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August 16

Lake Keowee is down to 96.2% of full pool as water temperatures have gone back up with the recent hotter weather.  Temperatures are in the mid 80s on the lower and upper ends of the lake, and over 90 now in the mid-lake section.

Likely as a result of rising temperatures, veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that bass fishing is pretty tough right now.  There were two daytime tournaments held this past Saturday, and anything over 12 pounds was a good bag. There were a lot of five fish limits that weighed six to nine pounds.

The early bite is not very strong but some fish can be caught on topwaters or crankbaits.  Some fish can also be caught shallow on a shaky head early.  There are also some schooling fish chasing bait between 7 and 9 a.m. on points and humps where bait is present.  This tends to be happening more on the lower and upper ends of the lake and not in the middle section where the water is so warm.

Be on the lookout for schooling bass at any time and keep an eye on electronics for any areas where large amounts of bait can be found.

After the sun comes up the bite is very hard unless you can find deeper fish to use a drop shot on in 40+ feet of water.

 

August 7

Lake Keowee is at 97.1% of full pool and water temperatures range from 86 on the lower end, to the upper 80s mid-lake, to the lower 80s on the northern end – a drop of about two degrees since last reporting.  Clarity is very good, although water levels are fluctuating with the lake typically at its lowest on Monday and Tuesday and higher by the weekend. Duke Energy is releasing water into Hartwell each Monday via the spillway as some work is underway at the power plant according to the Duke website.

The basspattern on Lake Keowee remains pretty similar, but veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that fish continue to be caught.  A five-fish limit of 12 pounds continues to be a good showing in night tournaments.

Fish can be caught early on crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits (if windy), and topwaters on points and humps. This bite ends as the sun comes up.

After that, most fish are being caught deeper on shakey heads and drop shot rigs.

Fish are schooling over deeper water at times when bait is present. There is no consistent structure or depth as schooling activity is dependent on bait being present.

July 28

Lake Keowee is at 97.8% of full pool and with the hot weather surface water temperatures are in the high 80s across most of the lake, although a few degrees cooler at the very northern end of the lake.  Water clarity is very good all over Keowee.

Basscan still be caught on Lake Keowee, but veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that hot weather has made the morning bite much slower than it was a few weeks ago.  You can still catch some early on topwaters and crankbaits, but you need to keep moving to find shallow fish.

Otherwise, the fish have moved deeper (30+ feet) for the most part, so drop shots and deep diving crankbaits are the best bet.  However, there is also some schooling action throughout the day now, particularly in areas where there is bait over deep water on the main lake.  Always have something ready to throw at schooling fish.

July 12

Lake Keowee is at 96.8% of full pool and surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s throughout the lake.  Water clarity is very good all over Keowee.

Lake Keowee basscontinue to feed this summer, and veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that night tournaments have been taking a healthy 12-15 pound sack to win.  Still, a 10-pound bag is a good catch on the lake right now.

Early in the morning there continues to be a good bite on topwater baits, and some days a chugger is better while on other days a walk-the-dog bait is better.  Crankbaits will also catch some fish early on points.

Some fish are cruising the shorelines and back in coves, and there is also some schooling activity at times where schools of shad are present. This trend should continue to improve as the summer goes on.

After the sun gets up, most anglers are fishing deeper in 30 to 50 feet with drop shots.

June 30

Lake Keowee is at 96.8% of full pool and fluctuating quite a bit.  Water temperatures are in the mid-80s across most of the lake and clarity is normal.

By now Lake Keowee bassare in a pretty stable summertime pattern, and veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that the pattern is fairly consistent from last week.  Early anglers should look off points and humps, then around deeper shorelines, and then later in the day they need to search deeper in 30-50 feet of water.  In the morning and late evening topwater poppers are now working better than walking baits, and in the late afternoon there is some schooling in areas where bait is present.

June 22

Lake Keowee is at 95.6% of full pool, and water temperatures range from 82 to 87 on the lake right now.  The lake level has been fluctuating quite a bit recently but clarity remains good except in the very back of a few creeks.

Bassremain are in a summer pattern on Lake Keowee, but veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that the early bite is not as strong as it was a few weeks ago.  However, there is still a decent topwater, buzzbait, and crankbait bite early on shallow points and humps.  After the sun gets up, some fish can be caught on finesse worms and shakey heads fished around docks and deeper shorelines.  During the heat of the day, drop-shotting in 30 to 50 feet of water is catching fish.  Again, there is a good topwater bite at dusk until about an hour after dark.

Overall, any bag over 10 pounds has been competitive in local tournaments.

June 8

Lake Keowee is at 95.8% of full pool.  Water temperatures have risen all the way into the low 80s in the southern and northern end of the lake, and into the mid-80s in the middle section of the lake.  Clarity remains good.

Basscontinue to move into an early summer pattern on Lake Keowee, and veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that the early morning bite continues to be good on points and humps, especially where bait is present.  These fish can be caught on topwater lures, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.
During the day drop shots, shakey heads, and finesse worms can catch fish around docks, shady pockets, and deeper points or structure.  30-45 feet of water remains a good offshore depth and finding bait is still key.

Some schooling activity is taking place now, and this will continue to increase in the coming weeks.  Have a bait ready that can be cast to these fish while they are on the surface.  Also keep an eye out for cruising bass in the shallows – some nice fish are swimming in wolf packs along the banks at times.

May 30

Lake Keowee is at 95.5% of full pool.  Significant rain fell in the Keowee area last week, and coupled with some cooler nights this has meant that water temperatures have remained steady around 75 on the lower and upper ends of the lake and around 80 mid-lake.

Bassfishing has been pretty good on Lake Keowee in the past week, and veteran Lake Keowee fisherman Charles Townson of the Keowee Anglers reports that because of the holiday weekend there weren’t any big tournaments.  However, night tournaments have taken about 12 pounds to finish in the money.

There has been a strong morning bite on points, humps, and flats where any bait (shad) is present.  Unfortunately, this bite is short-lived, lasting only until daylight.  Fish can be caught on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and top waters at first light in these areas.  The topwater bite on shady banks and docks can last a little longer after the shallow bite dies.  After the sun gets up, fish can be caught on shaded docks with Ned rigs and finesse worms presented on shakey heads.

Fish can also be found around any bait off deeper points in 30-45 feet of water.  These fish can be caught on drop shots, and the key is finding bait in these areas.

Right now there is very little schooling activity, but this should start up within the next week or two given the weather forecast.