South Carolina DNR Freshwater report 9-28

Mountains Place
Piedmont Place
Midlands Region
Santee Cooper Technique
SC Freshwater Fishing Laws (Adobe PDF)
Purchase a fishing license
Boat Ramp Locations
State Fish Consumption Advisories

StriperFishing developments courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Verify the website for modern updates and thorough studies.

Mountains Area

Lake Jocassee:

Trout: Fair. Captain Steve Pietrykowski advises that fishing has been fair. The trout are deep, and trolling in the massive drinking water 70-110 feet down has been most successful. Dwell shiners and spoons will both catch fish.
Black Bass: Fair. Captain Pat Bennett studies that as air and h2o temperatures drop the fishing is bettering. Early and late try topwater lures this sort of as Spooks and Jitterbugs all around prolonged factors. Also target bass associated to shoreline cover proximate to deep h2o, exactly where they can be caught on shakey head worms, Carolina rigs and spinnerbaits.

Lake Keowee:

Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Sluggish. Guide Brad Fowler reviews that Lake Keowee is fishing difficult appropriate now, even though there is some scattered topwater activity. A few fish are also currently being caught on drops shot rigs fished deep and scrounger heads. The bite really should increase as drinking water temperatures calme and bait and fish move into the creeks.

Lake Hartwell:

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Captain Bill Plumley reports that striper and hybrid fishing remains sturdy. Fish are in the principal channel on the decrease stop of the lake fifty-70 ft down more than 90-one hundred fifty feet of drinking water. Most fish are concentrated more than trees and along old creek channels. Down lining are living herring is the number 1 way to catch fish proper now.
Catfish: Great. Captain Invoice Plumley studies that channel catfish proceed to feed properly. Fish are scattered out throughout the total lake in twelve-twenty feet of h2o, with catches of little to medium sized fish robust. Dip (stink) bait, specially Hoss’ Hog Bait, has been most productive.
Black Bass: Fair. Information Brad Fowler reports that bass are spread out from really shallow h2o to deep water, and fishing has remained pretty challenging. Fish are currently being caught on buzzbaits, topwater lures, shakey head worms, crankbaits and in recent tournaments anglers have fished a selection of diverse designs. A clearer pattern ought to develop shortly as h2o temperatures awesome.
Crappie: Sluggish. Captain Invoice Plumley reports that some crappie are nonetheless getting caught under lights at night around deeper bridges and brush piles in 10-20 ft of water. Anglers are fishing the two minnows and jigs. Daytime motion is very sluggish but will increase as temperatures neat.

Piedmont Area

Lake Russell:

Black Bass: Quite very good. Guidebook Wendell Wilson studies that bass are feeding really effectively around bait schools 20-twenty five ft deep in big coves in the mid-lake. Whether or not the coves have brush or not is unimportant – the presence of bait colleges is the crucial. Drop shot rigs fished just off the bottom and baited with a plastic worm or dwell minnows will create, and jigging spoons are also working. Largemouth bass (specifically modest ones) are combined in with spots. To target even bigger largemouth the greatest wager is fishing a fluke or a Spook up the river around stumps on the edge of the channel. White and yellow perch:
Good. Guide Wendell Wilson studies that fishing minnows just off the bottom in twenty five-thirty feet of h2o in the lower lake around the mouth of the Rocky River is the greatest pattern. Catfish: Fair to excellent. Information Wendell Wilson studies that the very best bet for catfish is fishing on the bottom about the significant bait educational institutions located in significant coves. Anchor and set out cut herring offerings on the bottom, and don’t be scared to chum to draw in the cats.
Crappie: Honest. Manual Wendell Wilson studies that the crappie can be caught 10-twelve feet down above brush fifteen-twenty feet deep on minnows fished on a restricted line. The mid-lake, Beaverdam Creek and the Rocky River are very good places to appear.
Striped bass: Fair. Guidebook Wendell Wilson studies that for yet another week or so the best pattern will be cost-free lining are living herring, trout or gizzard shad under the Hartwell Dam, but really quickly fish will scatter out down the lake and in the creeks.

Lake Thurmond:

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Extremely very good. Captain William Sasser reports that striper and hybrid fishing is on fire. On the lower conclude of the lake early and late the schooling exercise is outstanding. The vast majority of fish are in the 2-3 pound variety, but hybrids up to 8 lbs have been caught combined in and bigger fish are below. Poppers, Ice Flies and other lures will catch fish.
Black bass: Honest. Buckeye Lures in Augusta studies that bass fishing is bettering on Clarks Hill. Buzzbaits and floating worms have equally been doing work rather well early or all day on overcast days – just pick a financial institution and work your way down it. Catfish: Honest. Captain William Sasser reviews that large flatheads are getting caught on the Parksville and Georgia flats at evening, but they are scattered. Anchor are living bream on the bottom in 15-twenty feet of water to catching roaming, feeding flatheads. Channel catfish are currently being caught on the bottom in 30-forty feet of water.
Crappie: (unchanged from Sept. 22). Captain William Sasser reviews that striper have been occupying him recently, but lately his boat was catching crappie out in the center of the creek about twenty five ft down close to brush in the main creek channel. Minnows were working effectively. The Georgia Small River and Ford’s, Grey’s and Cherokee Creek have been creating greatest.

Lake Wylie:

Catfish: Excellent. Captain Rodger Taylor reviews that significant universities of child shad can be seen most of the day, but they are especially notable early and late when the winds are light. Recreation fish are on the surface area feeding on the shad. The ideal wager for catfish proper now is drifting with cut white perch or bream, which stay on the hook much better than shad. Channel catfish are most likely to be caught in the creeks or shallower open h2o, but blue catfish – traditionally more related with the river channel and deeper drinking water flats – are expanding their assortment into these areas too. Both fish can be picked up on the exact same drifts, and appropriate now 24 feet is the excellent depth.
White perch: Fair to great. Captain Rodger Taylor reports that white perch are beginning to be much more cooperative once more, though discovering them is even now harder than final year for most anglers. 24 ft has been a great depth range to fish minnows or worms vertically on a Sabiki rig.
Largemouth Bass: Enhancing. FLW Expert and Guide Matt Arey reports that fish are transitioning into the backs as the climate calme and bait moves into the creeks and pockets. Large Spooks, spinnerbaits and other shad imitations are the best bet as these fish are virtually completely relevant to bait educational institutions.

Midlands Location

Lake Greenwood:

Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the daytime bite is strengthening and is almost as very good as the night time bite. The very best tactic continues to be anchoring on humps and points in five-20 feet of drinking water and admirer casting baits to distinct depths.
Largemouth Bass: Fair. Sportsman’s Friend reviews that cooler weather conditions has enhanced the bass bite on Lake Greenwood. Early and late there has been very good topwater exercise, and on cloudy days fish might be inclined to feed on the surface all day prolonged. Buzzbaits and floating worms are good bets. Worms and jigs fished 10-twelve feet deep around brush are each catching fish.
Crappie: Honest. Sportsman’s Buddy reports that crappie fishing is also strengthening. Fishing ten-12 feet deep all around brush with jigs is the ideal pattern.

Lake Wateree:

Catfish: Very good. Captain Rodger Taylor recommends drifting flats in nine-15 feet of water with reduce white perch. Bait schools and fish are heading into the creeks. Anchoring with huge items of cut bait, specially when there is latest, is a great selection if you want to target trophy-sized fish.
Crappie: Honest. Will Hinson of the Southern Crappie Tournament Trail reports that fish are nevertheless connected to brush, but now they are about shallower brush in 12-16 ft. Fish are even now in the main lake, but now you ought to look closer to the financial institutions as an alternative of in the main channel. Jigs are even now doing work greatest, especially Fish Stalker Hideous Green, Pearl White and Robin Egg (blue with metallic flakes).
Largemouth Bass: FLW Expert Dearal Rodgers studies that shad and the fish are moving toward the creeks. Attempt deep and medium running crankbaits on details and channel swings in the creeks. Every thing will move shallow in the subsequent couple of weeks, so it really is a good idea to examine docks with a jig on a every day basis. Try buzzbaits in the mornings for topwater exercise.

Lake Murray:

Striped Bass: Very excellent. Lake World studies that striped bass fishing is as robust as it has been in decades. There is phenomenal schooling exercise across the decrease 50 % of the lake and a extremely substantial percentage of keepers are getting documented. Trolling Stretch 25s and bucktails, free of charge-lining reside herring and fishing down rods with herring twenty five-thirty feet deep have all been effective.
Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson studies that the daytime bite has improved and a couple of blues and channel catfish are starting to be caught drifting in h2o 25-40 ft deep. Nonetheless, the most effective pattern is nonetheless anchoring on factors and humps that will let you to cover a broad variety of depths until finally you uncover the most effective zone. Lower herring or perch, shrimp and stink bait are the ideal baits.
Largemouth Bass: Honest. Captain Doug Lown reviews that weights have enhanced in current tournaments, but there is a significant drop off right after the first handful of areas. The dominant pattern proper now is fishing for suspended fish that are chasing bait off points six-20 ft deep. It appears that on warmer days topwater lures are operating properly, but on cooler days delicate plastics like flukes are performing greater twitched just under the surface.
Crappie: Fair. Captain Brad Taylor reports that the bite remains a minor slow, but he suggests fishing in the mid-area of the lake around 25 foot brush. The greatest brush is on main lake drops in the big drinking water.

Santee Cooper System

Crappie: Very good to extremely great. Captain Steve English studies that the crappie bite is sturdy all around deeper, but not very deep, offshore brushpiles. He is fishing 10-15 feet deep in excess of brush in 17-twenty five ft of drinking water. Each jigs and minnows are operating.
Bream: Excellent. Captain Steve English reports that bream have moved again to brushpiles in eight-fifteen feet of water exactly where they are feeding properly on crickets. In the canal fish are biting well on worms fished 7-ten ft deep around grass.
Largemouth bass: Honest. Captain Jimmie Hair reviews that air and h2o temperatures have dropped and the bass fishing has improved. Bait is shifting into the creeks and bass are next them. The very best pattern has been fishing soft plastics all around wooden and grass, where he has been catching good figures of two-3 pound fish.
Catfish: Enhancing. Captain Jim Glenn reviews that blue catfishing has enhanced throughout the final two weeks of September, with much better figures in both lakes and some more substantial fish currently being caught. It seems that the larger blues are getting caught drifting in h2o a lot less than thirty ft deep, although more compact blues seem to be to be much more vulnerable to drifting in deeper water. Refreshing reduce herring, shad and perch are the most well-known baits.