March 19

Lake Wateree is at 97.8% of full pool and the lake is muddy from one end to the other.  Morning surface water temperatures are mostly about 59-60 degrees. 

The black bass on Lake Wateree are moving further into their spring progression, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that there are now more and more fish getting back into the coves and creeks including some goods ones. Still, on their way to a second-place finish in Saturday’s CATT Dearal and his tournament partner continued to fish for the main lake fish that had not moved up yet and found some good quality. They were mostly fishing rock and lots of docks, and they caught most of their fish on a jig and one big one on a spinnerbait. While the numbers weren’t great the main lake fish they found were generally sizeable.

But as the fish spread out you can catch more and more further back, and there are even some very scattered reports of a random fish here or there on the bed or at least close to spawning. For these fish that have gotten into spawning areas soft plastics like a shaky head or a creature bait like a brush hog are good options. For more aggressive pre-spawn fish a crankbait is a good option. 

Overall fish are getting spread out and soon there will be significant numbers of fish at all stages of the spawn. 

The Lake Wateree crappie are biting well, andveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that right now you can literally catch them about any way you want to fish. Fish are spread out and at various stages of the spawn, so there’s no specific spot or pattern you have to stick to.

Some fish are already on the bank spawning, others are staging in the creek runs, and some fish are still in deeper water. You can cast at the banks with jigs or minnows, long-line troll, tight-line, or cast at schools of fish you see on electronics. 

The fish are biting and it’s a very good time to crappie fish on Wateree. 

Finally, with a catfish update Captain Rodger Taylor with Catfish ON! Guide Service (803-517-7828) reports that lots of 8-12 pound blue catfish can be caught basically on the cut bait of your choice. The action is excellent for numbers of fish in warm, shallow bays, with 3-6 feet of water the ideal depth. Additionally, the Cedar Creek section up the lake should start to produce some big fish as temperatures rise and fish move into the river section, but on Captain Rodger’s last two trips they have only caught a 17-pounder fishing holes up that way. Howeer, there are certain to be giants around soon if not already. 

March 12

Lake Wateree is at 97.9% of full pool and the lake is fairly muddy.  Morning surface water temperatures were 54 degrees this morning. 

On the water as we write,veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the crappie on Lake Wateree have made a big move towards shallower water.  Yesterday he was catching them 12-22 feet down in 30 feet of water, and there are still groups out there, but today he is also finding them back in 12 feet of water behind the bridge in Beaver Creek.  There are eight boats back there – on a Wednesday (!) – and they are all catching fish either tight-lining, trolling, or Livescoping.  Fish are from about four feet deep down to the bottom.   

Fish are aggressive and Will is only casting to them with Fish Stalker minnows in firecracker and Mountain Dew color. 

There are already some males on the banks looking around, and by this weekend there will be even more. 

This past weekend the black bass that tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden was catching with his tournament partner in the CATT were still mostly on main lake docks in about 10 feet of water, and they were catching them on jigs. Water temperatures were 51-53 degrees, but by this weekend there is almost no doubt that they will have hit 55 or more (possibly well higher). When that happens there will still be fish hanging around docks on Wateree, but the best bite should be with a crankbait in 3-5 feet of water. Fish will be feeding up before getting ready to spawn, and the best place to look for them will be around rock. While some fish could have started to make a big move back into the creeks, for this weekend Dearal expects more to still be holding on the main lake. 

March 5

Lake Wateree is at 97.2% of full pool and before the rain today the lake had cleared somewhat.  It’s now just stained on the lower end but still muddy way up.  Morning surface water temperatures are 51 degrees. 

Bad news first – the cooler weather has hurt the crappie fishing on Lake Wateree, andveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that even though they were biting a little better yesterday than a day or two before it’s still very hard work. After starting to make a move towards the creeks at the end of last week fish backed out when the front arrived, and most of the better fish are now in about 30 feet. They are suspended about 8-22 feet down, with more on the lower end of that range.

Will is still looking at fish on LiveScope and casting at them with Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color, and slower tight-lining is working better than faster long-line trolling. Minnows will also catch fish.

The better news is with the black bass, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that in the CATT Saturday they had 19 pounds – and finished out of the money! Since then the cooler weather doesn’t seem to have backed them off or slowed the bite very much and fishing is overall very good.

Fish can be caught moving back into the creeks, into coves, and still on the main lake, and points, rock, boat ramps, and docks are all holding a lot of fish. But Dearal has found the best bite on main lake docks in about 10 feet of water. For now it still seems the bigger fish are holding a little deeper, and they have had the best success on jigs. 

February 26

Lake Wateree is at 97.4% of full pool and the lake is still muddy from end to end.  Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 to 51 degrees. 

Even after a couple of warm daysveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that crappie patterns have changed very little on Wateree, although fish are starting to move a little up in the water column. They are still mostly in about 30 feet of water in the mouths of coves and around the main channel, but now they are coming as high as about 8 feet below the surface. But while they are moving up in the water column they aren’t really moving more than a few feet shallower yet.   

Will is still looking at fish on LiveScope and casting at them, and in the conditions you still have to hold a bait right in front of fish to get them to bite. That means slower tight-lining would probably work better than faster long-line trolling. They are still catching fish on Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color, but minnows are also working.

Whether fish make a move shallower by this weekend just depends on how much water temperatures change, and even though they aren’t there today they could be by this weekend. 

Like the crappie,tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the black bass have not moved much with just a couple of warm days - but he does expect them to get shallower by this weekend. They caught one off a dock yesterday but more fish should be around docks by this weekend, and they also expect most any rock to fish well as it is warmed by the sunlight. Look for fish to continue to be very point-related and not to move back onto the flats for a little while.

Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, and shaky heads are all good baits right now. 

February 19

Lake Wateree is at 97.8% of full pool and the lake is now muddy and trashy from one end to the other.  Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 on the main lake and as high as 50 in the backs. 

The water is high (peaking at about 98.7 before starting to fall) and muddy, butveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that crappie are still biting on Lake Wateree. Yesterday they caught plenty of fish but had to hunt for individuals as in the dirty water fish have gotten very scattered. They caught most of their fish about 10-16 feet down over 30 feet of water in the mouths of coves and around the main channel. 

Will was looking at fish on LiveScope and casting at them, and he noticed that you had to really hold a bait right in front of fish to get them to bite. They are not aggressive, and can’t see very far. That means slower tight-lining would probably work better than faster long-line trolling. They caught fish on Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color.

While fish are suspended right now as the water is a little warmer higher in the water column, snow or ice that drops the surface temperature could change that very quicky and put fish flat on the bottom. 

On Saturday the whole lake was not yet muddy for the CATT tournament, buttournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that there is little doubt that black bass were and are still mostly in winter patterns. The fish that had moved up a little have pushed back out, and they are mostly related to main lake and main creek points and steeper banks. Their big fish came on a spinnerbait at 5-12, but after that they could only catch smaller fish on jigs for about 14 and a half pounds. 18-7 won so there are some better fish biting. 

February 12

Lake Wateree is at 96.9% of full pool and the water is still fairly clear; it usually takes several days after rains for Wateree to get dirty.  Morning surface water temperatures got up to 54 but are falling back to the low 50s.    

The crappie are still biting on Lake Wateree, butveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that he is seeing obvious signs that the pattern is changing. While fish are still in 14-30 feet of water along the river channel, they are starting to break up out of their bigger schools into smaller groups. Individual fish are likely to be the biggest. 

While Will is still casting jigs like “Hot Mess” (pink and yellow) at the fish, as the water cleared Mountain Dew and more natural colors have been working better. If it gets dirty again then the brighter hues will probably be better.

Will notes that there are also still a ton of fish being caught tight-lining minnows near the bottom along the old river channel at the top of the lake. 

Despite a few warm days, from what tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden is seeing black bass are still basically in winter-time patterns – especially as it has gotten cold again – but they do appear to be feeding pretty heavily. There are lots of fish suspended around bait on the main lake, generally over deeper water as well as where the channel swings closer to the bank. He is also finding better fish point-oriented, and they will take crankbaits and jerkbaits. 

There are also some fish that have moved onto docks, but for now these are mostly smaller males. 

February 6

Lake Wateree is at 95.9% of full pool and the water has a little color.  Morning surface water temperatures have shot up to about 51-52 degrees. 

The crappie are finally biting again on Lake Wateree, andveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that they are getting far more active as temperatures rise. Yesterday they fished the main channel above Wateree Creek and found fish stacked up in 14-30 feet of water. To start the day they were on the bottom, but as temperatures rose three to four degrees they got within 8 feet of the surface. Other boats were successfully tight-lining minnows, but they were casting Fish Stalker jigs in “Hot Mess” (pink and yellow) and Mountain Dew colors. 

There are also some good groups of fish down the lake, and the river channel about anywhere will hold fish in the same 14-30 foot depth. You can also locate schools at the very front of the creek channels at the same depth, but it won’t be too long before fish head further back. 

With rising temperatures it’s also no surprise that the black bass bite on Wateree has improved, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish are moving shallower and biting a bit better. The cold front after the weekend is likely to back them off a bit, but for now most any shallow rock on the main lake is holding fish. Dearal is targeting rock in 4-5 feet of water, and looking for areas protected from north winds. He has almost exclusively been fishing crankbaits.

So far docks have not been productive for Dearal. 

January 28

Lake Wateree is up to 96.5% of full pool and the water is stained but not muddy.  Morning surface water temperatures are around 42-43 degrees.

The crappie fishing on Lake Wateree is still pretty tough, butveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that you can catch some fish if you can find them. Big groups of fish are roaming around in open water, but the best concentrations are in the old river channel from the state park up. Down the lake fish are very sparse.

Some fish are flat on the bottom in about 30 feet of water but generally they are not eating, and the more catchable fish are near the bottom in 16-22 feet of water. Tight-lining is catching some fish, and LiveScope fishermen are looking for big schools of fish and then casting to them. 

Fish are very lethargic after the snow and right now Will reports that minnows are working better than jigs. 

With temperatures in the low 40s it’s no surprise that the black bass bite on Wateree is slow, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he, his son (on the USC bass fishing team), and Dearal’s tournament partner have caught some fish since the snow. However, in addition to it being a slow bite you have to work your bait very slowly. They have had the best luck fishing rock, particularly steep rock, with jigs and crankbaits. There may be some fish in brush but they have had better success in less than 7 feet of water targeting fish that have apparently moved up to feed. 

January 15

Lake Wateree is at 95.4% of full pool and clarity is pretty normal.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-40s. 

The crappie fishing on Lake Wateree has gotten even tougher, andveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish haven’t really moved – they are still pretty much all in open water – but they have gotten very lethargic in the cold. Most of the fish are suspended about 18-25 feet down fairly close to the bottom, and in the river channel near Wateree Creek (a traditional winter spot) they are 22-24 feet down over 25 or so feet of water. They aren’t taking anything very well, but it’s a good bet to have minnows available and try to entice them with minnows, jigs, and jigs tipped with minnows. 

There’s little prospect of dramatic warming in the next week, but when it does eventually warm fish will first move up in the water column – staying in open water. But if it gets really warm they will also go shallower. However, with the temperatures predicted the best bet is that their next move will be even tighter to the bottom and to get even more lethargic. 

In contrast, despite the cold the black bass bite on Lake Wateree is better than normal for the winter. CATT owner Brett Collins reports that usually the fishing gets tough in the colder months, especially when it gets very cold, but right now there is a good bite shallow around docks and rocks with a crankbait and an Alabama rig in less than 6 feet of water. Fish the main lake or very front of creeks. 

He is frankly surprised that anglers are catching anything, but Brett does note that the population of big fish seems to be down and he wonders if the up-and-down water levels of the last several years have hurt the spawns. Regardless there are a good number of 13-14 inch fish around which should be good for the future. 

January 3

Lake Wateree is at 95.4% of full pool and the lake is dingy but not muddy on the lower end, while the upper end is dirtier. Morning surface water temperatures are around 46 degrees. 

The crappie fishing on Lake Wateree has gotten tougher again in the cold temperatures, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that it appears the last cold snap finally pulled the vast majority of the fish off brush and other cover. He did catch one fish yesterday on a stump and saw a very few on structure, but the vast majority of the fish are now out in open water. 

With the cold temperatures they seem to be lethargic, and most of the fish he is marking are right on the bottom. He did catch some suspended 22-24 feet down in about 30 feet of water. Will has been mostly fishing the lower lake, but in the Wateree Creek area they are 22-24 feet down in the river channel over 25 or so feet of water. Particularly with water levels very low there is almost no action inside the creeks. 

While overall Will found a slow bite, he did catch a full limit of good fish with some over a pound and a half yesterday. He only fished jigs and had the best luck with Fish Stalker in Mountain Dew color.  He is casting but you can also tight-line.  

It’s been a decent black bass bite on Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the weather may change this but for now the action has been pretty good around docks. It could be that there are still some bream around docks, or that the last of the crawfish have not yet gone into hibernation. The best docks are closer to deep water and a jig has been working. 

The other major pattern is fishing a crankbait around rock, and while fish could be on flat rocky areas the best rock is steeper or at least on a shelf with deeper water nearby. Dearal notes that when rock is getting pressured clay banks, which will also hold heat, can be a good alternative. Clay itself holds heat but Wateree clay also has lots of small rocks in it. 

Finally, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that the striped bass and catfish fishing remains strong on Wateree. Massive schools of bait are now bunched up in the old river channel and will stay there for around the next 45 days, and the striper are suspended 10-15 feet deep over 40-45 feet of water. The best way to catch them is free-lining live bait early and shifting to down-rods 12-15 feet down as the sun gets up. 

For cats drifting cut perch and shad in the river channel is the best pattern, and they will also take deeper live baits.   

December 19

Lake Wateree is at 95.8% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear.  Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees. 

The crappie fishing on Lake Wateree has picked up significantly this week, andveteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that in less than two hours he had a limit yesterday. He is still finding a decent number of fish in the lower lake on deeper brush, and while they could be very close to pulling off they are biting very well right now. There is also a very large group of fish that are just swimming around right on the bottom in 15-25 feet of water, and if you manage to locate one of these groups of fish they will feed. That’s not typical and it’s unclear why they are not more suspended. For all these fish he is using Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color. 

While Will is sticking to the lower lake, there are almost certain to still be lots of fish up the river around Wateree Creek.  A few years ago most anglers would have been tight-lining with a vast array of rods, and that will still work, now other anglers are using forward-facing sonar to cast at fish. Both minnows and jigs are still working but as we come into the winter months having a minnow on your hook often becomes more important.

The only change with the black bass this week is that the dock bite has improved, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that it could possibly be because of the warmer weather. It could be that there are more bream around docks again, or they could just be getting up there to sun. 
If it’s just weather-related it will be temporary, and overall it’s probably best to look for fish in a typical winter pattern. That means looking especially for rocks and steeper banks where fish can quickly move from deeper to shallow then back to deeper water depending on conditions.

Fishing crankbaits on points is one good pattern, and you can also fish a jerkbait. If you locate some bait then slow-rolling a spinnerbait can be a good pattern. 

Additionally, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that the striped bass fishing remains strong on Wateree. Fish are on the main lake in 25-40 feet of water suspended 12-15 feet deep. Most fish are either in the river channel or on the flats adjacent to the channel. The best way to catch them is free-lining live bait early and shifting to down-rods 12-15 feet down as the sun gets up. 

Finally, the catfish action is still strong drifting cut perch and shad on main lake flats adjacent to the river channel in 20-25 feet of water, or actually drifting 35-40 feet of water in the channel or on channel ledges. 

December 12

Lake Wateree is at 95.8% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the mid-50s. 

It’s been a minute since we’ve had a catfish report on Lake Wateree, but The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that the lake is still full of them. On his last trip they caught 25 in three hours, and 10 times had doubles! Everything came drifting cut perch and shad on main lake flats in 20-25 feet of water that were adjacent to the river channel, or actually drifting 35-40 feet of water in the channel or on channel ledges. 

Of course they are still catching striped bass too, and Captain Chris reports that the striper are in the main creek mouths in 25 feet as well as suspended over the main river channel. They caught all of them free-lining shad or on down-rods fished 10-15 feet down. The striper bite is very early and very late in the day. 

The black bass are moving further into winter patterns, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the best action is now on the main lake and at the mouths of creeks. He is looking especially for rocks and steeper banks where fish can quickly move from deeper to shallow then back to deeper water depending on conditions.

Fishing crankbaits on points is one good pattern, and you can also fish a jerkbait. If you locate some bait then slow-rolling a spinnerbait can be a good pattern. 

While there are still some fish on docks, now that the bream have largely moved out fishing the front of docks when there is some brush is usually more productive than flipping to the backs. 

Perhaps 25% of the Lake Wateree crappie are still on brush in 15-25 feet, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that’s more likely on the lower end in the deeper water where it takes longer for the fish to feel that temperatures have cooled. But most of the fish are starting to pull off of brush and roam in about 20 feet of water. Some are running 10-12 feet deep, while others are closer to the bottom in 18-20 feet. As always on Lake Wateree substantial numbers of fish are starting to move up the rivers to the area around Wateree Creek.

While a few years ago most anglers would have been tight-lining with a vast array of rods, and that will still work, now more often anglers are using forward-facing sonar to cast at fish. Both minnows and jigs are still working but as we come into the winter months having a minnow on your hook often becomes more important.

December 4

Lake Wateree is at 95.4% of full pool and the lake is still clear for Wateree. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the mid-50s. 

The crappie have finally made their move on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish are starting to pull off of brush. There are still fish that can be caught on main lake structure in 15-25 feet, but every day higher percentages of fish are roaming in about 20 feet of water. Some are running 10-12 feet deep, while others are closer to the bottom in 18-20 feet. As always on Lake Wateree substantial numbers of fish are starting to move up the rivers to the area around Wateree Creek.

While a few years ago most anglers would have been tight-lining with a vast array of rods, and that will still work, now more often anglers are using forward-facing sonar to cast at fish. Both minnows and jigs are still working but as we come into the winter months having a minnow on your hook often becomes more important.

The black bass seem to have gotten a little tougher to catch as this cold front arrived, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish can be found around rocky points. Most of the fish are moving out to the main lake, and they are highly oriented towards following bait schools. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jerkbaits will all catch fish.  

As always on Wateree there are also a decent number of fish around docks, and flipping a jig is a good option. 

While the striped bass aren’t schooling right now on Wateree, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that it’s still a very exciting to time to catch them. The best place to look for fish is on main lake flats near where the mouths of creek channels intersect with the main river channel in about 20-25 feet of water. The active fish are generally suspended about 10-18 feet deep, and while you will mark some on the bottom in 30-40 feet these are usually passive fish that won’t eat. Key on feeding fish by using your electronics to find them in 10-15-20 feet and then start fishing. 

You can either catch them by fishing down rods about 12 feet down or running free-lines 4-8 feet down. 

November 20

Lake Wateree is at 95.8% of full pool and the lake is still clear for Wateree. Morning surface water temperatures are about 65 degrees. 

The crappie fishing is getting better and better on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that there is no doubt fish are feeding better. They are still on main lake structure in 15-25 feet of water, be it brush, stumps, trees, or any other sunken cover. Again this week there are no signs the fish are breaking up into smaller pods, but that will change almost overnight when it does. 

Fish Stalker Slab Tail jigs (2-inch) in Mountain Dew, glimmer blue, and black emerald are working very well.  

But the most exciting thing going on Wateree is the schooling striped bass, and Will notes that he is seeing them all over the lake but especially on the lower end.  Early and late they are on the surface over the middle of the channel usually in the deepest water, although he has also seen them follow shad into just 18-20 feet. Generally they are going wherever the bait goes. 

At the same time tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the black bass are doing something similar on Lake Wateree, and while he is still finding them back in the creeks on shad and around grass he is noticing more fish starting to relate to main lake points and the channel. Generally these fish are adjacent to areas where the striper are attacking bait. 

While there is still a place for flipping creek docks or throwing spinnerbaits in the grass, he is now spending more time with crankbaits, shaky heads, and jigs on points. 

November 13

Lake Wateree is at 96.2% of full pool and the lake is still clear for Wateree. Morning surface water temperatures are about 67 degrees. 

The black bass are on similar patterns on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he is still seeing the greatest concentrations of fish shallow in the creeks. They are heavily keying on shad, although they are also eating bream which are still mostly shallow. 

In the tournament Saturday Dearal managed a fair limit fishing grass with spinnerbaits and Texas rigs, but too late he realized that with dropping water levels fish were becoming more point-oriented. When that happens fish are likely to make their way out of the coves and group up on points. 

The crappie patterns haven’t changed this week but the fishing is getting better, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish are still on main lake structure in 15-25 feet of water. He is mostly fishing the lower end.  While a week ago it seemed like more fish were starting to roam, for now he is still seeing giant schools of 700 plus fish on brush and they don’t seem to be leaving yet. 

Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color are working very well.  

November 8

Lake Wateree is at 97.5% of full pool and the lake is surprisingly clear, from the lower end to at least near the top. Morning surface water temperatures are about 70 degrees. 

We have another very fresh black bass fishing report from tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden, on the water right now, who reports that in the post-frontal conditions the fish are not biting particularly well. They are clearly shallow, and Dearal is finding better concentrations of fish in the creeks than on the main lake. But the fish that are biting are often biting short. 

The best catches have come on crankbaits (perhaps because of the trebles for short strikes), but he’s also throwing jigs, swim jigs, and buzzbaits. The buzzbait in particular they are just slapping at.

Conditions should improve soon but it’s useful to know fish are shallow in the creeks around bait. 

Meanwhile the crappie bite has been pretty consistent this week, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish are still on main lake structure in 15-25 feet of water. He is mostly fishing the lower end. Just now fish seem to be starting to roam a bit in open water, but there are still plenty of fish on brush, stumps, etc.  There are also a lot of bream stacked up on the same structure, and if you find bream you will also usually find crappie.

Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color are working very well.  

October 30

Lake Wateree is at 97.7% of full pool and the lake has cleared significantly. Morning surface water temperatures are about 66 degrees. 

The most exciting thing going on right now on Lake Wateree is the striped bass bite, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that, while there are times when they are stacked up on the bottom and won’t bite, in the afternoons he has found them rising up in the water column with some pretty incredible schooling activity. When that happens you can cast at the fish with your favorite topwater, and they will also hit live bait rods. At one point on his last trip Captain Chris had six fish on at once!

Another Lake Wylie guide, Captain Rodger Taylor with Catfish ON! Guide Service (803-517-7828), hasn’t run into schooling fish as much so far this fall but has been able to entice deep fish to bite by swimming a live gizzard shad over their head. Down-sizing line and hooks, and sometimes using planer boards to get the bait away from the boat, seems to be the trick. They are also catching some seemingly inactive fish right under the boat. 

Meanwhile crappie fishing is fair, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that he is catching fish on the main lake towards the dam. The fish are definitely in a transition phase before they start roaming in open water, and while they are still on structure in 15-25 feet they are in small schools of 5 or 6 fish. Casting Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color or hair jigs has been catching fish.

While the crappie aren’t roaming yet, the bream certainly are and at times it can be difficult to a get bait through to crappie they are so thick. 

Finally, on the black bass front tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that pretty much all the action is shallow right now but it varies from day to day. Friday the fishing was excellent, but on Saturday with bright sunny skies and a rising barometer fish were hitting short. In those conditions you have to slow down and finesse them with a shaky head or the like.

Generally, they have been catching fish around rocks and docks in the creeks and coves running the banks. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits can be good in low-light conditions (Saturday they were hitting both short), but when the sun rises you usually have to flip into shade right now. 

No one seems to be fishing offshore right now. 

October 16

Lake Wateree is at 97.4% of full pool and the lake is stained but not muddy. Morning surface water temperatures are about 72 degrees. 

The crappie have showed up again, and as he suspected veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt is virtually certain that they were hugging the bottom after Helene with the raging current moving through the lake. That’s because the fish he was catching immediately after conditions settled down all had red, scratched bellies as if they had been on the lake floor.

While they are still on the main lake the fish have moved shallower, and Will is now catching them in 13-18 feet of water around brush, stumps, and other structure. Mostly they are on river ledges out away from the bank, and he has caught fish from about Clearwater Cove to the state park but not yet way up the lake.  That’s coming.  Fish Stalker “hot mess” jigs (pink with a yellow tail) have been his most productive baits. 

The bass fishing is fair on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the fish are shallow. They are mainly catching them around grass, although his son has caught fish on docks, and they are having the best luck running the banks in pockets off the main lake. Still, Dearal is certain there are also some fish in the creeks. They have caught fish on a spinnerbait and flipping a bream-colored beaver-style bait around the grass, but they have also heard of anglers catching fish on a swim jig and buzzbait around grass. Dearal and his tournament partner couldn’t find any action on topwaters this week, however. 

October 9

Lake Wateree is down to 97.2% of full pool and the lake is still pretty dirty but starting to normalize. Morning surface water temperatures are about 75 degrees. 

Considering that ten days ago Lake Wateree was the second or third highest it’s ever been, and that within week Duke pulled it down around 8 feet and back to normal levels, veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt isn’t surprised that with all that current ripping through the lake the crappie fishing got tough.  But he didn’t realize it would get this hard. On his last trip out, in six hours of fishing he had zero bites and couldn’t mark a crappie, bream or white perch on any of the brush he has been fishing.  On the main lake or in the creeks.  The only thing he could see was the occasional catfish. All Will can speculate is that fish got flat to the bottom in areas off to the sides of the channel where there was some sort of drop or other structure that created a current break. 

With lake levels back to normal and the current gone the fish should start to act more normally, and as soon as Will locates them again he will let us know!

Fortunately the bass fishing news is more positive, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that in part because water temperatures are five degrees cooler than before the storm he thinks the fishing has substantially improved. The fish are spread out and shallow, but they don’t seem to be as far back in the coves and creeks as they were before the water levels rose and then plummeted – pulling them back out.

He has caught fish around grass and docks, and spinnerbaits and buzzbaits have both been working. They might also take a frog. You can probably also catch fish on soft plastics, but in the dirty conditions the reaction bite seems a little stronger.

 

October 2

Lake Wateree is down to 101.4% of full pool and the whole lake is chocolate milk. 

Wateree had perhaps the most extreme water level rise of any South Carolina lake during Helene, and at its peak it hit 105.7% of full pool Monday night – meaning water was rushing more than five feet over the dam. 

While veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt hasn’t been able to get after them when landings were closed, from experience he knows that as soon as he is able to the crappie will be hunkered tight to the bottom and trying to get out of the worst of the current. With water flying out of the creeks they won’t want to be there either, and instead they will be looking for areas to the side on the main lake where they can get out of the worst of it. 

Tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden has been to the lake many times this week, observing water conditions, but hasn’t been able to put a boat in either. However, he also expects the bass to have moved around because of the storm. They should be shallow if the water levels aren’t dropping too fast and they will be looking for current breaks.