 inches; no fish between 16 and 18 inches may be harvested. These regulations were imposed to increase walleye size, after previous walleye creel surveys had documented an overabundance of shorter walleyes in the Connecticut River.
Continued efforts by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to effectively manage walleye populations in the Connecticut River include a 2008 spring angler survey below the Bellows Falls and Vernon Dams. Please visit
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/fisheries_management/walleye_survey.html for details on this study.
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