Angler's Headquarters
Learn more about Lake Keowee below
March 27
Lake Keowee is at 98.0% of full pool and water clarity is very high on the main lake, even with pollen concentrations. Morning surface water temperatures have now reached the low 60s over most of the lake with mid-60s found near the nuclear station.
March 20
Lake Keowee is at 98.0% of full pool and water clarity is very high on the main lake although a lot of pollen is now accumulating as well – and definitely having an effect on forward-facing sonar for the next few weeks! Morning surface water temperatures have inched up to the low 60s over most of the lake with mid-60s found near the nuclear station.
March 13
Lake Keowee is at 98.9% of full pool and water clarity is very high on the main lake with some stain found in the very back of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures have now reached the low to mid-60s in the mid-lake region over the past few days, with most of the lake now in the upper 50s.
March 5
Lake Keowee is at 98.0% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures in the low 60s can be found mid-lake with temperatures in the mid- to upper 50s now found throughout the rest of the lake.
February 27
Lake Keowee is at 97.6% of full pool and water clarity is very high on the main lake but there is some stain in the back of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures remain in the upper 50s on the north and south ends, while temperatures in the low 60s can be found mid-lake.
February 19
Lake Keowee is at 98.8% of full pool and water clarity is normal on the main lake but stained to muddy in the back of the major creeks due to recent rainfall. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s over most of the lake, with the warmest water at 60 degrees near the power plant.
Read more fishing reports from Lake Keowee and other popular places at the AHQ Report!
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Clemson, South Carolina, construction of Lake Keowee was completed in 1973. The lake was created to serve the needs of Duke Energy, and lake water cools three nuclear reactors at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. The northern end of the lake backs up to Lake Jocassee, the power plant is in the mid-lake section, and at the lower end outflows from the two dams (Keowee Dam and Little River Dam) combine to form the Seneca River and feed one of the major arms of Lake Hartwell. A beautiful, generally clear lake, it is about 25 miles long and oriented north/ south, covers approximately 18,500 acres, and has around 300 acres of shoreline. At the widest it is about 3 miles wide, and the lake averages 50 feet deep.
Unlike many South Carolina lakes, Lake Keowee does not have striped bass stocked by the Department of Natural Resources – nor significant numbers of blueback herring – nor does it have stocked trout. It does have largemouth bass, with some large fish caught each year, but the numbers are dwindling and DNR has launched a habitat restoration project aiming to re-grow native vegetation. The lake still has some big white crappie as well as a very few black crappie, but this population has also dwindled. There are bream and giant catfish in Lake Keowee, with an 89-pound blue catfish caught in the spring of 2020 – and there is little doubt that there are still larger fish swimming. But Lake Keowee is best known for its massive population of non-native spotted bass that feast on the main forage base of threadfin shad.
Are you in the know? Sign up to get exclusive fishing reports and special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
