April 3

Lake Murray water levels are at 358.10 (full pool is 360.00) and there is still some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 65 degrees in most places.   

Last week we said that the black bass spawn was wide open on Lake Murray, and this week veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that may be even more true. In the last week to ten days one of the largest waves of fish he has ever seen has all come to the banks at once, and everywhere you go there are fish on beds. He has seen multiple places where it’s possible to deploy your shallow-water anchoring system and fish four beds at once!

For fish on beds then you can pick your favorite soft plastic and look in spawning coves and around shallow docks and other cover. Up the lake where the water is a little more stained you can also throw spinnerbait. 

For pre- and post-spawn fish a frog and buzzbait are also effective, and very, very soon he expects to start seeing fish on herring points. Stan notes that he is also see some fry guarders already.

That is completely consistent with the report from tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill, who was surprised by how many fish he saw on beds on Lake Murray. He also saw fry guarders, but it appeared that everywhere he looked there were fish on beds. Flipping a crawfish or throwing a wacky rig around docks has generated a ton of bites. 

The striped bass are in all the creeks on Lake Murray, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that with the warmer nights more short fish have moved in and so now it’s very hard to keep a bait in the water. He was mainly catching keepers in Crystal Lake for a while, but now pretty much everywhere you go anglers have to contend with a mix of sizes.

While they have picked up a few fish shallower, in generally they are still finding the most bait and fish in about 30-40 feet of water in the ditches. Fish still don’t want a stationary bait or to feed under the boat, and they are catching everything on free-lines and planer boards. It’s also worth keeping a couple of casting rods ready because they are seeing so many fish boiling on the surface.

Overall it’s easy to catch fish right now, but to keep a limit you better take a lot of bait out!

The crappie are in the midst of their spawn, and Captain Brad reports that we are probably on the back side but still in the best two weeks of the year to fish for them around shallow cover. It can be as simple as casting a jig or minnow under a cork to cover on the banks, although down the lake in the clearer water fish often want a dock or some other shade over their heads. Of course not all fish go at once, and so you can also catch them tightlining, long-line trolling, or looking at them on electronics and casting to them. 

The catfish bite is really heating up on Lake Murray, and yesterday Captain Brad reports that the 66-pound blue pictured below was weighed at Riverwinds Landing! It was caught drifting the main channel with river herring. That pattern should produce for a while longer as blue catfish move up the lake to spawn, but Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that for channel catfish you can also fish from the bank out to 30 feet all over the lake around points, marker buoys, and other depth changes. Cut herring is hard to beat.

March 26

Lake Murray water levels are at 357.99 (full pool is 360.00) and there is some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees in most places but as high as 62 up the rivers.   

The striped bass are now very spread out on Lake Murray, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that from the rivers to most of the creeks in the lower lake fish are thick. He is finding the best action in Crystal Lake. In general fish are holding in the 30-40 foot range and still channel-related, although with the shallower water up the rivers they are in more like 8-10 feet. They still seem to want a moving bait instead of to wad up under a boat and eat herring on down-rods, and so pulling free-lines and planer boards is usually preferable. The fish they catch on down-rods are generally smaller. 

The black bass spawn is wide open on Lake Murray, and veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that fish are on beds all over the lake. There are also tons of pre-spawn fish that are getting close.  While there are other patterns he isn’t doing anything besides fishing in and around spawning pockets back in the creeks. A particularly large number of fish are on docks near spawning areas right now, and swimbaits and wacky-rigged Senkos fished around those docks are working well. They will also be on shallow grass in the spawning pockets. 

You can basically throw whatever you want right now, including floating worms, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits in areas with some stain, and even topwater lures like Whopper Ploppers, buzzbaits, and poppers. 

The crappie are a little unpredictable right now, and Captain Brad reports that from day to day it can be hard to know what to expect with different weather patterns. He is mostly long-line trolling for them in the mouths of creeks and the channel up the rivers, and some days are really good and then other days they struggle to fill out a limit. On days they just aren’t biting there’s not much you can do. The best news is that the fish are generally big right now.

While Brad isn’t spending much time throwing to the banks there are plenty of fish spawning right now, and they are coming up in waves to spawn dependent in large part on weather.

The catfish bite is really heating up on Lake Murray, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service(803-924-0857) reports that a captain friend was fishing Sunday and, among others, caught two 46-pound fish! They came up the Little River shallow in the main river run, and eels have been emerging as a tough, effective bait. Gizzard shad are also working well for big fish.

For channel catfish it’s a pretty simple pattern, and basically you can fish from the bank out to 30 feet all over the lake around points, marker buoys, and other depth changes. Cut herring is hard to beat right now. 

March 20

Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.08 (full pool is 360.00) and there is some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 60 degrees. 

The black bass spawn is now wide open on Lake Murray, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that particularly in areas that are slightly warmer, such as the backs of creeks and the north side of the lake, fish are on beds or very close. In these areas fish are focused on the spawn and less interested in chasing than when more fish were in pre-spawn mode, and so floating worms, Senkos, shaky heads, and other soft plastics are good options.  There are also a lot of fish on docks that are just about to spawn. 

In cooler areas such as the south side or particularly the lower end of the main lake then you can fish more aggressively, and in some select areas an Alabama rig, crankbait, and other moving baits are good options. But overall fish are less interested in chasing than a week or two ago and slowing down your presentation is a good bet.  

Still the striped bass remain fairly deep, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that most bait is still in 30-40 feet of water in the channels and ditches and so that is still where the best bite is. The big change is that the action in the creeks is really heating up, and particularly the north side of the lake is fishing very well and the Crystal Lake area has been particularly good. There are also still a lot of fish up the river, which are some of the shallowest fish on the lake. But even there most are still channel-oriented.   

At this time of year fish generally seem to want a moving bait instead of to wad up under a boat, and so pulling free-lines and planer boards is usually preferable. The fish they catch on down-rods are generally smaller. 

The crappie spawn is on, and so Captain Brad reports that there are a lot of different ways you can catch fish right now.  They are very scattered, with some fish on the banks, others in the mouths of creeks, and others related to the edges of creek channels. The constant is that in general the quality right now is very good. Brad’s boat is mainly long-lining with jigs, and most of the fish they are catching are coming 5-8 feet down in 12-20 feet of water. On Saturday fish were staging super shallow and they could catch them trolling in just 3-5 feet of water, but the last few days that group of fish has been deeper again. 

The catfish continue to move shallower, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that for the next few weeks he expects to be fishing from the bank out to about 25 feet. Anchoring and fan-casting where you can cover a variety of depths remains the best technique, and it’s still a good idea to have herring, gizzard shad, and perch as fish will show different preferences each day. 

March 12

Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.46 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake is not muddy – yet – after Monday’s rain. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-50s, typically a bit warmer up the rivers unless a lot of cold freshwater is coming in. 

It appears that the black bass are on the very verge of spawning, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that if they are not already then certainly by this weekend lots of fish will be. The Major League Fishing tournament caught the bass in the later pre-spawn stage when things get a little slower, instead of the early pre-spawn when fish are super-aggressive and it seems like most of the tournament teams are catching 20-pound bags throwing moving baits like Alabama rigs or crankbaits.  In the latter part of the pre-spawn period, when fish are about to go on beds, they are often within 50 feet of where they are going to spawn and a lot harder to catch as they think more about spawning than eating.  Instead of moving baits you generally need to slow down and fish soft plastics like shaky heads and Senkos in protected spawning areas or staging areas like docks or secondary points very close to them. This and bed-fishing should be primary patterns this weekend, and the numbers of deep fish should be dropping each day.  

While it’s easy to think that this week of warm weather could put the striped bass right on the banks like in a late spring pattern, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) doesn’t think that’s going to happen because the fish know that more cool fronts are still coming and it’s not the time for the herring to get up there spawning yet. He does expect fish to continue to move up in the water column, but he doesn’t expect anything very drastic or for fish to go way into the backs. 

Overall patterns have stayed the same since the warming started, and there are a good many being caught where the rivers fork off from each other. Fish should also continue to be caught in major creeks all over the lake, and the only difference is free-lines and planers boards might not need as much weight on them. Continue to work the channel edges but look for fish to move up at times to feed. 

But the crappie are getting very close to spawning, and Captain Brad reports that the bridge patterns are falling off and more and more fish are in open water in the creeks getting close to their spawning grounds. By mid-March it’s typical for large numbers of crappie to spawn on Murray, and this warm weather and the full moon are hitting exactly right for that. Long-line trolling is already very productive up the Little River, and in most creeks for the next few weeks you should be able to catch fish around the banks as well as casting (with forward-facing-sonar) or trolling jigs in creek runs adjacent to spawning grounds. 

Finally, as the weather gets warmer the catfish are overall pushing further back into the creeks, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he is now targeting his efforts in about 15-25 feet of water inside creeks. Drifting will work but anchoring and fan-casting is his preferred method, and it’s a good idea to have herring, gizzard shad, and perch as fish will show different preferences each day. 

March 5

Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.12 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is high (before today’s rain). Morning surface water temperatures range from about 53-56 degrees. 

While there are still a fair number of striped bass in the rivers, including some very good ones, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that he has been fishing more in the Macedonia Church/ Timberlake area and believes the bulk of the fish are now from about Buffalo Creek down. With the cooler temperatures they followed the bait and pulled back out of the creeks, and now they are mostly out in the mouths related to the edges of the channels. Up the lake in the shallower water that means 15-18 feet, while in the mid- to lower lake that means around 40 feet. 

They are catching most of their fish on weighted free-lines and planer boards, as right now the striper seem to want something that is moving. You can pick up small striper mixed in with white perch on the bottom in 55-60 feet, and at times as deep as 80 feet.  Medium minnows on drop shot rigs are working the best.  

The crappie are in an in-between period, and Captain Brad reports that they started to move into the creeks with the warmer weather then (like striper) backed out to staging areas when temperatures dropped. One of these places is bridges, and at the Cloud’s Creek bridge they recently caught 20 fish over two pounds on unweighted minnows. Expect this holding pattern to last for a few days, but as soon as the next warm front comes fish will be moving all the way up the creeks and even around the banks. Long-line trolling with jigs, and casting to the banks with corks and minnows or jigs, will both catch fish. 

The black bass are also staging for the spawn, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that fish are moving up.  Basically everything he would advise fishing right now is in less than 10 feet. There is still a good shallow cranking bite in the mid-lake area around rock, boat ramps, and wind-blown banks which has only gotten better as temperatures have risen, and fish are also staging on docks and secondary points before they get ready to move onto beds.  

Coming back to an ongoing theme, veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that as the spawn approaches he expects the grass to play more this year than in past spawns. Certainly plenty of fish will spawn in areas that don’t have submerged grass, but in areas that do expect fish to move from the grass beds to the inside edges of the grass in about three feet of water. Swimbaits worked along the edges of grass, and around dock floats, will both be productive in the pre-spawn period. 

As the weather gets warmer the catfish are overall pushing further back into the creeks, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he is now targeting his efforts in about 20-25 feet of water inside creeks. Drifting will work but anchoring and fan-casting is his preferred method, and it’s a good idea to have herring, gizzard shad, and perch as fish will show different preferences each day. 

February 26

Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.02 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake has cleared substantially. Morning surface water temperatures have hit the mid-50s or higher in places. 

As the water is cleaning up striped bass are returning to the rivers, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that the fishing up that way is getting pretty good again. He expects the fish to go very shallow any day now, and the main pattern to be fishing planer boards and free-lines around the banks. That pattern is repeatable in creeks all over the lake as fish and bait seek the warmest water which will certainly be in the shallows. Fish will move up to areas off the sides of the channels first.  

You can still catch some scattered fish throwing baits around the birds, but by now that pattern is getting very unpredictable. 

The crappie have basically gone MIA for the last few days, and Captain Brad reports that he has not heard any good reports up the lake. On his last guide trip they ended up wearing out big white perch when crappie just weren’t where they should be. LiveScopers have also been scratching their heads. 

With the spawn approaching, probably around mid-March, and temperatures spiking it’s hard to imagine the long-line trolling bite won’t get very good by this weekend.  The water is also approaching a nice clarity. Until fish actually hit the banks the best pattern is likely to be pulling jigs and covering water in the creek and river channels and at the mouth of creeks. 

Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that there are still plenty of black bass out deep on Lake Murray, and as there have been all winter there are also some fish around shallower rock that can be caught on crankbaits. But by this weekend expect the deep fish to get much thinnger and the shallow fish to start to move further back in the creeks and pockets.

Down the lake veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that he expects the spring to look a little different as long as there is so much grass in relatively shallow water and for fish to continue to relate to it more and more of the time. In short anywhere there is grass in 3-8 feet of water he expects to find fish. You can fish over the grass or the edges with a jerkbait, and with more weedless swimbaits and spinnerbaits you can be more aggressive. But some of the best fish he has caught around grass recently have come on just a shaky head or jig. 

Catfish report to follow. 

February 20

Lake Murray water levels are up to 357.90 (full pool is 360.00) and up the lake is muddy but just beginning to clear, with the mud-line around Buffalo Creek. Morning surface water temperatures are around 50 degrees. 

An awesome 31.26 pounds of black bass won the CBC this weekend, and 19 bags over 20 pounds were brought to the scales. Incredibly, 19.53 pounds wasn’t worth a check. 

Fishing with his father Steve tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria brought a “mere” 25.39 pounds to the scales, good for fourth place, and Andy reports that they caught bass doing a little bit of everything. But two of the fish they weighed came off shallow rock with a crankbait and a jig, and their other three fish came on offshore structure like points and shoals in 15-20 feet. They weren’t around bait and they would never have seen them without LiveScope. They were caught on minnow-type baits fished on jigheads.

While they did catch some fish in the lower lake, from what Andy could tell the best action is coming in the mid-lake section right now. 

With 18.46 pounds our correspondent Stan Gunter of Saluda and his partner Chris Vickery had one of those big bags just out of a check, and Stan reports that they found a ton of fish around offshore grass. They were missing a couple of big fish to get into the money, but found lots of 3- and 4-pounders. Overall Stan credits all the grass with the explosion of the bass population and Andy concurs. 

While there are still some striped bass up the Big Saluda even after it got muddy, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that there are more in the Little Saluda and then a lot of fish pushed down the lake. There are now wads of fish in the mid-lake section. Because of the cold temperatures they are mostly relating to the channels over deep water, and most of them are holding about 20 feet down. Weighted free-lines and planer boards have been the most effective, and you can still cast at the birds when you can seem them diving. 

Captain Brad notes that next week the patterns will change drastically with some warming and the lake clearing.  

The crappie fishing was good before the water dirtied up, but Captain Brad reports that when conditions got muddy the bite basically fell apart and the only good reports he has heard since have been in Buffalo Creek. There a combination of LiveScope fishing and pulling jigs is working.

As with the striper, next week should see dramatic changes. 

Finally, the catfish bite has also dropped off on Lake Murray, as Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that – while on some lakes they make for wide-open fishing – muddy conditions always seem to slow down the action on Murray. It’s a broken records but the fishing should improve significantly next week. 

February 12

Lake Murray water levels are at 355.61 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is generally very high. Morning surface water temperatures are mostly in the mid-50s.   

As is often the case in February on Lake Murray, veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that the black bass fishing has been pretty fantastic. 26- and 27-pound bags are winning tournaments, and plenty of 20-pound sacks aren’t even getting a check.

While there are a few people catching their fish deep, tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria concurs with Stan that most of the action is coming shallow. There is a whole lot of shallow cranking going on around rock, and spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits are both working around the edges of the grass. While the cold spell will likely put an end to this, Stan even knows someone who caught a fish on a frog this weekend!  But overall he doesn’t think fish are going to move much deeper now that they are headed in the right direction seasonally. 

There is also still a lot of LiveScope fishing going on, particularly on the ends of the grass. But overall Stan reports that even in the clearer water it’s a hard to beat something like a #5 Frittside crankbait around rocky banks. The bite is even better in stained areas.

From what Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) is seeing the bulk of the striped bass are from about Buffalo Creek to Riverwinds Landing and Big Man’s, and the schools are super thick. The best catches since the cold snap have come casting Alabama rigs, often throwing them out and then pulling them with a trolling motor. With water temperatures fairly balanced from top to bottom fish can be about anywhere, and their best catches yesterday were in 4-5 feet of water in the back of coves. But there are also wads of fish in the river channel 10-40 feet down. 

There are some similarities with the crappie, and Captain Brad reports that they can be found in a bunch of different places. There are ton of fish at the bridge by Big Man’s, but then there are also a bunch on docks in the 18-20 foot range that are holding 5-10 feet down. Live-Scoping is also very successful, and there are wads of fish in the rivers holding just 4 feet down from deep water to about 8 feet. Marinas all over the lake are also holding lots of big crappie. 

It's pretty much a time when you can pick how you want to fish, outside of fishing around very shallow cover. Brad also notes that the belly of the river channels in about 40 feet are covered up with white perch. 

Captain Brad is also filling in with a catfish report, and up the rivers in water depths in the 20s they are catching lots of good channel catfish pulling cut herring. They are also picking up some striper this way, and while the blues have been absent so far this week they should show up again.  The best action has been coming in the channels. 

February 6

Lake Murray water levels are at 355.55 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is high with the exception of a few random creeks – likely due to construction. Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 40s to low 50s. 

The black bass on Lake Murray are doing exactly what you would expect with this very warm weather, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that today there are a bunch of fish up shallow. You can find them shallow on the main lake, but the same thing is also going on in the creeks – perhaps even better. Dreher Island and above you can catch fish around most any cover along the banks, including docks, on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and flipping. In the clearer water on the lower end the shallow bite is a little tougher, and most of the fish that are up shallow will be relating to docks. 

With LiveScope they have learned that a ton of fish live out in the creek channels, and so they really don’t have to travel that far during a warm spell to move towards the banks, even in the backs. 

There also continue to be a lot of fish around secondary points and particularly rock in 8-10 feet of water, and veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that Alabama rigs and crankbaits have been working in that zone for him. He is also catching shallower fish. Stan believes that the cold front after the weekend is unlikely to move the fish that have moved up very far, but they will probably bite less. 

Right now it’s all about the rivers for striped bass for Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354), who reports that the action has been really good around Black’s Bridge and up in both the Big and Little Saluda. Some days they are in the channel and some days they are on the flats, but catching fish on free-lines and planer boards has been pretty easy. There are also just as many fish being caught under the birds casting double rigs with bucktails and ice flies and Alabama rigs. Captain Brad notes that with Big Man’s closed they are seeing more pressure in the Big Saluda. 

In the lower lake there are still plenty of striper in the creeks, and Brad reports that the depths where they are holding are somewhat temperature-dependent. While water temperatures are pretty stable throughout the column, the best place to look has been about thirty feet down. 

They are still catching a bunch of crappie, although less big ones, and Captain Brad reports that in the main channel up the rivers anglers are wearing them out both looking at fish on LiveScope and casting as well as tight-lining. Most of the fish are about 8-12 feet down.

In the mid- to lower lake there are also a lot of fish holding deeper in the creeks, and these fish may still be as deep as 40 feet. 

Finally, the catfish bite remains fantastic on Lake Murray, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that particularly the Little River continues to give up some big channel catfish as well as some very large blues. Some of the fish are on flats, some are in the channel, and others are on points or drops.   However, in the warm conditions the flats have been most productive the last few days.

Gizzard shad continues to be outstanding. 

January 28

Lake Murray water levels are at 355.33 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 40s. 

On Sunday morning, four days after the snow, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that morning surface temperatures in the main channel around Black’s Bridge in the Big Saluda were 40 degrees, and so it’s unsurprising that particularly up the lake there was a pretty significant shad kill. For a day or two the striped bassabsolutely gorged, and then they stopped feeding, but by the beginning of this week Captain Brad reports that they were starting to eat again. However, the fish they are catching still have throats full of shad and everything they caught was in the belly of the river channel near the bottom. Weighted planers boards have been the most effective bait. However, as warm temperatures arrive this week fish will move shallower and start to get up on the flats again. 

Down the lake it’s a similar but different bite, and in all the major creeks if you look for the depth where herring are holding then go to water that deep you can find striper.  They are generally in the middle of the channel near the bottom, often in the 40-45 foot range. Down-rods are the best way to approach these fish. 

Despite the cold black bass fishing has featured some impressive weights, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria (who had second place in last week’s BFL tournament on Murray) reports that Friday before the tournament he had one of the best days he has had fishing on the lake. They caught a seven-pounder on a spoon in 48 feet of water, but fishing a minnow-style bait on the bottom around points, humps, shoals – and in open water – caught loads of 5-pounders in 28-30 feet of water. 

Saturday the bite was completely different after a front came through, and the fish they caught on minnows were smaller and they didn’t want a spoon. But late in the day he figured out that they were in rock piles in about 30 feet of water and wanted a jig. He caught a 9 ½ pounder and another near 5 before having to return to the ramp. 

Finally, while Andy hasn’t pursued it very much Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that a red crankbait in 3-7 feet of water has also been working. 

It continues to be a similar pattern with the crappie, and Captain Brad reports that the LiveScope fishermen are catching the devil out of the big, suspended schools of fish in the main river channel between Riverwinds Landing and Bush River. 

Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that these fish are generally holding 20-40 feet deep in 30-50 feet of water. While up the lake they are in the deepest part of the river channel, the pattern can also be replicated in the mid-lake and lower lake where they are at the mouths of creeks and in the main creek channels. Right now minnows may be working a bit better than jigs. 

Finally, it’s still a great time for catfish on Lake Murray, and the only odd part about the bite is that Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that every time he has been after them the fish are extremely scattered with no clear pattern. Some of the fish are on flats, some are in the channel, and others are on points or drops. But fortunately everything except the flatheads is biting very well, and they are filling coolers with blues in the 20-pound range and big channels. Gizzard shad have been working so well that Captain William hasn’t used any other bait.

With the warm weather coming in William notes that he would look for more fish to scatter out on the flats, especially if the bait moves up. 

January 15

Lake Murray water levels are down to 356.22 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is pretty high. Morning surface water temperatures up the lake are in the mid-40s. 

No one is saying that the striped bass move up the rivers in the winter in the numbers they once did, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that a combination of changing water flow patterns and the prevalence of blueback herring in the lake are both factors in that. And partly as a result there aren’t as many fishermen targeting schooling striper up the lake in the cold months.

But as the shad have started to get stressed in the past week or two there has been some pretty phenomenal schooling activity under the birds, extending from around Black’s Bridge sometimes as far down as Dreher Island. And at times Brad has seen schools almost a half-mile long, like the old days.  

While you can certainly catch fish pulling free-lines and planer boards, right now the schooling activity with double rigged bucktails and ice flies, swimbaits, weighted flukes, and Alabama rigs has been good enough that you really don’t need to take bait out in the boat. 

It continues to be a similar pattern with the crappie which continue to feed well even in the cold, and Captain Brad reports that he is still finding a decent number of fish on steep channel banks that also have cover including brush, docks and bridges. Sitting on top of these fish with minnows they are biting pretty well. 

Brad notes that there are also a lot of fish in open water in the middle of the channels, and LiveScopers are catching good numbers.   One of these is Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672), who reports that these fish are generally holding 10-30 feet deep in 30-50 feet of water. Up the lake they are in the deepest part of the river channel, while in the mid-lake they are at the mouths of creeks and in the main creek channels. Jigs versus minnows doesn’t seem to matter – it’s mostly just a matter of getting a bait in front of the fish. 

With the cold black bass fishing activity has been down, but tournament anglers Andy Wicker of Pomaria and Stan Gunter of Saluda report that there are still shallow and deep bites. In the front of creeks and off the main lake you can catch fish around rock and sometimes brush in 5-10 feet of water with a crankbait or Alabama rig, especially from the mid-lake up. At the same time there has also been a decent deep jigging spoon bite around bait schools, which should only get better with another coming cold snap. 

The BFL is this weekend on Murray and so it will be interesting to see weights and patterns considering that winter temperatures have been colder than normal. 

Finally, it’s still a great time for catfish on Lake Murray, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service(803-924-0857) reports that the colder weather has put more fish deep in the river channels. The best pattern is still drifting up the rivers, and right now it’s not worth spending too much time on the flats unless we get a surprisingly warm day. 

The only bait Captain William has been using is still gizzard shad, but other baits will almost certainly also work. 

January 2

Lake Murray water levels are up to 357.35 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is stained up the lake but there is 5-6 feet of visibility on the lower end. Morning surface water temperatures range from about 46 in the rivers to 50 in mid- to lower lake. 

It’s been a pretty outstanding week or two for striped bass fishing on Lake Murray, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that should only get better with the coming cold weather. Right now the pattern is mostly about following the birds, but instead of that meaning you have to fish mainly in the rivers there is good bird activity everywhere from Shull Island up to the rivers, including Bear Creek, Crystal Lake, and major creeks up the Lexington side. It’s as simple as tossing or dragging free-lines through the areas birds are working, or casting double rigs or some other artificial lure including swimbaits, weighted flukes, and more.  The fishing pressure has generally been fairly light, but if there are a ton of anglers working an area then a good pattern is to drag weighted free-lines in the general area where you see birds working bait and wait for the striper to move. 

While the fishes’ metabolism does slow when it cools, Captain Brad expects that the coming cold front could really “zap” the bait and get the birds and striper even more active!

But black bass fishing is a little different story, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that for bass there is a lot that is not working – while finding successful patterns can be a struggle.  The shallow cranking bite has overall been more successful up the lake in the more stained water, but even there it has been very inconsistent. Andy has found some fish on a jigging spoon under birds in 40-45 feet, but that has been pretty random. Some winning anglers have also been throwing minnow-style baits around bait schools in the channels while looking at fish on forward-facing sonar. 

However, perhaps the most consistent pattern right now is fishing a jig around rock, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union (on the water right now) reports that they are finding fish on rock as shallow as 3 feet and as deep as 20-25 feet. However, the deeper rock has been more consistent and a couple of days ago they caught seven fish on seven casts on one offshore rock formation. 

There are a couple of different ways to catch crappie right now, and Captain Brad reports that he is still finding a decent number of fish on steep channel banks that also have cover including brush, docks and bridges. He is really having to sit on top of these fish to get them to bite, and they are wanting minnows.

But while there are still good numbers on cover, Brad notes that the bigger fish seem to be swimming out in open water.  Slabs are being caught up the Big Saluda LiveScoping out in the river channel, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672), who is on Murray as we write, says that these fish are generally holding 10-30 feet deep in 30-50 feet of water. Up the lake they are in the deepest part of the river channel, while in the mid-lake they are at the mouths of creeks and in the main creek channels. Jigs versus minnows doesn’t seem to matter – it’s mostly just a matter of getting a bait in front of the fish. 

Captain Roland notes that in the lower lake the fish seem very skittish and so he is trying to find more stationary crappie in other areas.  

Finally, it’s still a good time for catfish on Lake Murray, and Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that if it gets colder as predicted he expects the bite to get even better. The best pattern is still drifting up the rivers, and depending on conditions from day to day and over the course of the day anglers should be prepared to move between the channel and the flats. A hard cold spell should put more fish in the channel, however. 

The only bait Captain William has been using is still gizzard shad, but other baits will almost certainly also work.