South Carolina DNR Freshwater report 2-28

***Be aware winter fishing situations will make for sporadic reviews***

Lake Jocassee:

* Largemouth Bass: Sluggish but increasing. Captain Pat Bennett reviews the bass should commence transferring shallow as temps warm up, but fish are even now in a winter pattern and deeper. Check out looking for bait colleges on your graph, and then reduced down a jigging spoon or drop shot rig.
* Trout: Honest to great. Captain Steve Pietrykowski reviews that trout fishing continues to improve. The best pattern is trolling 25-30 ft deep behind down riggers or dipsy divers with spoons and modest Rapala plugs.

Lake Keowee:

* Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Slow to fair. Manual Brad Fowler reports that Lake Keowee bass are still quite a lot in a winter pattern, but verify out the mid-lake with warmer discharges. Some smaller sized fish have been caught with flukes.

Lake Hartwell:

* Largemouth bass: Slow but increasing. Guide Brad Fowler reports some fish caught in creeks with colored drinking water. Fish shallow with crank and spinnerbaits.
* Striped and Hybrid Bass: Sluggish to fair. Captain Bill Plumley reports the striper bite is improving. They are feeding better on freelining and big bait, but are scattered with no pattern. Do appear for birds. Some luck with umbrella rigs.
* Catfish: Very good. Captain Bill Plumley reviews some of the larger fish can be found ten to twenty ft on points and secondary factors with minimize bait.
* Crappie: No new reports from Captain Bill Plumley. Water temperatures remain cold, but a good spawn is expected and this should be a good yr.

Piedmont Place

Lake Russell:

* Crappie: Sluggish. Information Wendell Wilson reports that crappie are in deep h2o in the thirty-35 foot assortment, and simply because most brush piles on Lake Russell are shallower they are relating to bait educational institutions and depth modifications instead of brush.
* Striped bass: Sluggish. Manual Wendell Wilson reports that the striper bite continues to be elusive so significantly this winter. The most successful pattern is fishing totally free lined stay shiners (since of their sturdiness), and cloudy days will supply the very best and most pleasant window to catch fish.
* Black Bass: Difficult. Manual Wendell Wilson studies that bass fishing is really tough, and it only took a single fish to win a current tournament on Lake Russell! Spotted bass proceed to be bunched up in twenty-thirty ft of h2o in coves off the principal channel. Search for universities of bait on your depth finder before deciding on an area to fish, and then decrease a drop shot rig baited with possibly a medium minnow or a four inch finesse worm to the bottom.

Lake Thurmond:

* Crappie: Great. Captain William Sasser studies that Buffalo Creek has been a great spot with jigs and minnows off the bank. Go deeper for larger fish.
* Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair. Captain William Sasser studies most of the striped bass have also moved back again down in direction of the dam by throwing out minimize herring.
* Black bass: Bettering. Buckeye Lures in Augusta studies shallow with crank and spinnerbaits are exhibiting some results with the even bigger fish even now on factors.

Lake Wylie:

* Catfish: Fair to very good. Captain Rodger Taylor studies that catfish are nevertheless in the main channel deep at thirty-60 with cut bait.
* Largemouth Bass: Fair. FLW Expert and Guide Matt Arey reviews that boats are clustered around the warm water discharge in the South Fork, wherever the bite has been steady for most of this winter. Outdoors of the scorching hole, fish are suspended and relating to creek channel bends, primary river ledges, and other depth changes. Glimpse for bait on your graph and then fish grubs or jerkbaits.

Midlands Area

Lake Greenwood:

* Largemouth Bass: Great. Greenwood Bassmaster Stanley Gunter reviews that crankbaits in two to 6 ft fished little by little has made final results. Some outcomes also from spinnerbait close to brush. Fish are scattered around the lake.
* Crappie: Excellent. Feeding more than deep drinking water, but continue being high in the water column. Black and chartreuse jigs along with minnows have made.
* Catfish: Sluggish to honest. Captain Chris Simpson reviews that the cold weather conditions has the channel catfish congregated in the major river channel. On days when the wind will permit it, attempt drifting parallel to the channel and in and out of it. On other days, attempt anchoring in the channel and waiting for the fish. Lower herring, gizzard shad and threadfin shad are the best baits proper now.

Lake Wateree:

* Crappie: Honest. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports some fish becoming caught right off the bank with jigs and minnows. Get even bigger fish in the mouths of creeks from 6 feet to the bottom. Fish are starting to get more aggressive.
* Catfish: Honest. Captain Rodger Taylor reviews that there can be a rather excellent bite for blue catfish drifting reduce bait on the mid lake flats in 17-21 ft of water. For bigger fish, head up the river and anchor big cut bait providing in the current.
* Largemouth Bass: Slow. FLW Professional Dearal Rodgers reviews that bass fishing continues to be difficult on Lake Wateree – but really should enhance really quickly. Look for fish wherever steep or extended, sloping points intersect the principal river channel. Jigs or Carolina rigs worked quite slowly may well catch fish, and utilizing your graph to operate a jigging spoon precisely can also be powerful.

Lake Monticello:

* Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reviews that the bite for blue catfish in the 10-20 pound array is even now excellent, and for individual anglers big fish are nonetheless obtainable. Several shad and catfish stay glued to the bottom, and the most productive depth variety has been fifty-65 ft. White perch, gizzard shad and even herring are doing work nicely, and cutting the bait in cubes about the size of a mussel has been catching the vast majority of the fish.

Lake Murray:

* Striped Bass: Fair. Lake Globe reviews that striper studies are coming in from all above the lake, with fish getting caught from way up the rivers down to the mid-lake region. It’s hard to pattern the fish, and they are getting caught from the financial institution out to 110 ft of drinking water. Down-lined herring, herring fished off planer boards and umbrella rigs are all catching fish.
* Largemouth Bass: Honest. Captain Doug Lown studies that the bite has enhanced. Fish are transferring shallow as the sun warms up. Some crankbaits have caught smaller fish. Fishing deeper on points with jigs also working.
* Crappie: Fair. Captain Brad Taylor reports mid-lake is producing best with tight lining at 5 to fifteen ft.
* Catfish: Fair. Captain Chris Simpson jigging a spoon off the bottom even though drifting has also been catching a selection of fish, like tons of white perch, some striper, big largemouth and occasional cats. Channel and blues are becoming caught all over the lake.

Santee Cooper System

* Largemouth bass: Excellent. Captain Inky Davis reviews that bass fishing have improved with fish moving shallow. Appear for warm regions and perform crankbaits or soft plastics gradually.
* Bream: Slow. Captain Steve English expects the bream to choose up by the initial total moon in March and then go shallow.
* Crappie: Fair. Captain English reports going shallow is the best bet with primarily modest fish. One particular or two ft of the banks of creeks are producing.
* Catfish: Honest. Captain Jim Glenn reports that for most fishermen catfishing on Lake Moultrie has slowed down and identifying a pattern has been challenging. The reduce end of the lake from Eutawville across to Wyboo Creek and down to the Lake Marion dam has been sturdy, and fishing has been in particular excellent near the river channel bends where educational institutions of bait are concentrated.
* Striped Bass: Sluggish. Captain Jim Glenn reports that striped bass can be caught on spoons, jigs and trolled lures, as nicely as live bite.