January 28

Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 on the Highway 99 end but warmer towards the power plant, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water has cleaned up some but is still not clear. 

It’s difficult to describe the black bass fishing on Lake Monticello as anything short of incredible most of this winter, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that again this Sunday they had five fish over 25 pounds in a few hours. A 6.86 pound smallmouth was also caught in a tournament, and overall there is no question that the bass are feeding well.

While techniques haven’t changed a whole lot the most interesting development is how the bass have separated from the bait. Eric reports that most of the bait is now 65-85 feet deep, and while the catfish are still holding with the bait the bass are mostly suspended 20-40 feet down. Smallmouth may be running even shallower. 

Eric and his son Hunter fished a drop shot, shaky head, and a jigging spoon without bites, and all the fish they caught came on Alabama rigs and “shaking a minnow”.  One group of fish was suspended over the bait (again, 20-40 feet deep) in open water, and at times they were catching bass in 100 feet of water. But another group of fish were in the pockets related to the brush, stumps and rock. These fish were on the bottom in 25-35 feet of water.

Consistent with what Eric is seeing, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that fishing 60 plus feet deep is a pretty standard winter tactic on Monticello. In fact, they have caught plenty of cold water fish in 100 plus feet of water. Basically, anywhere you mark bait is worth anchoring, including at the bottom of steep ledges that go deeper than you would expect to produce. Gizzard shad and perch are both good choices. 

January 15

Morning surface water temperatures range from 57-58 near the power plant to 51-52 on the 99 end, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. Visibility ranges from about 2 ½ feet on the upper end to a foot on the lower end.   

The black bass fishing has gotten really, really good again on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that lots of five-fish limits in the 20s are being caught right now. The fish are in the timber where the bait is, and they are catching them near the bottom in 65-70 feet of water! 

While the lower lake has a ton of timber, it’s not super thick and very fishable. Usually they are dropping a minnow-style bait down to fish that they can see on forward facing sonar, but when the fish are really gathered up then a jigging spoon can work even better. 

In general the bait is 30-50 feet down, and the bass are under that.  In contrast, there are a ton of crappie and catfishhigher in the water column where the bait is.   

Bass can also be caught off the end of points with an Alabama rig, and the best bite is usually about 40 feet deep.  Jigging spoons will also work in these areas. 

While it always worth suspending some baits on Lake Monticello for catfish, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) advises putting most of your baits on the bottom around those big, deep schools of bait. Gizzard shad, perch, and more will all work. 

January 3

Morning surface water temperatures range from the lower 50s to upper 50s depending on which end of the lake you are on, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The lake is highly stained. 

The black bass fishing has changed fast on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that was a result of the lake getting dirty after recent rains. As the lake got dirty the fish that had been holding tight to the bottom suspended following the bait, and the jigging spoon pattern pretty much completely went away.

Now the best way to catch them is “hover strolling”, and in fact throwing minnow-style baits to suspended fish that you can see around bait schools on forward-facing sonar is about the only reliable way to approach fish since they remain in deep, open water. The bait and bass are generally about 30-35 feet down.

The best bite has been on the warmer end of the lake near the power station, and when you locate the fish numbers have been really good. 

More to follow on the catfish next week. 

December 19

Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 50s, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The lake is very clear.    

The black bass fishing is still very strong on Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that it took 23 pounds to win tournaments both Saturday and Sunday on the lake. Fish are being caught on jigging spoons mostly in 65-70 feet of water, and it’s all about locating the bait. The bait is moving from the main lake into and out of the deep pocket channels depending on the wind, and the bass and birds are following them.

Most of the time they are catching fish on the bottom, but when birds are diving they are throwing jigging spoons at them – which are working better than Alabama rigs. About the only time the A-rig seems to be work better is when the fish are suspended, but most of the time the fish are on the bottom if they aren’t breaking. One exception is that some smallmouth are still running high in the water column around the birds.

The better bite seems to be on the 99 end, and Eric reminds anglers to reel deep fish up slowly to avoid their air bladders coming out of their mouths.

They are also picking up lots of catfish on spoons. 

That’s consistent with the report from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), who wouldn’t altogether rule out fishing shallow but feels strongly that the better bite is – again – deep around bait schools. At times the fish respond better to drifting, but you have to see what they want on a given day as Monticello catfish can be notoriously picky. 

Obviously hammered pieces of metal will catch catfish, but gizzard shad and perch should also work!

Next week there will be no new fishing reports with the Christmas holiday, but regular reports will resume after the New Year. 

December 12

Morning surface water temperatures range from about 58 at the 99 end to 60 down the lake near the power station, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water has been gin clear and will likely stay that way at least on the 99 end even with the rain.  

For our final black bass report of the week we have a gem from Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the fishing for big bass is outstanding on the lake right now. They are catching fish on jigging spoons mostly in 65-70 feet of water, and it’s all about locating the bait. The bait is moving from the main lake into and out of the deep pocket channels depending on the wind, and the bass and birds are following them.

Most of the time they are catching fish on the bottom, but when birds are diving they are throwing jigging spoons at them – which are working better than Alabama rigs. About the only time the A-rig seems to be work better is when the fish are suspended, but most of the time the fish are on the bottom if they aren’t breaking. One exception is that a few smallmouth are still running high in the water column around the birds.

The better bite seems to be on the 99 end, and Eric reminds anglers to reel deep fish up slowly to avoid their air bladders coming out of their mouths.

They are also picking up lots of catfish on spoons. 

That’s consistent with the report from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), who wouldn’t altogether rule out fishing shallow but feels strongly that the better bite is – again – deep around bait schools. At times the fish respond better to drifting, but you have to see what they want on a given day as Monticello catfish can be notoriously picky. 

Obviously hammered pieces of metal will catch catfish, but gizzard shad and perch should also work!

December 3

Morning surface water temperatures range from about 58 at the 99 end to 64 down the lake near the power station, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear. 

There is an incredible black bass bite on Lake Monticello right now, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that just before the extreme cold you could still catch fish on topwater lures early (more on that later). But now the best way to catch fish first thing is fishing parallel to any rock with an Alabama rig. After that then you can also catch them pulling the Alabama rig over brush and trees in about 20 feet.

But the most incredible bite is offshore in deep water, and one way to catch fish is with a jigging spoon in about 35-55/60 feet of water. Eric and his son Hunter found the best bite at 53 feet.  Fish are around bait, and flocks of birds will give away their locations. On windy days you need a heavier ¾ ounce jig, but on calmer days a ½ ounce jig is working the best. In 15 minutes Eric put 10 fish in the boat with the biggest over 5 pounds fishing this way.  You can also have success fishing an Alabama rig deep. 

But there is also an excellent bite for smallmouth bass offshore, where the fish are running with the largemouth in the same areas – but only 2-5 feet under the surface. Eric thinks that’s why the topwater bite was so good so late, and you can now target the same shallow-running fish with Alabama rigs offshore. They caught smallmouth a couple of feet under the surface in 80 feet on an A-rig!

November 20

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 60s and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is still very clear. 

The black bass fishing on Lake Monticello has only gotten better, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that in particular the smallmouth bass action has really turned on. Early in the morning there is a very good biting throwing a crankbait like a DT-10, DT-6 or squarebill around rock in 10 feet of water or less. There have been some large smallmouth caught recently this way. 

After that it’s a deeper pattern, and with the birds starting to show up chasing gulls and loons out on the main water has become the go-to daytime pattern. Where the birds are diving there are fish chasing shad, and fishing a jigging spoon under them has been very productive. A swimbait could also work. 

A few weeks ago it seemed that all the fish had left open water, but now they have gone back out there after the bait and some good bass have been caught in 45 feet and deeper. Once again no new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) because it hasn’t gotten cold enough to draw him to Monticello for the wide-open fall bite, but he does advise that with surface temperatures still warm the free-line drifting bite should still be good.  However, it could be getting to the point where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending a bit deeper. 

Again, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.  Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

White perch, gizzard shad, and bream will all work. 

November 13

Morning surface water temperatures are still around 71 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear. 

The black bass on Lake Monticello are still biting very well, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing the best bite continues to be found fishing riprap and rocky banks with a shallow running crankbait like a Spro Little John. 

After that early bite it’s still all about the pockets, and fish are grouped up in the back third of the pockets in about 15-20 feet of water. The bait is back there and big fish are chasing it, and casting jerkbaits has been the best way to catch them. A tournament was won last Thursday on this pattern.

Having forward-facing sonar really helps locate the fish, but there are also big groups of fish around docks in pockets on Lake Monticello where you can reliably find huge schools of fish without any electronics. While there aren’t many docks, the ones that are there are holding a ton of fish.

There still aren’t many fish offshore.

No new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) because it hasn’t gotten cold enough to draw him over there for the wide-open fall bite, but he does advise that with surface temperatures still 70 or better free-line drifting bite should still be good.  It’s unlikely to the point yet where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending deeper. 

Again, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.  Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

White perch, gizzard shad, and bream will all work. 

November 8

Morning surface water temperatures are around 72 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear. 

The black bass on Lake Monticello are biting very well, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing you need to be fishing riprap and rocky banks with a shallow running crankbait like a Spro Little John. 

After that early bite it’s all about the pockets, and fish are grouped up in the back third of the pockets in about 15-20 feet of water. The bait is back there and big fish are chasing it, and casting jerkbaits has been the best way to catch them. For that having forward-facing sonar really helps, but there are also big groups of fish around docks in pockets on Lake Monticello where you can reliably find huge schools of fish without any electronics. While there aren’t many docks, the ones that are there are holding a ton of fish.

Eric and his son Hunter have also spent enough time fishing offshore on the main lake around humps and other structure to see that it’s like a dead zone right now. The pockets are where the bass are. 

No new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) because it hasn’t gotten cold enough to draw him over there for the wide-open fall bite, but he does advise that with surface temperatures still 70 or better free-line drifting bite should still be good.  It’s unlikely to the point yet where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending deeper. 

Again, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.  Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

October 30

Morning surface water temperatures are around 70-72 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass fishing on Lake Monticello is still in early fall patterns, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing there is a good buzzbait bite. The best action is in pockets off the main lake. After the sun gets up then fishing crankbaits on points is the best bet. Fish something like a DT-10 in 10-15 feet of water and throw it parallel to the points. 

While there isn’t much of a true offshore pattern, there is also some good fishing with a shaky head around brush on points in 15-25 feet of water. 

No new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), but he does advise that with surface temperatures still 70 or better free-line drifting bite should still be good.  It’s unlikely to the point yet where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending deeper. 

Additionally, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.  Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

White perch, gizzard shad, and bream will all work. 

October 16

Morning surface water temperatures are around 75 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass fishing on Lake Monticello is pretty consistent from last week, at least before this cold front, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing the best pattern is fishing shallow in less than 8 feet with a spinnerbait and a crankbait around rock. You can also catch some fish on a topwater lure early, especially when shad are popping on the surface.  

There is also a good offshore bite later in the day, fishing points and humps in 15-30 feet of water with a shaky head. But the biggest fish continue to come when they are schooling over those some offshore holes, and a walking bait seems to be the best way to catch them.  

No new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), but he does advise that with surface temperatures still in the mid-70s the free-line drifting bite should still be good.  It’s unlikely to the point yet where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending deeper. 

Additionally, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.  Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

White perch, gizzard shad, and bream will all work. 

October 9

Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees and the upper end of the lake is clear while the lower end is dirty but improving. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The fishing on Lake Monticello seems to be back pretty close to where it was before Helene, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that his son Hunter finished second in a bass tournament this Saturday on a dead fish penalty with over 16 pounds. First thing they started out shallow in less than 8 feet with a spinnerbait and a crankbait around rock, catching a limit. When that bite was over they moved offshore and fished points and humps with a shaky head in 15-20 feet of water. 

The winning team apparently fished offshore, drop shotting deep humps in around 30 feet of water. But they caught their bigger fish when they came up schooling. Right now there are a lot of bass schooling on small bait all over Monticello, and they will take little Pop-Rs, small swimbaits, and down-sized walking baits. 

No new on-the-water catfish report this week from Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), but he does advise that with surface temperatures still in the upper 70s the free-line drifting bite should still be good.  It’s unlikely to the point yet where anglers need to put some weight on their line because the fish are suspending deeper. 

Additionally, once temperatures drop a few more degrees it should be the peak time to catch a big blue catfish on Lake Monticello.   Anchoring or drifting in 40-65 plus feet is the best way to catch a giant, and long points and humps close to deep water and timber are the best places to target. 

White perch, gizzard shad, and bream will all work. 

October 2

No one we know has been fishing on Monticello since the storm, but reliable second-hand reports confirm that the water is clear on the 99 end and stained down the lake by the reactor. Obviously that is likely to be a fluid situation as water gets pumped in and out of the Broad. 

Besides the hearsay that some really big catfish are being caught from public docks on large pieces of fresh bream we don’t have any other news, but we will report back as soon as we do!