Freshwater Fishing Trends
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Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Bass: Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that well into May bass should be up shallow feeding on spawning blueback herring off shallow points, even though in April bluebacks were acting a little funny and deeper than usual. They will take topwater lures and flukes, but live herring are often impossible to beat. Once the herring spawn wraps up fish will move deeper again.
Striped bass: Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in May some striper should be found off the sides of the same points where the herring are spawning, but by the end of May when herring move out to deeper water the striper will get over deep trees in 40-50 feet.
Crappie: Guide Wendell Wilson reports that the crappie spawn essentially wrapped up in April, but in May the fish will stay fairly shallow around brush. They can be caught within a few feet of the surface on minnows or even trolling jigs.
Catfish: Guide Jerry Kotal reports that by the end of April the channel catfish bite was really good, and in May it should get even better. Channel cats will be caught pretty much everywhere including points, pockets, coves and more on cut herring.
Most detailed Lake Russell Updates
Lake Thurmond
Bass: Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that the schooling action on herring points should last well into this month, and with a mild spring there is every indication it will. Topwater lures fished on main lake points should work until it gets very hot, and when the fish are not up jigs or shaky heads in the same areas should work. Late in the month the pattern will transition to fishing early with a buzzbait and then targeting deeper humps with a worm or jig during the day.
Striper and hybrids: Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that early in May there should continue to be a good bite in the shallows early, but once it gets hot then fish will be in mid-depths in the morning. As the water gets hotter fish will move deeper and eventually the pattern will switch over to more of a down-rod bite.
Crappie: Little River Guide Service reports that in May the spawn is behind us but the fish are back feeding again, and about all you need to catch them is minnows and the location of some mid-depth brush in the creeks. For once the post-spawn bite has been better than the pre-spawn bite this year. By the end of May fish may go deeper if the water gets very hot.
Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson reports that in May he likes to anchor on humps, points and saddles and put out live and cut herring. This is a good technique for catching a mixed bag of catfish and striper. You can also start to fish shrimp or dip baits for eating-sized channel catfish. With a cicada hatch this year it could be a really good month for catfish.
Most detailed Lake Thurmond Updates
Lake Wylie
Bass: Tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that some bass should still be spawning in the first part of May, and the shad spawn bite will also be going on around docks and riprap with spinnerbaits. A good offshore bite should also develop cranking on points in 8-15 feet of water.
Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that in May fish should be caught both anchoring and drifting with cut bait from the shallows out to mid-depths. While there will be plenty of fish up the lake other areas should have numbers of good blue catfish as well. By the end of the April the bite was outstanding and it should stay that way for a while.
Crappie: Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that at the start of May there will still be a trickle of fish spawning, but the majority of the fish were already post-spawn. The best way to catch them is trolling jigs or fishing double rigs with minnows in deeper creek runs.
Most detailed Lake Wylie Updates
Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood
Bass: Veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Greenwood reports that in May the shad spawn will create some fishing opportunities around points and docks, and there will also be fish caught around sea walls on topwater lures all month. Other bass will start to get out on deeper brush where they will take big worms and crankbaits.
Striped bass: Guide Josh Wilson (864-871-6305) reports that in a typical May pattern fish are starting off the month up the rivers. The best fishing will be around ambush points, and cut bait, planer boards and free-lines will all catch them.
Crappie: Captain Roland Addy (864-980-3672) reports that in May more and more fish will get on shallow brush, and the best action will be in the creeks. As it gets warmer this should flip and the main lake brush should produce the best action, but depending on weather that won’t happen until June. Jigs will usually outproduce minnows but have both available.
Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that in May channel cats can be caught on dip baits fished off points, or on cut bait or shrimp drifted. This is also a good month for flatheads and they will take live bait in low-light periods.
Most detailed Lake Greenwood Updates
Lake Monticello
Bass: Tournament angler Eric Enlow of Union reports that the spawn was pretty much done by the end of April, and the few remaining fish that will spawn do it deeper. As fish leave the banks they will follow the same route out that they followed in, and generally that means a lot of point fishing until they get very deep. Moving baits and worms will both work, and there should be a good topwater bite early and late. By the end of April some fish were also already getting on offshore humps.
Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that in May it should be possible to catch large fish relatively shallow on a variety of cut baits, but just as exciting this month is that when water temperatures get warm the free-line drifting bite should get good. When that happens anglers can drift around the lake with small pieces of cut bait and catch fish suspended out over deep water.
Most detailed Lake Monticello Updates
Lake Murray
Bass: Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that the herring spawn is likely to be the main deal for most of this month, and fish should be caught on topwater lures, flukes and soft plastics/ jigs fished on the bottom off points. As the month progresses more fish will also start to focus on bream and a buzzbait should work well.
Striped bass: Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports that in May there should be a few different ways to catch striped bass, and fish should key on spawning herring especially early in the day. They can be caught on free lines and planer boards by anglers simply covering water, and there should also be a lot of smaller fish caught on down lines. Cut bait should also generate some big bites.
Crappie: Captain Brad Taylor and veteran tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin report that in May the fish should start to get out of their post-spawn feeding slump, and fish should start to feed up around docks, bridges and brush. They will be eating young of the year fry as well as baitfish and small minnows and jigs will both work. By the end of April the bite was already improving.
Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that May is usually a good month for channel catfish on Lake Murray, and typically they will be caught in areas with depth changes from the bank out to about 25 feet. Put out baits including dip baits, cut herring and worms at a variety of depths. Sometimes night fishing will outperform fishing during the day, particularly as the water gets hot. At the end of April there was also a good blue catfish bite in the mid-lake and up.
Most detailed Lake Murray Updates
Lake Wateree
Bass: Tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that a few bass will spawn in May on Lake Wateree, but the vast majority of the fish are already post-spawn as the month begins. The main spawn that most anglers will be thinking about this month will be the shad spawn, and bass will be found feeding around grass, docks and more first thing. Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and other baits that imitate shad will work. Up-and-down (usually down) water levels are making for more challenging fishing conditions this year, and so anglers have to be flexible
Crappie: Veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the Wateree spawn mostly wrapped up in April, and to start May most fish will be swimming around in a bit of a post-spawn funk while others start to get on shallow brush. As the month progresses nearly all the fish will move onto brush and they will feed better. Chartreuse jigs are hard to beat.
Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that, while he won’t be targeting Lake Wateree catfish until conditions normalize, early in May good numbers of fish should still be caught anchoring up the river. As the month progresses then fish should be caught all over the lake anchoring cut bait.
Most detailed Lake Wateree Updates
Santee Cooper
Bass: Captain Kyle Austin (843-209-3726) reports that the spawn is winding down by May, but a few straggler fish will still get on beds. This month the topwater bite should come on early, late, and at times all day, there will be a shad spawn going on first thing, and most of the time fish can be caught on soft plastics around cover. While some fish will head back to deep water this month the number of panfish as well as the bait around the banks will hold many shallower.
Crappie and Bream: Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that some white crappie will spawn this month, but the black crappie spawn is finished. The best pattern for catching fish is now to target mid-depth brush with minnows. Without a huge crappie population in the lakes they are spending more time looking for shellcracker and bluegills, which will be spawning this month. The full moon at the end of the April saw a good shellcracker spawn, but as we move towards summer it will be more about bluegill.
Striped bass: Captain Bobby Winters (843-751-3080) reports that by May the Lake Moultrie dam, and other deep-water haunts, should be the key spots for targeting striper in the lakes. Live herring fished near the bottom are hard to beat, but there will also be some surface activity near the dam. It usually isn’t until June that you have to start concentrating your efforts at night.
Catfish: Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in May he usually fishes a pretty straight-forward pattern – anchor in shallow water early and late, and then drift mid-depths during the day. Cut bait will work but chicken can also be effective in May. Dip baits will catch more small fish.
Most detailed Santee Cooper System Updates
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Trout: Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that May is usually a good month for trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, but April was tougher than expected and so they aren’t sure what May will bring. How deep fish are caught this month is all about the water temperatures, and after a relatively mild spring at the start of May fish can be at about any depth from the surface down to 50 or 60 feet. By the end of May the bulk of the fish will usually move deeper, again depending on how fast it gets hot. Trolling spoons or live bait will both work.
Bass: Veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that some Lake Jocassee bass spawned during April, but the Jocassee spawn usually stretches into June and so there will still be plenty of fish on beds again this month. Look for fish to take swimbaits and topwaters fished the first few hours of the day and soft plastics on the bottom after that. Some fish can also be caught offshore on jigs.
Most detailed Lake Jocassee Updates
Lake Keowee
Bass: Guide Charles Townson (864-324-2065) reports that even though fish in all three stages of the spawn (pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn) could still be found at the end of April on Lake Keowee, the numbers were already starting to lean heavily towards post-spawn fish. As it gets hot that trend will rapidly accelerate and the spawn will wrap up. Fish will continue to be caught on soft plastics out to about 20 feet this month, and there should also be an early morning bite on points with crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Most detailed Lake Keowee Updates
Lake Hartwell
Bass: Guide Brad Fowler reports that the bass spawn on Lake Hartwell usually extends into May, and based upon what he saw in April this year will be no different. However, most anglers will be concentrating on fish that are feeding on spawning blueback herring around red clay points and the like. Topwater lures, flukes and at times shaky head worms will all work in these areas.
Striper and hybrids: Captain Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that early in May fish will typically be shallow early feeding on spawning herring, but as the month progresses they will start out the morning in mid-depths before moving to the 25–35-foot range as the sun gets us. By the end of the month they may start out the day in deeper water and eventually the fish will spend a lot of time in coves where the bait frequently holds up. Depending on a variety of factors this month striper will be caught on a mixture of free-lines and down-lines, but as the month progresses typically more fish will be caught down.
Crappie: Guide Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) reports that by the end of April the spawn was essentially over on Lake Hartwell, and the best numbers of fish this month will be caught stacked up on mid-depth brush. They will suspend over wood in the middle of the water column, and you can catch them either by casting jigs or fishing minnows under a float.
Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley reports that by the latter part of May the majority of the blue catfish will be back in deeper timber, but to start the month they can still be found relatively shallow. May should also be an excellent month for catching flathead catfish on live bait around brush. The channel catfish bite should also be wide open at a variety of depths on everything from worms to chicken livers to cut bait. Once the water warms sufficiently processed dip baits will also work. Results so far this year indicate a very healthy catfish population on Hartwell.
Most detailed Lake Hartwell updates
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