South Carolina’s DNR recently weighed in with a regional fishing report. Here’s what they reported:
Lake Greenwood:
- Catfish: Good to very good. Drifting or double anchoring on main lake or secondary points, the best fishing is in 2 to 15 feet of water, with fish moving shallower at night. Shrimp and small pieces of herring or shad will both work, and stink bait is also catching fish for many people.
- Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Fish are moving into a normal summer pattern, with some fish being caught early in the morning against block walls and rocks on topwater lures and floating worms. Later in the day the majority of fish can be found off points and around humps and ledges. Carolina rigging plastic worms is most effective. Occasional schooling activity is also being reported in the lower lake on cloudy days, with white perch, white bass and striped bass sometimes mixed in with largemouth.
Lake Wateree:
- Crappie: Fair. Lake Wateree crappie fishing is day to day, with fish cooperating some days and not others. Best fishing is coming over brush piles in 15-22 feet of water vertical jigging or tightlining. Minnows will work, and Fish Stalker jigs in Ugly Green or Pearl White and mini jigs in yellow/ white and dark green/ chartreuse will also catch fish.
- Catfish: Good. The upriver bite has been good lately, especially with good water flow. Anytime current is present in the river section, the chances of getting a good fish are good. Point fishing will also be good in the evenings and late at night when big blues come shallow to feed up. Some scarred up male fish are being caught which indicates the major part of the spawn is ending as these fish start to leave nests and get into post spawn patterns. Drift fishing will produce about 50 percent blues and 50 percent channels on the shallow flats. Large fish are taken on occasion in water less than 10 feet drifting cut bait near shore.
Lake Monticello:
- Catfish: Inconsistent. Water fluctuation has made for an unpredictable bite. On days when the water is moving, anchoring on main lakes humps with water flowing over them is a productive way to go after big blues, but on days without current a better big fish pattern is to fish in the coves around timber and over mussel beds. The free line drift bite continues to be strong for smaller fish.
Lake Murray:
- Striped Bass: Very good. Early in the morning fish are being caught shallow around shoal markers on topwater lures. Later in the day fish are being caught from Bomb Island down to the dam on down lined live herring fished along the river channel 40-60 feet deep.
- Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. Early in the morning there can be a pretty decent topwater bite, but the overall bite really slows down after 10 a.m. Fish are mainly in 10-12 feet of water right now, and they are feeding hard on crayfish. Try fishing shakey head worms and Carolina rigs off rocky points.
- Catfish: Good. Daytime drift fishing has produced some nice blue cats in the early part of the day. Cut white perch has been the bait of choice, and most fish have been caught in less than 30 feet of water. A number of 6-10 pound channel cats are also showing up, especially in deeper water. Smaller channels are being caught on dip baits in shallow water. Drift fishing the Rediversion Canal out of Arrowhead Landing in the evening, and anchoring at night in the Diversion canal, is good and should only improve as summer progresses.
- Crappie: Very good. Catching some good stringers of crappie in the lower lake around brushpiles 15-30 feet deep. Both minnows and jigs are working.
