December 20

Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool and surface water temperatures are down to 51-53 degrees. The lake has been dirty but the lower end is the clearest section.  

It’s still pretty brutal out there for bass on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that the last three weekends it has taken about 10 pounds to win. He and his tournament partner took third and big fish in a recent tournament with a single 4.46 pound bass!

The best fishing seems to be in the cleaner water on the south end, and both in the main lake and the creeks people are starting to throw Alabama rigs around channel swings. With dirty conditions over much of the lake crankbaits, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits have also been popular. 

There has also been some schooling first thing.

Reid notes that, while there are a few different patterns, considering the tournament weights keep in mind that they are all a very slow grind.

If you want to catch fish you are better off going after catfish on Lake Wylie, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports even though the bite has slowed a bit he rates it as “good”.  On cut shad he is catching fish ranging from about 6 to 37 pounds.  The best action is in the lower lake from Buster Boyd Bridge south, and the two best patterns are anchoring in 5-20 feet off points and drifting deep flats in 25-32 feet.

November 19

Lake Wylie is at 97.2% of full pool and surface water temperatures are in the mid-60s. They are pulling a ton of water through the lake such that the upper end is clearing while the lower end has gotten very muddy. 

At this point it sounds like a broken record, but tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that the bass fishing remains brutally tough on Lake Wylie. While a respectable 14-4 bag (four fish) won a recent tournament, second place dropped to five fish that went 6 pounds! And in a recent CATT event only 7 pounds was good for the win. 

While there are still some fish in the creeks, the “best” pattern the last few days has been fishing a spinnerbait or Chatterbait in the muddy water of the main lake shallows. A crankbait can also get some bites around shallow rock. 

Up the lake in the clearer water the creek pattern is fishing a little better, and you can catch fish in a more traditional fall pattern on topwater lures, spinnerbaits and crankbaits around bait schools.

October 20

Lake Wylie is at 97.3% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 70-71 degrees. Usually October and November have some of the clearest water of the year, but probably as a result of a lot of suspended solids the water is a turbid dark green. 

It’s a “good” bite for blue and channel catfish on Lake Wylie, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching strong numbers of teenage-sized fish. There are a few fish in the 20s, and a few smaller ones, but right now the population of 12-18 pound blues seems to be really healthy. 

As it gets colder the bite should get even better, but for right now fish are in transition mode. Some days they will be on the upslope of the river channel in 32-44 feet of water, while another day they will be on the flats just off the channel in 32-34 feet. Drifting is the preferred method and Rodger’s boat is almost exclusively using gizzard shad. Occasionally they will fish with bluegill.

The bass fishing remains brutally tough on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that it’s not unheard of for a good fishermen to spend 8 hours on the water and not catch anything.  That’s not to say no one is catching fish, but it’s the opposite of easy.

While there obviously remains no great pattern, the best bet is to get in the creeks and work your way down the bank all the way to the flats in the back.  Throw a buzzbait or square-bill, and when there are fish in the area you should know it.  The bass are almost pelagic following shad right now and so they are more oriented to the channel contours than any type of cover or structure. Keep your eyes open as there is some occasional schooling activity. 

You can also fish a jig around docks if you want to try to target bass that are eating bream.

October 9

Lake Wylie is at 96.7% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 72-73 degrees.

Anyone hoping for a seasonal improvement with the bass fishing on Lake Wylie would be disappointed so far, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that it only took about 9 pounds to win a recent CATT tournament. It’s unclear why the fishing remains so tough.

While there is no great pattern, the best bet is to look for bass that have followed bait into the middle to backs of creeks. Buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers, spinnerbaits, square-bills and Rattle Traps could all catch fish, but you usually have to be around shad to get bites fishing this way.  

You can also fish a jig around docks if you want to try to target bass that are eating bream. 

There is not much schooling activity to speak of. 

The blue and channel catfish remain relatively scattered on Lake Wylie, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that patterns are unlikely to change very much until we get significant rain or the weather turns sharply cooler.   As a result that means drifting, and they are catching good numbers of blues in the 12-22 pound range as well as a mix of channel catfish.  The best area to drift is flats off the main channel during the day.  

At night they are setting up in less than 8 feet of water and fishing long sloping points near deep water, sandy banks littered with Asiatic clam shells, and wind-blown banks.  They are getting 5-10 good fish at night most trips.  Shad, white perch, and bluegill heads are working the best.

September 24

Lake Wylie is back up to 96.7% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 76 degrees on the south end of the lake. The water is a chalky color almost like it is starting to turn over (which it probably is not.)

As temperatures drop the bass on Lake Wylie are starting to get more and more into fall patterns, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that fish have gone further into the creeks following shad.  The bait has gotten into the middle section of creeks and sometimes even further back.  Buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers and other topwater lures can all work, and square-billed crankbaits have also been productive this week. 

There has been less schooling activity in recent years, for reasons that are unclear, but by the end of September what schooling action there will be should have started.

While many bass will be eating shad there are still a lot that are eating bream, and so there is also a pretty good jig bite around docks. 

The blue and channel catfish are relatively scattered on Lake Wylie, but Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching good numbers of fish in the 8-14 pound range with an occasional large fish over 30.   The best way to catch the blues is drifting in 15-25 feet of water during the day.  At night they are setting up in less than 8 feet of water and fishing long sloping points near deep water, sandy banks littered with Asiatic clam shells, and wind-blown banks.  They are getting 5-10 good fish at night most trips.  Shad, white perch, and bluegill heads are working the best.

September 16

Lake Wylie is down to 95.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s.   

Some positive seasonal changes are starting to take place with the bass on Lake Wylie and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that fish are just starting to move into the creeks following shad. The bait has been mostly suspended in the river channels, but it is starting to move into the middle section of the creeks heading towards the backs. As it congregates in bigger groups fish are starting to feed better on buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers and other topwater lures. There has been less schooling activity in recent years, for reasons that are unclear, but by the end of September what schooling action there will be should start up.

While many bass will be eating shad there are still a lot that are eating bream, and so there is also a pretty good jig bite around docks. 

There’s not a lot of change in the catfish pattern on Lake Wylie, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that water temperatures will have to drop several more degrees before the cats really start to behave differently.  The day bite is still better than the night bite, but at night they are still catching some nice blues and the occasional flathead anchoring on ledges and covering the range from very shallow to deep water.  However, the best action is on days with a steady wind and on the lower end they are still having very good results drifting 30-39 foot flats just off the channel.  Cut white perch continues to be the best bait.

August 27

Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s.   

Earlier in the summer the best catfish action was coming at night, but in the last few weeks Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that things have flipped around and the night bite has gotten a little slower while during the day the action has improved. At night they are still catching some nice blues and the occasional flathead anchoring on ledges and covering the range from very shallow to deep water, but when they are really wearing out the fish is on days that have a steady wind. On the lower end they are drifting 30-39 foot flats just off the channel and catching 12-22 pound fish with lots of 14 and 15 pounders. Unusual for summer, cut white perch has been working the best recently. 

While the Lake Wylie bass fishing has been tough for a little while, as temperatures begin to drop a few degrees tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that the action is just starting to improve. There are still a few offshore fish being caught on structure in 15-25 feet on deep running crankbaits, Ole Monsters, shakey heads and jigs, but this bite has gotten pretty tough. The best pattern has been looking for shallow fish that are eating bream. As temperatures cool the topwater bite has gotten better throughout the day, and they are also taking jigs and worms.

July 29

Lake Wylie is at 96.5% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. The lake is clear with a relative absence of significant rain. 

As with most everywhere in South Carolina, bass fishing has really slowed down on Lake Wylie right now. Tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that 10 pounds is a very solid five-bass limit, and it may be a little while before there is significant improvement.

Still, fish can be caught, and while there is not as much bream bedding activity as earlier there are still plenty of bream around docks and other shallow cover. Bass are cruising the banks hunting for bream, and both jigs and surface lures will work. 

There are also fish on offshore structure in 15-25 feet, even as they are extremely scattered. Deep running crankbaits, Ole Monsters, shakey heads and swimbaits on jigheads can all work. 

Finally, there can be some fish caught on mid-depth brush piles in 10-15 feet of water with jigs and drop shots. 

Things are much better on the catfish front, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they have been catching some really nice blues and flatheads. Most of the fish have been in the 12-16 pound range, but they have caught fish of both species in the 30-pound range recently. The best pattern has been fishing at night and anchoring on drop offs in about 15 feet of water. Cut shad has been working the best.

June 30

Lake Wylie has dropped to 96.8% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees. The water is fairly clear. A thermocline is starting to form around 34 feet on the south end. 

It wouldn’t take huge weights to win a bass tournament on Lake Wylie right now, but tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that there are still plenty of hungry fish to be caught. With a pretty heavy mayfly hatch going on right now there is good topwater action – especially early and late – in areas with mayflies. Buzzbaits, Pop-Rs, Spro Frogs and more will catch fish.  

The bream bed bite is also still pretty good and Reid is finding a bunch of fish in less than 5 feet of water around docks and other shallow cover. Jigs will catch fish but surface lures will also work. 

Fish are also on offshore structure, and all of the community holes in 15-25 feet of water have fish. Deep running crankbaits, Ole Monsters, shakey heads and swimbaits on jigheads are all catching fish. While there are some good ones out there you have to wade through a lot of little fish.

Finally, there has been a pretty good mid-depth bite fishing around brush piles in 10-15 feet of water with jigs and drop shots. 

On the catfish front, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the action has really improved in the last week.  They are catching fish anchoring near ledges and fan-casting fresh cut baits into 10-20 feet of water.  This pattern is working over the whole lake, and there is a good mix of channels and blues with the occasional flathead for good measure.  The blue cats appear to be coming off the spawn with a decent number of fish in the 10-24 pound range.

June 11

Lake Wylie is at 97.3% of full pool and water temperatures are in the upper 70s to low 80s. Because of all the current and wave action the water has a bit lower visibility than usual. 

Up and down water conditions have made for an unusual bite on Lake Wylie, and tournament bass angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that the lake has gone from having a ton of rain and getting muddy to being pulled very hard and clearing up. While visibility has mostly improved this is not translating into a great bass bite, and in the tournament this weekend the top three bags were 12 pounds, 11 pounds and 10 pounds.

Fish are getting on offshore structure, and all of the community holes in 15-25 feet of water are covered up with boats.  Deep running crankbaits, Ole Monsters, shakey heads and swimbaits on jigheads are all catching fish. While there are some good ones out there you have to wade through a lot of little fish.

Meanwhile, the bream bed bite is getting really good and Reid is finding a bunch of fish in less than 5 feet of water around docks and other shallow cover. With clarity issues the beds have been a little hard to spot and sometimes anglers are on top of them before they see them. While he has caught a few small ones on buzzbaits, jigs have actually been working better.  Sizes are still not great. 

Finally, there are also some bass that can be caught beating the bank first thing on topwater lures. These may be fish that would be suspended off points during the day but will come up shallow at night to feed. 

While some people like to catch bass around bream beds, some people are very happy catching and eating bream!  Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that bluegills and shellcrackers are both bedding heavily in the back of sloughs and on the shoreline around docks. Some beds have good numbers while some appear to be abandoned. 

On the catfish front, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they have caught fair to good numbers of fish on recent trips.  Yesterday a half-day guide trip was good for seven channel catfish and five blues up to 14 pounds. 

The best pattern is drifting in the mid-lake area in 15-30 feet of water.  Rodger has found some as deep as 35 feet but that has been less consistent.  Shallow, irregular parts of mid-lake flats have been fishing the best.