Angler's Headquarters
Learn more about Lake Monticello below
March 25
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are around 57 at the 99 end and 63 by the dam. Both ends of the lake are stained, with the dam a bit dirtier, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
March 19
Morning surface water temperatures continue to climb on Lake Monticello, with most of the lake 60 degrees or above. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
March 12
Morning surface water temperatures continue to climb on Lake Monticello, with upper 50s to lower 60s now common. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
March 6
Morning surface water temperatures are around 56-57 on the 99 end and 62-64 near the power plant. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
February 26
Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s on most of Lake Monticello, with the warmest water near the power plant. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
February 19
Morning surface water temperatures are about 52-53 on the 99 end, while they are as warm as 64 close to the power plant. The upper end of the lake is slightly stained while the lower end is heavily stained. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
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.
