Freshwater Fishing Trends
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Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Bass: Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that at the end of August bass were highly suspended, but in September they should be found around points and brush piles. Drop shots and shaky heads should both work. Also look out for schooling activity across the lake and always have a topwater lure tied on.
Striped bass: Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that fish have been have caught on both ends of the lake this summer, but particularly the lower end. However, with even a little cooling in September he expects more fish to move to mid-lake flats where they can be caught on down-lined herring.
Crappie: Guide Wendell Wilson reports that in the first part of September the crappie are likely to continue to hold around deeper brush and timber, where they have been biting well. Hopefully the good bite will continue, but with dropping temperatures they should soon move onto shallower brush where they can be caught on jigs and minnows.
Catfish: Guide Jerry Kotal reports that fish should move shallower this month where they can be caught on cut herring in less than 15 feet of water. At the end of August, they were still catching catfish in very deep water.
Most detailed Lake Russell Updates
Lake Thurmond
Bass: Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that in September buzzbaits should be really good against the banks, and anglers should also be on the lookout for schooling activity over deeper water and keep a topwater lure close. Deeper fish should also be caught on drop shots around humps and bridges.
Striper and hybrids: Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that to start out the month fish were suspended over very deep water, but in September fish should progressively migrate out of the deeper channels. Bait will eventually move shallower into the top 10-15 feet of the water column, leading to more surface activity, and fish should also be related to the sides of humps in 25-35 feet of water.
Crappie: Little River Guide Service reports that at the beginning of September fish are generally still holding around deeper brush, but if the weather cools they should move shallower into the 12- to 15-foot range. At the end of August, the bite could be finicky, but with cooling that could also change.
Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that in September fish will be scattered everywhere. Some will be in the backs of creeks in shallow water feeding on threadfin and gizzard shad, while some fish will be staging out on main lake humps and points in deeper water feeding on blueback herring. This is the beginning of the prime time to catch big blue catfish on Lake Thurmond.
Most detailed Lake Thurmond Updates
Lake Wylie
Bass: Tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that September should see an improvement in shallow fishing, and this is a period when working the banks with buzzbaits and Whopper Ploppers can be productive. Schooling action should also get more widespread over the lake, and some better fish should start coming up.
Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that during the day this month drifting mid-depths with cut bluegill, perch or shad is the best option, while at night anchoring with cut bait and fan-casting to a variety of depths is the best pattern.
Crappie: Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that to start out the month crappie should be found suspended or on brush in 15-25 feet of water. They will be caught with minnows and jigs. However, during September fish will start to move into the creeks where they will be caught shallower. Already some smaller fish were moving to the mouths of creeks at the end of August, where they could be caught around deeper docks and piers.
Most detailed Lake Wylie Updates
Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood
Bass: Veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Greenwood reports that in September bass fishing should improve on Lake Greenwood, after a tough late summer, and generally more fish should be caught in 5-6 feet or less. Anglers will be able to catch fish running the banks with a buzzbait, and fish should also school better this month.
Crappie: Captain Roland Addy (864-980-3672) reports that even with some cooling the fishing was fairly slow at the end of August, but this month the bite should improve. However, the fish should continue to be caught over deeper brush on the main channel and at the mouths of creeks. Both jigs and minnows will work.
Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that drifting the flats with shrimp or cut bait will work this month. Flathead catfish will also be caught at night on live bream or perch.
Most detailed Lake Greenwood Updates
Lake Monticello
Bass: BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that at the beginning of September there are usually still some fish on the main lake, but by the end of August it was clear that fish were starting to move into coves. When water is moving they will chase crankbaits and big spoons, but when there is no current, more finesse-oriented baits like drop shot rigs are the best bet.
Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that in September numbers of fish will still be caught free line drifting over deep water, but the biggest change is that by the latter part of September big fish will start to bite much better on large chunks of cut bait fished deep.
Most detailed Lake Monticello Updates
Lake Murray
Bass: Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that usually in September anglers are thinking mostly about fishing for suspended fish around offshore structure and cane piles, but so far this summer the best action has come around emergent grass. You need to fish weedless lures around the grass like flukes or worms, while if the cane bite picks up topwater lures will mostly be in play. With some cooling more fish will also feed around the banks and there should be a good buzzbait bite.
Striped bass: Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports that well before the end of August fish had started to transition out of the lower pool, and in September fish will typically be found at the mouths of creeks. It is a very good month to look out for schooling activity. Fish can also be caught on relatively shallow down-lines.
Crappie: Captain Brad Taylor and tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin report that typically to start September fish will be grouped up at the mouths of creeks or along the main river channel, and they will be sitting on brush or deeper docks in large schools. Fish will be deeper down the lake than up the rivers. Cooler temperatures should make fish chase bait better, and around the second week of September should be the beginning of the peak brush bite of the whole year.
Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that in September fish should start to relate more to the creek and river channels where they can be caught on cut bait. At least to start out the month the night bite should still be better than the daytime bite for channel catfish.
Most detailed Lake Murray Updates
Lake Wateree
Bass: Tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that in September fish should start to move a little shallower, particularly if bait moves up in the afternoons and evenings. Anglers will traditionally be concentrating on the creeks as the month progresses, especially as water levels normalize, but there will still be action to be found in the main lake. Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and square-billed crankbaits can all catch fish. By the end of August there were already some shad moving back into the creeks.
Crappie: Veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that in September fish should eventually start to move out of the summer brush pattern and relate to open water more if there is some cooling. If that happens then they can be caught long-line trolling or tight-lining jigs as fish will be related to bait schools and feeding up for cooler months. But to start the month deep brush in the main channel or at the mouths of creeks is the best bet and only a few small crappie had moved shallower.
Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that in September fishing cut shad in the mid-lake area is the best pattern for both numbers of fish and big ones. Fish will be scattered from shallow to deep.
Most detailed Lake Wateree Updates
Santee Cooper
Bass: Captain Kyle Austin (843-209-3726) reports that September should see a significant improvement in the bass fishing after a tough late summer. The bigger fish that are so hard to find in August will begin to show up again, and instead of having to concentrate fishing activity in small windows early and late there will begin to be patterns that work all day. Topwater lures, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and more will all catch fish as they begin to run bait.
Crappie: Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in September the crappie fishing typically improves even if temperatures don’t drop, indicating that something about day lengths must be going on. After a tough summer he is hopeful for improvement. The fish will start out deep but later this month fish should be caught on mid-depth and shallower brush with minnows.
Bream: Captain Steve English reports that in September it will continue to be easy to catch numbers of bluegill and shellcracker, but targeting the big fish will remain a little tricky. It usually isn’t until October and November that big numbers of fish go deep and really group up.
Catfish: Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) and Captain Bobby Winters (843-751-3080) report that at the end of August fish were highly scattered and drifting mid-depth to deep water was most effective. The night bite was also very good. To start the month those patterns should continue, but during September fish should be caught a variety of ways from anchoring and drifting the shallows to drifting mid-depth flats to drifting deep hills and drops. A variety of baits will work but blueback herring are hard to beat.
Most detailed Santee Cooper System Updates
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Bass: Veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that in September he will be concentrating on the rivers for most of the month, and spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, flukes, and even topwater lures fished in the middle or off the sides of the channel are usually the most reliable. Fish will be around schools of shad and with some cooling fish may move into smaller creeks following the bait. Water conditions are always a factor and with some rain the fishing should peak – like it did in August when levels were up.
Trout: Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reminds anglers that even if we get dramatically declining air temperatures in September, deep Lake Jocassee cools slower than other state waters in the fall. As a result, he expects fish to still be very deep this month. With very slow catches so far this summer they aren’t sure what to expect, but hopefully September will bring some improvement. In a typical September numbers aren’t great but they do catch some big fish trolling spoons.
Most detailed Lake Jocassee Updates
Lake Keowee
Bass: Guide Charles Townson (864-324-2065) reports that during the first part of September fish will remain in a summer pattern where they can be caught early and late off points on topwaters, while during the day fishing deeper with worms or jigging spoons is the best option. However, as water temperatures begin to cool schooling activity should become more widespread across the lake and fishing should improve.
Most detailed Lake Keowee Updates
Lake Hartwell
Bass: Guide Jason Burroughs (864-554-1171) reports that in September bass usually begin to get on a bait pattern where they are chasing schools of bait over deep water. Topwaters, flukes and swimbaits will all work. As with most of the year, you can also catch spotted bass on drop shot rigs fished around brush piles. To close out August there was also some improvement in the shallow buzzbait bite and that should continue.
Striper and hybrids: Captain Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that by the end of August most of the fish had moved into the main Savannah River channel and suspended over deep water, but as often happens the bite had slowed way down. You could mark tons of fish in a small stretch of water, but they were difficult to persuade to bite. With down-lines, jigging spoons and trolled baits you could pick at a few, but nothing was hot. Expect the fishing to improve this month once the fish start to split out of large schools and head into the creeks.
Crappie: Guide Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) reports that in September fish will be found over brush in 15-25 plus feet of water in the creek runs or around deeper natural timber, but there can also be some fish much shallower around docks and other structure. While jigs will work, minnows may be more effective at times this month.
Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley reports that during September channel catfish will continue to bite well in 15 plus feet of water on a variety of baits including cut herring and nightcrawlers, but once temperatures begin to cool blue catfish and flatheads may move out of the deep timber and become more catchable.
Most detailed Lake Hartwell updates
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