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Veteran tournament bass angler Stan Gunter says that in his opinion there’s only one place worth looking for largemouth bass on Lake Greenwood right now – up shallow around spawning areas!  It’s possible that some big fish remain in deeper water around brush, but just driving around the banks (now that the water has cleared up) you can see a ton of good fish in the shallows.  A few days ago there were still a good number of fish in a pre-spawn pattern, and the cool front earlier this week paused things briefly.   However, with the full moon Stan says the majority of fish are now actively engaged in some stage of spawning behavior, particularly now that it’s gotten hot again.

As far as the specific areas to look for fish Stan says they will be in the very backs in traditional spawning areas.  All the little pockets that have a good sand or pea gravel bottom will hold fish.  Floating worms are a good option, and in the morning Bang-O-Lures and buzzbaits will both get some good bites.

Overall, Lake Greenwood is at 437.79 and water temperatures are in the 63-67 degree range.

Crappie: Good.  Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that water conditions have finally improved, and as expected a strong seasonal bite for crappie has taken off.  Perhaps because of the up-and-down temperatures fish can be found in variety of different areas, and there is a mix of fish shallow, staging, getting ready to move up and even deep (starting 10-12 feet down on out).  The recent cool snap definitely ran some fish out deeper.  How you fish for them basically depends on which group you want to target, and for the deeper fish tight-line trolling is working – while for the mid-depth and relatively shallow fish long-lining with jigs is working well.  For super-shallow fish casting jigs and minnows to the bank is probably the best method, as well as for target-oriented fish around docks, shallow laydowns and the like.

Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson reports that the catfish bite has finally improved on Greenwood, and fish have moved into the very backs.  As on Lake Murray fish can be found around shallow points, particularly in “secondary” creeks and coves that come off of major creeks or the main river runs.  It’s unclear whether the shad spawn has already gotten started, but going through the shallows you spook a lot of shad in water as shallow as 1-2 feet.  Fishing in the afternoon and evening can be the best of the day, as the sun heats up the water and pulls baitfish (and catfish) into the shallows.   Drifting through the shallows is probably the best pattern right now, particularly off the Reedy and Saluda Rivers.  Cut herring and cut white perch are both good bait choices, and if anglers want to have the chance to catch a big flathead or two pulling a whole bream is a good option.