South Carolina DNR freshwater fishing report 10-28

Mountains Place
Piedmont Region
Midlands Location
Santee Cooper Program
SC Freshwater Fishing Regulations (Adobe PDF)
Buy a fishing license
Boat Ramp Areas
State Fish Usage Advisories

StriperFishing developments courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Verify the internet site for current updates and comprehensive studies.

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee:

Trout: Slow to fair. Captain Steve Pietrykowski studies that a couple of trout are moving shallower as drinking water temperatures great, but the best pattern is still fishing in 65-eighty ft. Spoons are a great option at this time of calendar year, and hearth tiger and silver/blue are good hues.
Black Bass: Reasonable. Captain Pat Bennett reviews that as air and water temperatures drop the fishing is enhancing. Early and late consider topwater lures such as Spooks and Jitterbugs about lengthy points. Also target bass associated to shoreline cover proximate to deep drinking water, where they can be caught on shakey head worms, Carolina rigs and spinnerbaits. The very first drop-off is frequently powerful. Fish can also be caught on delicate plastics fish around bluff walls. Several bass carry on to be out in deep, open up water subsequent roaming universities of baitfish, but several of these bait educational institutions really should make their way up the rivers and creeks as the fall progresses.

Lake Keowee:

Largemouth and Noticed Bass: Fair. Guidebook Brad Fowler reports that fish are scattered out throughout the total lake from shallow to deep. They haven’t grouped up in very good fall colleges nevertheless, but should shortly. Fish can be caught all around the banking institutions on topwater lures, drop shotting in 60 ft, or everywhere in amongst – but nothing is scorching. Early and late appear for college activity when fish are feeding on balls of threadfin shad. Proper now fish can be identified on the major channel, just off it, or in the front third of creeks, but as the fall progresses bass will move even more into the creeks. Fishing shakey head worms all around docks is a reliable approach as fish settle into a pattern.

Lake Hartwell: (unchanged from Oct. 20)

Largemouth Bass: Honest. The leading h2o motion has slowed down quite a bit, but you can discover fish in ten-twenty feet. Your best bet is shakey head and Texas rigs. There are a few fish shallow and can be caught on buzzbait. Also verify the creeks.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell:

Black Bass: Very good. Guide Wendell Wilson reviews that the bass pattern continues to be fundamentally the same, and bass are feeding very well close to bait universities 20-25 ft deep in large coves in the mid-lake. Whether or not the coves have brush or not is unimportant – the existence of bait educational institutions is the key. Drop shot rigs fished just off the bottom and baited with a plastic worm or dwell minnows will make, and jigging spoons are also working. The bass catch is about 85% spots and fifteen% largemouth. To goal largemouth fish the mid to reduced area of the lake with a shallow jogging crankbait or blue and silver ½ ounce Rattletrap-sort bait close to the financial institutions.
White and yellow perch: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that fishing minnows just off the bottom in twenty five-thirty ft of h2o, specially in the reduced lake about the mouth of the Rocky River, is the very best pattern. Yellow perch have started to appear once again, but the bite is nonetheless mostly white perch. Perch make of part of a combined bag right now.
Crappie: Truthful to great. Manual Wendell Wilson reviews that the crappie are combined in with the spotted and largemouth bass all around bait colleges in big mid-lake cove, and he is catching 12-14 crappie on trips alongside with sturdy numbers of bass. Fish minnows to goal crappie.
Catfish: Honest. Guide Wendell Wilson studies that the best wager for catfish is fishing on the bottom about the significant bait colleges identified in significant coves. Anchor and place out minimize herring offerings on the bottom, and don’t be frightened to chum to draw in the cats. Lately catfish catches have been a bit off.
Striped bass: Reasonable. Guidebook Wendell Wilson reports that striped bass fishing stays really hit or miss on Lake Russell. For now the important is to pull bait and cover a great deal of drinking water, but fishing should boost when the gulls arrive in November and make focusing on universities less difficult.

Lake Thurmond:

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent to really very good. Captain William Sasser studies that the larger fish have moved out of the really deep h2o, and there is now schooling action throughout the lake. Poppers, Ice Flies and other lures will catch fish. Besides targeting schooling fish the very best pattern is fishing the mid-lake by pulling planer boards and fishing down lines in 15-twenty ft. Appear in the again of creeks, particularly Soap Creek.
Crappie: Great. Captain William Sasser reviews that crappie have moved into the backs of creeks exactly where they can be caught in 15-20 ft of h2o by anglers pulling jigs or minnows. Mid-lake Buffalo Creek and the South Carolina Little River have been strong.
Black bass: Fair to very good. Buckeye Lures in Augusta studies that bass fishing proceeds to improve on Clarks Hill. Schooling exercise has really picked up, and schooling fish can be located across the lake. Most fish have commenced to make a transfer towards the backs of the creeks, and buzzbaits and spinnerbaits are operating nicely.
Catfish: Reasonable. Captain William Sasser studies that large flatheads are being caught on the Parksville and Georgia flats at evening, but they are scattered. Anchor are living bream on the bottom in 15-twenty ft of water to catching roaming, feeding flatheads. Channel catfish are getting caught on the bottom in 30-forty feet of water.

Lake Wylie: (unchanged from Oct. 20)

Catfish: Excellent. Early early morning designs normally find fish a great bit deeper fifteen-twenty five feet in the creeks and around principal channel composition. One particular can usually stick to the bass to catfish in the fall as the largemouth bass college up to attack significant surface educational institutions of modest shad–these places are straightforward to spot and even hear on a early morning when they are breaking water. Drift fishing will be really effective in these regions utilizing lower bait or shad. Blue catfish will be less complicated to catch in numbers when the water cools down approaching winter.

Midlands Region

Lake Greenwood: (unchanged from Oct. 20)

Largemouth Bass: Honest. Some schooling documented with best water motion. Crankbaits and jigs under the universities are producing. Verify the winds blowing into creeks and fish with plastic worms.
Crappie: Gradual. Check brush piles all around twelve to fifteen ft.

Lake Monticello: (unchanged from Oct. 20)

Catfish: Slow to reasonable. Free line drifters and meat fishermen report difficulty catching numbers of modest fish.

Lake Wateree:

Catfish: Good. Captain Rodger Taylor reviews that bait is plentiful. Big gizzard shad are easily netted in shallow drinking water near docks and aquatic grass together the financial institutions, and enormous colleges of smaller sized 2-four inch shad are present on the flats in five-ten feet of h2o. Day to day outcomes range, but fish can be found drifting lower bait on the shallow flats. If fish don’t cooperate with that method, try out anchoring in deep drinking water in the vicinity of the river channel drop. Fishing extended sloping factors is a very good wager. Fishing could be stronger when there is existing, and the bite should only improve as the fall progresses.
Crappie: Truthful to very good. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports that the very best crappie fishing on Lake Wateree is at the upper stop of the lake about Wateree Creek. Fish just off the bottom in 14-18 feet of drinking water restricted-lining jigs tipped with minnows or basic minnows. It is standard for fish to make a fall migration towards the riverine finish of the lake, but it would seem a bit early this year. Some fish have moved into the mouths of major creeks like Taylor Creek, Singleton and Dutchman’s, but they are keeping a little bit deeper and can only be discovered in the front ½ of creeks. Relying on how fast the water cools they will transfer as shallow as 11-12 ft just before turning around.
Largemouth Bass: Difficult but improving. FLW Skilled Dearal Rodgers reports that shad and the fish are shifting toward the creeks, but fishing continues to be a tiny tough on Lake Wateree. As water temperatures keep on to neat and the shad move further into the backs, appear in coves around grass, rocks and docks. Double willow blade spinnerbaits and shallow jogging crankbaits are a very good selection, and quickly Rattletrap-kind baits need to be powerful.

Lake Murray:

Catfish: Quite excellent. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the fishing is extremely robust, and catfish can be caught either anchoring or drifting relying upon an angler’s preference. For anchor fishing placement the boat in 15-45 ft of h2o and cast out to cover a variety of depths. For drift fishing cover humps, factors, flats and gullies in 20-45 ft of h2o. Minimize herring and gizzard shad are tough to conquer.
Shellcracker: Quite excellent. Lake Planet reviews that the shellcracker bite is quite robust. Look for fish about details and fish worms on the bottom in three-8 feet of water.
Striped Bass: Truthful. Lake Globe reviews that fish scattered out with the 1st cold front, and striped bass are scattered from the center of the lake on up. Trolling live bait driving planer boards and fishing down lines in thirty-40 feet of h2o are good choices. Also be positive to seem out for schooling activity.
Largemouth Bass: Poor. Captain Doug Lown studies that the lake has just lately turned more than, and an already difficult bass bite has gotten even harder. In the current large bass tournament anglers struggled to catch fish over two lbs, and a fish underneath five pounds was large bass for the huge tournament. Due to the fact of the turnover fish are spread out from two-twenty ft, but they aren’t biting well anyplace. Most fish that are getting caught are using lures fished on the bottom, and shakey head worms fished all around points and docks are as very good as anything at all. Some little fish can also be caught on flukes. In a week or two the bite should significantly improve.

Santee Cooper Program (unchanged from Oct. twenty)

Largemouth bass: Sluggish. Some fish are taking plastic worms. Also try shallow jogging crankbaits and bouncing on trees and stumps. The fishing is strengthening, but is nevertheless tough.
Crappie: Honest. Check out brush piles at 10-twenty feet.
Catfish: Very good. Captain Jim Glenn studies fish seem to be to be scattered amongst water in the teens down to forty feet or so. Some are getting achievement in deeper h2o apparently, but most are becoming taken in twenty five to 35 ft. It is a small early for the concentrations of fish that happen in colder months. Herring, gizzard shad and menhaden are the most well-liked baits right now.