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Freshwater and Saltwater --
MOUNTAINS-PIEDMONT AREA
LAKE JOCASSEE: Largemouth Bass: Fair, slow retrieves with plastic worms,casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs Good catches in the earlymorning. A recent catch of a 5 pound fish has be reported. Trout: Good,trolling with Apex lures, Sutton spoons and Yozuri baits from surface to 30feet deep. Also try free-lining large minnows for trout. These fish areaveraging 3 to 5 pounds. Recent catches of 4.5 to 4.8 pound trout arereported. Also good catches reported with crippled herring jigs in shallowwater and with live minnows.
Smallmouth Bass: Slow, drifting large minnows and brown hair jigs around rocky points and rocky banks. Crappie: Slow, Trysmall minnows and jigs around brush piles. Catfish: Fair, using nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom. Bream: Good, using popping bugs andred worms around banks and brush.
LAKE KEOWEE: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, Try doodling and drop shottingCarolina-rigged worms in green or red colors and jigging spoons in 30 to 50feet of water in the mouths of creeks and off rocky points after
mid-morning. Fish in the 1 to 3.5-pound range reported Crappie: Very Good,using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush pilesand bridge pilings. Catfish: Good, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers andcut bait on the bottom. Recent catches of 10 to 12-pound fish reported.
Bream: Fair, using redworms around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try
fishing around bridge pilings. Water temperature is 52 degrees and clear.
LAKE HARTWELL: Largemouth Bass: Excellent, using 5 to 6-inch lizards,
crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, and Trick worms fishing off
points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk Also try fishing in coves.
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using umbrella rigs also live herring with
down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep. Trollingactivity has increased, try depths of 15 to 25 feet of water. Schoolingactivity on the lake has increased. Crappie: Fair to good, using mediumminnows, grubs and small jigs. Fish are moving into deeper water aroundbrush piles. Catfish: Fair, using cut herring, nightcrawlers, shrimp andchicken livers on the bottom. Bream: Fair, using redworms and cricketsaround brush piles and cover.
LAKE RUSSELL: Largemouth Bass: Fair, try spinner baits around bush in
creeks and shallow running crankbaits. Yellow Perch: Very Good, fishing
medium minnows deep and jigging spoons. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent,early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially whenwater is running below dam. Reports of 9 to 10-pound fish being caught.
White Bass: Poor, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam.
Crappie: Very Good, using minnows around brush piles and bridge pilings.
Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover. Catfish: Good, using cut bait
and nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Good, using red wigglers, pinks,
crickets and nightcrawlers. Water temperature is 53 degrees and clear.
LAKE THURMOND: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms. Also try LittleCleos and spinnerbaits. Good catches with deep running rebels and shad raps.
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters.Also try large minnows and live herring. Fish are be caught in the 20-poundrange. Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops. Somelimits being caught. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlersfishing on the bottom. Bream: Good, using Louisiana pink worms and jumboredworms around the banks.
LAKE WYLIE: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium runningcrank baits. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Spoons and Bucktails.White Bass: Good, fish are schooling in the afternoon. Crappie: Excellent,
using small minnows and chartreuse jigs around rip-rap, docks and brushtops. Some crappie has been reported caught in the 1 pound and overcategory. Also limits are being caught. Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlerson the bottom. Shellcracker: Fair, using redworms and crickets on thebottom. Bream: Good, using earthworms, redworms and crickets around thebanks.
LAKE GREENWOOD: Largemouth Bass: Good, jigging slow in 25 to 30 feet ofwater with pig & jig and crank bait. Report of 2 to 5 pound fish are beingcaught. Stripers: Excellent, behind the dam using flukes and bombers andGood in the lake using berry spoons and live bait. Try fishing small spinners and jigging Berry Spoons in 25 to 30 feet of water. White Bass and White Perch: Good, fish are schooling. Try using small spinners and jigging spoons. Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 20 to 25 feet of water. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and blood bait off points in 8 to 15 feet of water on the bottom. Bream: Slow, using redworms along shore and docks. Water level has stabilized at about 3 feet below full level.
MIDLANDS AREA
LAKE WATEREE: Largemouth Bass: Fair, try using, pig and jig. Fish off deeper piers Striped Bass: Fair, using live shad with down-rods in 20 to 25 feet of water. White Bass: Slow: Try shad-like baits off points. Crappie: Good,
try minnows wow grubs and slider worms tight lining in 12 to 15 feet of
water mostly on the ledges. Smaller crappie have moved into shallow water, 3-5 ft. around piers and docks. Catfish: Good, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in 10 to 20 feet of water and deeper down the lake. Bream: Slow, try using worms. Water temperature 51 egrees. Water conditions on the lake are clear.
LAKE MURRAY: Largemouth Bass: Good, in 1 to 8 foot of water and on the inside of the grass line on small shad rap and spinnerbaits. Also Carolina rigged and Texas rigged worms are being used. Striped Bass: Good, try live erring on free line or with a cork. Schooling activity has been reported in ll hours of the day from Shull Island to the Little and Big Saluda Rivers.
Try a double rigged set-up with buck tail, trailing it with an ice fly. Cast
this set of lures to schooling fish. Also try a striper delight. Crappie:
Fair, using jigs and small tuffy minnows trolling in creek runs and fishing
brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water. White Perch: Good, try jigging
spoons and tuffies or worms. Catfish: Fair, using cut herring and
nightcrawlers on the bottom. Bream: Good, try fishing redworms and crickets n 10 to 20 feet of water along the grass wall. Limits are being caught. hellcrackers: Fair, using redworms and baby night crawlers in 10 feet of
water to the bottom. Water is clear and 57 degrees.
SANTEE COOPER SYSTEM
LAKE MARION: Largemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms, topwater rebel ures, fishing along the banks and point early in the morning. Striped Bass: Fair, using shad and live herring with down rod in about 24 to 30 feet f water. Trolling shad and herring has been productive. Some fish weighing 5-pounds are being reported caught. White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the ottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Fair, Crappie are starting to bite in 0 feet of water, using small and medium minnows around deep brush piles, ridge pilings and piers. Catfish: Excellent, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Recent catch of a 45-pound catfish as been reported. Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, using redworms, in 8 to 0 feet of water and limits are report.
LAKE MOULTRIE: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms nd lizards along docks and structure. Striped Bass: Good, fishing live erring in 30 feet of water with down-rods. Fish are schooling try flex-it spons jigging and casting Striper Swipers in schooling fish. Trolling
through schooling fish has also been productive. Striped bass in the 8 to
18-pound range are being caught. Limits of these fish are being reported aily. Crappie: Fair, Try small to medium sized minnows around fish ttraction areas and brush piles. Catfish: Excellent, using cut shad,
herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 40 to 50 feet deep.
Fish are being caught in the 30 to 40-pound range. Bream: Good, using
crickets, public fish attractors. Fish are in 8 to 25 feet of water on beds.
Shellcrackers: Fair, try redworms and green worms along the banks along iver runs and points. Catches reported t in the canal area in the 2 to 4 ound range.
REPORTERS:
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources appreciates the
cooperation of fishing trend reporters for South Carolina's major lakes:
Jocassee - Hoyett's Tackle; Keowee - Fishing Hole; Hartwell - Lake Hartwell ishing and Marine; Russell - Tony's Bait and Tackle; Thurmond - Bladon's;
Wylie - Catawba Tackle; Greenwood - Sportsman's Friend; Wateree - Wateree arina; Murray - Dooley's Sport Shop; Marion - Lanes; and Moultrie - Atkins oat Landing.
- Written by Mike Willis -
For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations:
http://water3.dnr.state.sc.us/dnr/etc/rulesregs/img/freshfishing.pdf
SALTWATER FISHING TRENDS:
PIERS:
Cherry Grove Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Closed
December- February.
Apache Pier (Myrtle Beach): Bait shop open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a eek. No activity to report.
Springmaid Pier: Open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, year-round. No ctivity to report.
Myrtle Beach State Park Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. No activity to
report.
Surfside Pier: Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Closed December- ebruary.
The Pier at Garden City: Open 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. King ackerel fishing allowed only during tournaments. No activity to report.
Winyah Bay Fishing and Observation Pier (Georgetown): Open 6 a.m. to
midnight, seven days a week, with Free parking and fishing. Freshwater
fishing license is required due to brackish water. Visitors also enjoy great ird watching. No activity to report.
Folly Beach Pier: Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Water temperature is 53 degrees.
Red drum and black drum have been reported on live bait.
Hunting Island State Park Fishing Pier: Pier open 24 hours a day. The Nature
Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday.
No activity to report.
INSHORE:
Cherry Grove: No activity to report.
Murrells Inlet: No activity to report.
Charleston Area: Red drum and trout are biting well in the flats using live hrimp or minnows. Fish the flats and grassy areas.
Edisto River/St. Helena Sound: No activity to report.
Beaufort Area: The Harbor River is producing many catches of red drum on reen lead headed grubs.
OFFSHORE:
Cherry Grove: No activity to report.
Murrells Inlet: No activity to report.
Charleston Area: Bottom fishing is doing well at about 120 feet deep water o the ledge with many catches of grouper and red snapper.
Edisto River/St. Helena Sound: No activity to report.
Beaufort Area: Bottom fishing is doing well near the "North Hole" with many atches of snapper and grouper. Also there have been reports of king ackerel being taken near the "North Hole" trolling with ballyhoo.
Reporters: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources
Division thanks the following for their cooperation in compiling this week's eport: Cherry Grove Pier; Apache Pier; Springmaid Pier; Myrtle Beach State
Park; Surfside Pier; The Pier at Garden City; Winyah Bay Fishing and
Observation Pier; Folly Beach Fishing Pier; Hunting Island State Park;
Harbour Gate Marina-Cherry Grove; Capt. Dicks Marina-Murrells Inlet;
Haddrell's Point Tackle-Charleston; William Freeman-Charleston; Edisto
Marina-Edisto; Island Outfitters-Beaufort.
- Written by Lindsay Freeman, SCDNR - MRD
For South Carolina marine fish regulations:
http://water3.dnr.state.sc.us/dnr/etc/rulesregs/img/saltfishing.pdf |
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