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AHQ INSIDER Lake Keowee (SC) Summer Fishing Report – Updated July 12

  • by Jay

The newest Lake Keowee fishing report, updated July 28, can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-keowee-sc-summer-fishing-report/

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.

Dave Goeckel of the Keowee Anglers club with two nice spotted bass caught yesterday
Dave Goeckel of the Keowee Anglers club with two nice spotted bass caught yesterday

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.

Charles Townson and his wife show off some Lake Keowee summer bass
Charles Townson and his wife show off some Lake Keowee summer bass

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.

A fat Lake Keowee spotted bass caught this morning by Charles Townson
A fat Lake Keowee spotted bass caught this morning by Charles Townson

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.

Larry Price of the Keowee Anglers with some nice spots caught Wednesday
Larry Price of the Keowee Anglers with some spotted bass caught Wednesday

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.

Charles Townson with a nice fish caught Sunday morning before storms chased him off Keowee
Charles Townson with a nice fish caught Sunday morning before storms chased him off Keowee

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