July 30
Clarks Hill water levels are up to 330.97 (full pool is 330.00).
While he caught bass this week, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that the fishing
July 29
Morning surface water temperatures are about 84 degrees around Hilton Head and the water is relatively clear. There are tons of small shrimp inshore and more big ones should be on the way. Finger mullet are also prolific.
As he predicted last week, Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) is pleased to report
July 29
Lake Murray water levels are still high at 358.08 (full pool is 360.00) and the Little Saluda is dingy while the Big Saluda is clear. The main lake is clear except for a green summer algae tint. Morning surface water temperatures on the big water are back up to about 84 degrees.
The striped bass fishing is still about the same on Lake Murray, and Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports
July 29
Morning surface water temperatures are still about 83 degrees around Beaufort, but with a ton of rain and freshwater inflow the water is a muddy mess. From mullet to menhaden to shrimp there is tons of bait in the area.
Even though the tailing tides aren’t as high as last week, Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports
July 29
Lake Monticello surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s, warmer on the lower end near the power plant, and the lake is still clear. Water levels fluctuate daily.
There’s still not a lot of change with the bass fishing on Lake Monticello, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports
July 28
Lake Hartwell water levels remain very high at 660.84 (full pool is 660.00) but the lake has cleared a little. Morning surface water temperatures are still in the mid-80s.
There are a few more changes with the hybrid and striped bass bite this week, and one is that Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
July 28
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 439.24 (full pool is 440.0) and surface water temperatures are as high as 92 degrees.
With water temperatures that high it’s unsurprising that the striped bass bite has gotten tougher on Greenwood, and Guide Daniel Skipper (864-430-0488) reports
July 28
Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s around Murrells Inlet.
Baisch Boys Bait and Tackle (843-651-1915) has regular and jumbo mud minnows, live shrimp, fiddler crabs, live sand fleas, blood worms, fresh head-on shrimp, and a full range of frozen baits. Live finger mullet are big enough for bait and prolific in the creeks, but the water has gotten so hot that they are not always able to keep them alive and in stock.
July 28
Lake Russell is still just above full pool at 465.10 (full pool is 475.00) and the main lake is clear with the lake overall clearing. Morning surface water temperatures are about 86 degrees.
The fishing has slowed down just a little on Lake Russell this week, butGuide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports
July 28
Inshore surface water temperatures around Little River have dropped a little to about 83 degrees. There is tons of bait around including shrimp, mullet and more.
One major change this week is that Captain Patrick “Smiley” Kelly (843-361-7445) reports
July 28
Lake Wateree is at 96.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 84 degrees.
Earlier in the summer tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden was still finding a good shallow bite, but now LiveScope imaging
July 27
Lake Keowee is at 98.0% of full pool and clarity is normal. Most of the lake is in the mid- to high 80s with the coolest water at the base of the Jocassee dam in the high 70s.
There’s not much change on the lake this week, as N&C Marine/Skeeter Team member Guide Charles Townson (864-324-2065) reports
It was a fortunate confluence of events leading me to Lake Greenwood last week. This late February, March and early April I got hooked on shallow crappie fishing on the lower end of Lake Murray, and I was disappointed when the fish made their annual move deeper. This year I have also been getting regularLake Greenwood fishing reports from Guide Daniel Skipper, and all year I have been very impressed by his knowledge of the lake as well as his catch rate. But I was intrigued when – even as the weather got very hot – he was still catching Lake Greenwood crappie around relatively shallow brush. I most certainly was not, and so I was pleased when Daniel had an afternoon slot available to take a buddy and me out on Lake Greenwood to try and fill a cooler with crappie and teach us about the fishery.
July 23
Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees Hilton Head. There are tons of small shrimp around and more big ones should be on the way. Finger mullet are also prolific.
Summer in Hilton Head usually means abundant tarpon, but Captain Kai Williams (843-816-7475) reports
July 23
Lake Jocassee is up to 98.9% of full pool after all this rain. While the main lake is still clear the creeks are very dirty by Jocassee standards. Morning surface water temperatures on the big water are 78-80 degrees.
It’s no surprise that the trout have gone deep on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports
July 23
Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees around Beaufort and the water is dirty. From mullet to menhaden to shrimp there is tons of bait in the area.
It’s still the case that an abundance of food means that that the redfish aren’t feeding especially well at lower stages of the tide, but Captain Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) reports
July 23
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 439.13 (full pool is 440.0) and morning surface water temperatures are around 85 degrees.
There are still basically two ways to fish for bass on Lake Greenwood, and veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports
July 22
Clarks Hill water levels are up to 330.29 (full pool is 330.00) and morning surface water temperatures are 85-86 degrees.
There are a few different patterns for catching bass right now on Clarks Hill, but overall Tyler Matthews of Evans, GA reports
July 22
Lake Monticello surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s, warmer on the lower end near the power plant, and the lake is still clear. Water levels fluctuate daily.
There’s not a lot of change with the bass fishing on Lake Monticello, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports
July 22
Inshore surface water temperatures around Edisto Island are up to 85 degrees in the morning, and clarity is good. There are tons of finger mullet and white shrimp in the creeks and so bait is no problem.
There has been some improvement with the fishing around Edisto, and Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (843-513-0143) reports
July 22
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.65 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.56 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are about 84 degrees and the lower lake is still very clear.
It’s still a really good catfish bite on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports
July 22
Lake Wateree is at 96.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 84 degrees. Despite the rain at least the lower end still just has a normal amount of stain.
For some time now the better bass bite on Lake Wateree has been shallow, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports
July 21
Inshore surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s around Charleston.
It’s not a bad time for fishing in the Charleston area, and Redfin Charters (843-277-5255) reports
July 21
Lake Murray water levels have jumped up about 6 inches to 357.97 (full pool is 360.00) and the rivers are getting muddy while the main lake still looks pretty good. Morning surface water temperatures on the big water have dropped to about 82 degrees.
It may be late July but it’s still a really good bass bite on Lake Murray, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria (fresh off his third straight top-3 Tuesday night tournament result with his father Steve) reports