—
The newest Lake Jocassee fishing report can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-jocassee-sc-winter-2017-18-fishing-report/
November 30
Lake Jocassee is at 88.7% of full pool, and water temperatures are around 65-66 degrees. Clarity remains normal (very high).
While there is no reason to think that the spotted bass fishing has slowed down, Guide Rob McComas (828-674-5041) reports that the largemouth bass fishing has been unusually tough this fall. He looks forward to November on Jocassee all year, but it just hasn’t materialized this month. With water temperatures still atypically warm he is optimistic that December will shape up to fish like November usually does.
In trout news, Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the lake is still fishing tough. It will be interesting to see what is caught in the upcoming Jocassee Outdoor Center trout to see if things are beginning to turn around.
November 16
Lake Jocassee is at 89.0% of full pool, and water temperatures are around 66 degrees. Clarity is very high.
This late fall bass fishing on Lake Jocassee has gotten really good, and veteran angler Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that nice bags have been weighed in at recent tournaments. Charles is finding the best action a little deeper at 40-60 feet, and the best locations for him have been up the rivers. Bass can be caught on a variety of baits from shakey heads and drop shots, to crankbaits, to jigging spoons.
November 10
Lake Jocassee is at 92.3% of full pool, and water temperatures are around 69 degrees from the surface down to about 100 feet. Clarity is normal (very clear).
The troutbite on Lake Jocassee is still off, and for the same reason (water temperatures still very warm for November) that the trout aren’t feeding very well Guide Rob McComas’ (828-674-5041) has been spending more time on other fisheries before starting to concentrate on Lake Jocassee’s big largemouth bass. However, that doesn’t mean good fish aren’t being caught on Jocassee and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that his boat has been wearing out the spotted bass. They have had doubles and triple hook-ups with some double-digit fish days.
Even while he is still checking on the trout, if they aren’t cooperating by about half-way through a trip then Sam is heading shallower and following the contour lines in about 30 feet of water. Trolling Sutton Spoons they are picking up the most fish about 14-24 feet deep around humps, points, and just off the banks.
Sam notes that most of the bait has moved a good bit shallower, from about 60 feet to the surface, and he isn’t seeing much deep bait anymore.
October 20
Lake Jocassee is at 90.1% of full pool, and surface temperatures are around 73 degrees. Clarity is normal (very clear).
Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that troutfishing is still very slow on Lake Jocassee, but luckily Guide Rob McComas’ (828-674-5041) is back on Jocassee and getting dialed in on the big largemouth. Rob says that even though it is the middle part of October the lake is still fishing like September or even late August, and the fish are basically still in a late summer pattern. There does not appear to have been a big migration of fish towards the banks.
When water temperatures are still warm Rob says that there are basically two options for catching fish on Jocassee. You can either fish deep, or you can grind it out with topwater lures around tree tops or rock ledge banks. Rob prefers the latter, as he believes that even though the fish spend a lot of time out in open water when they are ready to feed they go shallow. It’s almost like musky fishing that way, he says. While some laydowns/ trees are holding fish right now, he is having better luck with a walking bait around rock ledge banks. The “mid-lake” area around Jumping Off Rock – not way up the river or in the big pool – has been most productive.
Rob notes that if you find a big school of spotted bass they can be aggressive, while individuals are less likely to take a bait. He is still marking a lot of fish off points in about 30 feet of water.
October 5
Lake Jocassee is at 87.5% of full pool, and surface temperatures range between 74 and 76 degrees. Clarity is normal (very clear).
In trout news, Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing is still really slow. His boat is picking up some bass trolling crankbaits, with the best action coming pulling crankbaits across points. He is also picking up some spotted bass over 100 feet deep while trolling for trout.
September 26
Lake Jocassee is at 87.7% of full pool, and surface temperatures are around 77 degrees. Clarity is normal (very clear).
Bass fishing on Lake Jocassee isn’t easy but can pay off with some nice fish, and veteran angler Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that there is a good early bite on shakey heads as well as some topwater action. Some big largemouth are being caught at first light. There are also some isolated schooling fish but the water temperature is still too warm for this pattern to be widespread.
After the first couple of hours in the morning, the bite gets very tough and fish are deeper. They can be caught on drop shots or shakey head with finesse worms/baits.
September 15
Lake Jocassee is at 91.0% of full pool, and surface temperatures are still in the mid to upper 70s. Clarity is normal (very clear).
On the trout front, Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the annual fall slowdown is taking place right now. The fishing has gotten tough, and on the last couple of trips he has ended up targeting spotted bass to get clients’ lines pulled.
September 11
Lake Jocassee is at 92.0% of full pool, and surface temperatures are around 76 degrees. Clarity is normal (very clear).
Catching bass on Lake Jocassee certainly isn’t easy, but with water temperatures starting to drop the bite is beginning to improve. Veteran angler Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that early in the morning fish can be caught on topwater lures, spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished shallow off points. After the sun gets up most fish are being caught deeper on soft plastics on either a shakey head or drop shot in 30 plus feet of water. The best deep bite has been on structure in the 50-foot range, or in areas where bait is present.
Very limited schooling activity has been observed.
For now any tournament bag with 12 or more pounds has been a good sack, but look for weights to improve as temperatures continue to drop.
September 1
Lake Jocassee is down to 90.8% of full pool, and morning surface water temperatures range between 80 and 82 degrees, getting up to 84 on very hot days. Clarity is normal (very clear).
There is not too much change in the trout pattern on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing is getting a little tougher. Fish are still mainly in the 80-110 foot range, but he has caught some as deep as 115 or 120 feet. By this time of year he is pretty much only catching them at the dam on hardware (mainly Sutton and Apex spoons). Catfish are still aggravating on live bait, although one of his friends caught a 28-pounder in 100 feet on a Sutton 44. If they were all that size they wouldn’t be a nuisance!
Some nice bass are also starting to show up in the very deep water, and on a recent trip Sam’s boat caught a 4-pound spotted bass as well as a 2 ½ pounder in more than 100 feet of water.
