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Learn more about Lake Monticello below
December 19
Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 50s, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The lake is very clear.
December 12
Morning surface water temperatures range from about 58 at the 99 end to 60 down the lake near the power station, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water has been gin clear and will likely stay that way at least on the 99 end even with the rain.
December 3
Morning surface water temperatures range from about 58 at the 99 end to 64 down the lake near the power station, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear.
November 20
Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 60s and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is still very clear.
November 13
Morning surface water temperatures are still around 71 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear.
November 8
Morning surface water temperatures are around 72 degrees and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water is gin clear.
Read more fishing reports from Lake Monticello and other popular places at the AHQ Report!
Located in Fairfield County, South Carolina near the town of Winnsboro, Lake Monticello was created in 1979 to cool the South Carolina Electric and Gas (now Dominion Energy South Carolina) nuclear reactor which is beside the lake. The lake is approximately 6 miles long and encompasses 6800 acres of water. There are a few minor creeks that feed it, and there was a small creek that ran through the middle of the valley which is now the lake, but a river that runs parallel to the lake is the main water source. Water is pumped from the Broad River into Lake Monticello and then back out frequently if not regularly, and the lake levels can fluctuate by several feet in only an hour or two. The deepest areas in the lake are around 160 feet.
With no stocked striped bass other species have filled the void, and stocked blue catfish have out-competed most native catfish species and are prolific in the lake. In the summer they are caught at all depths, and in addition to a tremendous number of blue catfish they are also reach 100-plus pound sizes. While the lake once had an abundant crappie fishery those numbers appear to have dwindled, but the lake is still home to a population of trophy black bass including both largemouth and smallmouth bass. There are also abundant bream and white perch in the lake, and the main forage species are threadfin shad and gizzard shad.
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