S.C. Fishing Report
Friday, September 05, 2008Freshwater Report
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:
Bream: Very good. For keeper sized bream move off the banks a bit and fish in 10-15 feet with crickets. Catfish: Very good. Fish in 15-20 feet in the mouths of rivers and creeks. Trout: Good. Troll in 80-100 feet during the day using large minnows or lures like trolling spoons. Black Bass: Good. From 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. topwater lures are the key to catching bass. Fish buzzbaits, Zara Spooks, noisy lures like jitterbugs, or crankbaits. When the sun starts to get up around 8 AM fish move off the banks and into deeper water.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Early in the morning fish topwater Lake Fork or Sebile swimbaits in Magic Shad and shad colors around boat docks and main lake points. Watch your depthfinder closely and look for baitfish and deep brush - fish will be concentrated around these. Best fishing is coming in the Cane Creek and Mile Creek areas. Crappie: Fair. Crappie have moved out to deep water but night fishermen are doing well off and on by fishing up against bridge pilings with a light to attract bait and crappie.
Lake Hartwell
Catfish: Very good. At night catfish are moving onto lake flats and feeding very well. Use cut herring or bream. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Fish are biting at 30 to 50 feet over 100 to 140 feet of water in the channel between Anderson Island and the dam. Downrods with live bait and trolling with downriggers and lead core line are both effective. The early morning bite for small stripers is fast and furious between 6 and 9 AM near Portman Shoals. Fish flat humps in 25 to 30 feet; anchor and chum to draw the fish in, then drop your downrod to the bottom and reel up about three turns. Bream: Good. For bigger bream back off the bank into 5 to 15 feet of water and use crickets or worms. Largemouth Bass: Fair. As the sun gets higher switch to shaky head worms and Carolina rigs in 25 to 30 feet of water off the end of points and along river channels. Deep running crankbaits may also be effective, and deep, shaded boat docks can be productive.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Striped Bass: Good. The lower tail race area has also been productive for numbers of fish and occasional very large ones. Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Fair. Most anglers fishing for bass are fishing at night with dark plastics worms. Crappie: Fair. There are reports of decent numbers of crappie being caught trolling up Beaverdam Creek in the late evening and around structure under lights at night.
Lake Thurmond
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Very good. The best schooling action in 5 or 6 years is being reported early in the main channel of the river in the lower part of the lake. Fish are concentrating on herring, and live bait, plugs, or bucktails will all work. Catfish: Good. Fish deep with cut or whole herring on the bottom. Bream: Good. Fish in 2 to 10 feet of water with crickets or worms. Crappie: Fair. Crappie are deep but can be caught around bridges at night. Largemouth Bass: Slow. Try Carolina rigged plastic worms fished deep around points and creek mouths.
Lake Wylie
Catfish: Very good. In areas where white perch had been schooling and concentrating on baitfish catfish seem to have recently taken over. Some very large catfish are also being caught. Bream: Very good. Use crickets or worms and try to "smell out" the beds. Also fish shallow structure around the shoreline. Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Fish have been spread out and some are being caught shallow, and some are deep. Finesse worms, deep running crankbaits, and large plastic worms are all producing. White Perch: Slow. The large schools of white perch which were concentrating on baitfish seem to have broken up, and very few people are locating white perch right now.
Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood
Catfish: Very good. Big flathead catfish can be caught in 10 to 15 feet of water around heavy brush which is close to ledges. Bream: Very good. Bream action is very strong in shallow water 3 to 4 feet deep. Use crickets and red worms. Striped Bass: Fair. Some schooling activity has been reported but it is sparse and there doesn't seem to be a pattern for when the fish come up. Largemouth and white perch are mixed in with the schooling striper. Largemouth Bass: Fair. Use floating worms in bright colors like white, orange, yellow, or pink. Later in the day fishing is tougher and anglers are targeting ledges with Carolina rigs and finesse worms. At night fish dark plastic worms around piers or brush piles.
Lake Murray
Catfish: Very good. Catfish are being caught in 8 to 15 feet of water on the bottom. Use cut bait or nightcrawlers. Bream: Very good. Fish in 6 to 12 feet of water using worms and crickets. Striped Bass: Fair. During the day best action is coming fishing downrods in 60 to 70 feet in the big water in the lower part of the lake. Be sure to leave a couple of free lines out; striper are coming up and taking those, too, and decent topwater action has been reported around the dam some mornings. Largemouth Bass: Fair. Topwater action has improved slightly in the last week; very early in the morning fish topwater lures like flukes and Zara Spooks. Bass also seem to be concentrating more around submerged brush, and fish are being taken on crankbaits and worms fishing around 8 to 12 foot deep brush.
Lake Wateree
Largemouth Bass: Slow to fair. Try deep humps or brushpiles with large, deep diving crankbaits like DD22s in chartreuse and green/ blue colors, or fish worms deep. Target the Colonel's Creek and Rochelle Creek areas. Night fishing may be the most productive time. 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. Early morning or night fishing trips are a good ideas for more comfortable fishing in the hot summer. Bream: Good. Fish 3 to 6 feet of water using worms and crickets.
Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion
Catfish: Very good. Both blues and flatheads are biting very well on cut bait. During the day the are holding deep but they are moving shallower at night and to feed. Bream: Very good. Use crickets or red worms. Crappie: Fair. Fish are still concentrated around brush down as deep as 25 feet. Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try Texas rigged worms around deep structure.
Diversion Canal
Catfish: Very good. Cats are being caught in the canal on days when water is being pulled through. Fish on the bottom in 30 feet of water using chicken livers; fish will mainly be eating size but catfish up to 30 pounds have been caught recently on this bait. Bream: Fair. Shellcracker are being caught in the canal, but not in great numbers. Fish with nightcrawlers along drop-offs.
Lake Moultrie
Catfish: Very good. Catfish have been biting well in 15 to 28 feet of water; that should be a good depth to begin prospecting this weekend. Crappie: Fair. Use minnows and jigs around brush, docks, and other structure. Largemouth Bass: Fair. Try deep Carolina or Texas rigging.
Purchase a SC fishing license at: https://ssl.sc.gov/DNRLicensing/EntryPage.aspx
South Carolina freshwater recreational fishing regulations: (Pdf file): http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf
September 8, 2008 DNR News (803) 734-3815
The following information is provided courtesy www.SCFishingReport.com. Check the site for recent updates and detailed reports.
Saltwater
Little River
Flounder: Very good. Despite warm water flounder fishing continues to be strong. Target the incoming tide around creek mouths, and look for areas that have lots of surface current movement which indicates highly oxygenated water. Use a standard Carolina rig with a live mullet and the lightest possible weight to hold the bottom. Spottail bass: Good. Fish live shrimp or minnows in the creeks beneath a popping cork. Red drum action is still good at the jetties for big fish - fish Clark Spoons or other heavy, fast dropping lures deep against the rocks. Fish can be caught on most any tide - the key is getting the spoons deep. Cut mullet or menhaden weighted down may also work. Sheepshead and black drum: Very good. The sheepshead bite continues to be very good. Sand fleas and fiddler crabs are both very productive around the jetties and any inshore pilings. Spanish mackerel: Very good. Around the jetties and in the Little River Inlet large Spanish mackerel are being caught. Fish are gathered in scattered schools and seem to be plentiful when water is clear and on the outgoing tide when bait is being flushed out of the Little River Inlet. Throw Gotcha Plugs, Hopkins Spoons, or live mullet under a float to hook up.
* Cherry Grove Pier: Fishing is slow with hot water temperatures and a renourishment project on the beach which is throwing sand everywhere and making the water murky. A few small bluefish, whiting, and pompano are all that's being caught.
Grand Strand
Black Drum: Very good. Black drum are being caught in good numbers at night in deep holes in the creek, around the North Causeway Bridge on Pawley's Island and off docks. Another good spot is at the end of the old Veteran's Pier. Use live or cut shrimp. Sheepshead: Very good. Large numbers of sheepshead are being caught at the Murrells Inlet jetty, but the bite is even hotter down at the Georgetown jetties. Fiddler crabs and live or cut shrimp on a Carolina rig fished vertically are producing. Spottail Bass: Good. Slot sized spottails continue to be taken at the south end of Murrells Inlet in the backwaters and creeks. Mud minnows, live or cut mullet, and cut shrimp are all producing. Large drum can still be caught at the jetties; fish the incoming tide right after the tide turns against the North Jetty walls. Flounder: Fair. Flounder fishing has been off because of the hot temperatures, but the influx of freshwater into the creeks may turn them on for a couple of days until the water gets hot again. Try Carolina rigged mullet or mud minnows in the Murrell's Inlet area. Trout: Few reports. There are isolated reports of trout caught in the Georgetown area but overall little news. Perry's Bait and Tackle reports that four inch shrimp are prolific, which means a very good fall for trout is likely.
* Springmaid Pier: The tropical storm slowed down fishing for the last few days but as of the middle of the week fishing is picking up again. Spanish mackerel over 2 pounds are being caught on live bait as well as being jigged up, and bluefish, flounder, whiting and croaker are being caught. Occasional spottail bass are also being landed.
* Second Avenue Pier: Decent numbers of slot sized spottail bass are being caught on cut mullet in the surf, and a few tripletails have been caught off the pier. A few sheepshead and Spanish mackerel are also around.
* Myrtle Beach State Park Pier: Whiting, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, and very occasional pompano are being caught sporadically.
* Apache Pier: Lots of slot-sized spottail bass as well as a few large drum are being caught on shrimp and mullet. A few black drum, Spanish mackerel, and pompano are being caught, but these are all small.
* Surfside Pier: A few Spanish mackerel and a few whiting are being caught, but overall fishing is slow.
* Garden City Pier: With all of the rain fishing has been slow the last few days, although good numbers of pinfish are being caught. Whiting, a few Spanish mackerel, and occasional bluefish are also around.
Charleston
Trout: Good. Very early in the day topwater action is hot for spotted sea trout. Use topwater lures like Zara Spooks and "walk the dog" around oyster shells and feeder creeks on moving tides. Sheepshead: Good. Most any structure, from nearshore wrecks to the jetties to inshore piers and bridges, is holding hungry sheepshead right now, although the biggest sheepshead do not seem to be around. Fish fiddler crabs, clam pieces, or cut shrimp. Spottail Bass: Fair. Spottail bass continue to be in a summer pattern, scattered throughout the creeks and estuaries. Use live or cut bait and Gulp! shrimp or jerkshad around older docks with heavy barnacle growth on the pilings and especially those with deep holes underneath. The beginning of September will mean that big breeder drum are feeding heavily around the ends of the jetties and the grillage area. Use large circle hooks with cut mullet or live menhaden, and expect best action around low and high tides.
* Folly Beach Pier: Fishing is slow off the pier as water temperatures remain in the mid 80s. In the tournament last Saturday a few trout, black drum, whiting, and pompano were all caught but everything was on the small side.
Hilton Head
Spottail Bass: Very good. Tailing action around high tide continues to be strong; look for productive fishing in the evenings later this week and over the weekend. Trout: Good. Early morning topwater action is very good, and some big trout are being caught on lures such as Spooks. Good fishing is coming under docks or on the outgoing tide where feeder creeks are emptying into bigger water. Shrimp and mud minnows fished under Cajun Thunder rattling bobbers, or Gulp grubs, are producing. Tarpon: Read about tarpon fishing in the Beaufort report.
