Saltwater trends
Little River
Strong winds have continued to make for tough fishing this week in the Little River area. Spottail Bass: Fair. Anglers are catching spottail bass along structure in the ICW, around creek mouth drains, and in the upper creeks using live mud minnows and Berkeley Gulp. The jetties are also productive right now. Trout: Good. The trout bite is strong and 3 to 5 pound fish are being taken at the Little River jetties where some big trout are being caught on live shrimp. Berkeley Gulp baits and DOA shrimp have also been effective. Flounder: Excellent. Most of the flounder have now returned inshore and can be caught in Cherry Grove and 53rd area creeks using mud minnows. Flounder are also being taken at the Little River jetties. Fish up to 8 pounds are being reported caught. Surf Report: Whiting and pompano are prolific, and sand fleas have arrived. Bluefish are also being caught in good numbers. Cherry Grove Pier: The bluefish bite is still excellent, with lots of blues up to 9 pounds and averaging 5-6 pounds caught. Spanish mackerel, trout and lots of medium and small flounder are also being caught.
Grand Strand
A few menhaden and finger mullet schools have begun to arrive; expect the bait to arrive in full force in the next couple of weeks. Spottail Bass: Good. The large schools of spottail bass have broken up for the year, and fish are cruising alone or in small packs. Spottails are being caught in the backwaters and creeks, and many drum are being caught by flounder fishermen drifting or trolling Murrells Inlet. Some larger fish are also being caught around the Murrells Inlet jetties. Mud minnows, live or cut mullet, and cut shrimp are all producing. Trout: Fair. There are few recent reports of trout catches but the Georgetown area has been most successful for trout. Also, some trout are being caught on the outside of the jetty walls. Try Mirrolures, Gulp shrimp, or live shrimp. Flounder: Very good. Flounder fishing is hot and nice numbers of fish are being reported with about half of these fish being keeper sized. Drift or troll live mud minnows in Murrells Inlet or other inlets and creeks. Pompano: Very good. Pompano have showed up and are feeding aggressively in the surf. Fish with sand fleas in areas that have not been dredged for best results. The fish are mainly small but a 2.5 pounder was weighed in recently. Perry's Bait and Tackle sells sand fleas. Bluefish: Very good. Huge bluefish by South Carolina standards are being caught in the surf, including large numbers of fish between 8 and 15 pounds as well as lots of 12 to 14 inch fish. Piers: This is one of the best years in memory for Spanish Mackerel off the piers, and the bluefish run continues to be one of the strongest in some time. Springmaid Pier: Spanish mackerel are being caught in large numbers, although most are on the small side. Bluefish are also being caught, and croaker and whiting generally ranging from half to one pound are being caught, with occasional flounder and black and red drum mixed in. Myrtle Beach State Park Pier: Good sized whiting are being caught and the 2 lb. 10 oz. state record was tied off the pier recently. Lots of good sized Spanish Mackerel and bluefish are being caught, and pompano have also arrived. Apache Pier: Blues and Spanish are still very good, and lots of flounder have been caught recently, including a 10 pound 14 ounce doormat. A 34 pound 8 ounce jack crevalle was also landed in the last\ few days, and lots of nice sheepshead up to 9 pounds have been caught. Surfside Pier: Large Spanish mackerel up to 6 pounds 5 ounces and bluefish in the 6 to 10 pound range are being caught. Pompano and whiting have also been abundant. Garden City Pier: Large numbers of 10-14 inch bluefish are being caught with some occasional monsters up to 10 pounds mixed in, and lots of keeper sized Spanish mackerel are being caught. Pompano, whiting, and flounder up to 18 inches are being taken, although most flounder are in the 14 to 15 inch range. Offshore: Spadefish are prolific at the near shore reefs, and large numbers are being caught using jelly ball teasers to draw the fish up and then fishing with pieces of cut jelly balls. The 3 miles reef has been very good. King and Spanish mackerel are stacked up at Belkie Bear and Paradise Reef. Dolphins, including some big bulls, tuna and some wahoo are being caught 40 miles offshore and at the Parking Lot. Grouper and Snapper are still biting out at the Ledge.
Cape Romain/ McClellanville
Spottail Bass: Good. Fish are not difficult to locate on the flats, but at times it is difficult to draw strikes. Try a variety of lures to get them to bite, ranging from DOA or Gulp shrimp to topwater plugs to gold spoons to flies. Mud minnows or live mullet may also be effective. Trout: No reports.
Charleston
Spottail Bass: Very good. More and more bait is showing up everyday and tailing action is starting to get hot on the flats. Lots of fish are also being caught in the ICW, creeks, and Wando River, with tons of 5-12 pound redfish being caught on live and dead mullet, shrimp and crabs. The Harbor, inlets, and creeks are teeming with bait, and some monster spottails are being caught out around the Charleston jetties fishing cut bait. Trout: Very good. Fish are in the Wando, Cooper, and the creeks around Wild Dunes. Early morning topwater action on Spooks has heated up, and during the day anglers should fish live shrimp under a float, or DOA and RipTide shrimp with a slow retrieve around oyster beds. Night fishermen have also done well fishing DOA shrimp under well-lit docks. Flounder: Very good. Flounder can be found throughout inlets, the ICW, and creeks. Target flounder using live mud minnows fished slowly on the bottom. Small flounder are also being caught in the surf. Sheepshead: Very good. Sheepshead are schooled up at the nearshore reefs such as Capers Reef and are also being caught inshore. Reports of nice catches around inshore structure, as well as at the Charleston jetties, are common. Folly Beach Pier: Some whiting, spots, pompano and a few trout are being caught, but pier fishing has yet to really pick up in the area. Offshore: Out at nearshore reefs sea bass are still being caught in good numbers, and spadefish have started to show up as well as large bluefish. Dolphin are abundant and being caught in large numbers, and wahoo fishing is great. Barracuda are out in full force, and some tuna are being caught at the Georgetown Hole.
Edisto
Spottail Bass: Good. Anglers are catching spottails in the creeks using live mud minnows. Trout: Fair. Mud minnows and grubs are catching some trout but the fishing has yet to really pick up. Whiting: Good. Whiting are prolific in the surf and can be caught using shrimp or cut bait fished on the bottom. Offshore: Lots of dolphins are being caught as well as a few wahoo. A few marlin are being caught as well as a few blackfin and yellowfin tuna. The Governor's Cup Billfish Tournament season kicked off from Edisto Marina and despite tough winds which limited the fishing some nice billfish were caught.
Beaufort
Spottail Bass: Good. Fish are spread out and feeding aggressively on the large mullet schools which are showing up. Spottails are beginning to tail in large numbers in the grass and can be sight-fished for by lure or fly fishermen. Some topwater action is also being reported. Trout: Few reports. There are scattered reports of some trout up to 4 pounds being caught in the last few days, but most of the local guides are concentrating on cobia or tailing redfish. Flounder: Good. Flounder are in the inlets and beginning to be caught throughout the creeks. Fish mud minnows along the bottom. Most fish are still at or below the legal limit; this may improve somewhat as the season continues but biologists suspect the average size of the flounder stock is smaller than usual this year. Cobia: Cobia have arrived in full force in the Port Royal Sound and Broad River, and the fishing has been better the past few days after the full moon. The Christmas Tree rip has been productive. Fish are being caught on all types of baits, such as threadfin, eels, squid, and whiting, when anchored up or drifting. Sight fishing with plugs has been off and on, and the fish have been willing to take flies at times, too. Puglisi fly patterns have worked the best. Best fishing is two hours each side of the tide change - when tides are running strongest fish are unlikely to bite. Lots of cobia are being seen at artificial reefs like the Betsy Ross, although enticing them to eat has been difficult. The best cobia bite may still be yet to come inshore. Paradise Pier: Some decent whiting have been caught as well as black tip sharks and stingrays. The biggest catch is blue crabs which are being caught by the 5 gallon bucketful around low tide. Offshore: Spanish Mackerel are being caught off Bay Point 8 miles out, and little tunny and king mackerel are 20 miles out. Bottom fishing has dropped off somewhat but spadefish are at the reefs are biting well. Dolphin and wahoo are abundant in the Gulf Stream, and yellowfin tuna are being taken sporadically fishing deep. In the Fripp Island Memorial Day King Mackerel tournament the big king was 36 pounds, and the big dolphin was a 35 pound bull. Wahoo catches were off for the day.
Hilton Head
Spottail Bass: Very good. Tailing action is strong around high tide. At other times fish the edges of grass on the incoming tide with rattle floats and natural colored Gulp Shrimp to catch slot sized fish as well as larger ones. Also use brown Gulp Swimming Minnows, or mud minnows. On the beginning of the falling tide bigger spottails can be found schooling and feeding aggressively for brief periods. The topwater bite is also very good on shallow and medium depth flats when the weather is calm. Trout: Very good. Trout fishing is very good and some nice-sized fish are being caught. Use Gulp shrimp imitations or live shrimp and target drops on the falling tide, or fish around the grass when the water is high. Large fish in the 18 to 20 inch range are being taken when the water is up. Topwater fishing is also productive in the morning. Cobia: Read about cobia fishing in the Beaufort report. Offshore: Wind has been tough but wahoo have been caught offshore on days when boats can get out. Dolphin are also around in large numbers.
Freshwater trends
Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee
Trout: Very good. Trout are in a transitional stage right now between spring and summer patterns. They have not moved very deep yet but are going that direction. Very nice catches of large rainbow trout are being reported trolling in 40-65 feet of water using trolling spoons or large plugs; also pull large live shiners in the same zone. Night fishing continues to be productive with large fish and good numbers being caught; troll the rivers for best success. Largemouth and Redeye Bass: Excellent. Fish are spawning and others are moving onto the banks to feed. The hot lure remains dark swamp crawler green pumpkin Zoom worms. Also try topwater plugs and Texas rigged worms fished on the bottom. Smallmouth Bass: Excellent. Smallmouth bass are spawning and very nice fish in the 5 to 7 pound range are being caught. Use plastics and Texas rigged worms.
Lake Keowee
Largemouth Bass: Good. Fish Carolina rigged worms in watermelon, chartreuse, and pumpkin seed colors around islands and boat docks. Around the North end of the lake, Lake Fork swimbaits in magic shad, blue back herring, and pearl white are producing good numbers of fish slow rolling around points and coves. Spotted Bass: Very good. Spots are biting very well on shallow running crankbaits fished in 5 to 25 feet of water. Fish the upper part of the lake around Mile Creek and High Falls. As with largemouth, around the North end of the lake, Lake Fork swimbaits in magic shad, blue back herring, and pearl white are producing good numbers of fish slow rolling around points and coves. Crappie: Very good. Some crappie are still in spawning mode up against the banks, but most fish have moved out to 15-20 feet of water and can be caught fishing up against bridge pilings at night.
Lake Hartwell
Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. Free-lining around points is one of the most successful tactics right now, and fishing down rods in the backs of pockets in about 30 feet of water is also productive. Cut bait is starting to work well for big fish. Fish are scattered all over the lake, but for information on specific Lake Hartwell fishing spots visit the SCFishingReport.com message boards. Largemouth Bass: Excellent. The largemouth bass bite remains red hot and fish are on the banks and feeding aggressively. Most fish have already spawned but they have stayed up against the banks and are feeding well on topwater Zara Spooks and Sammies. Also look for schooling action as largemouth chase baitfish. As the sun rises switch to soft plastics Texas rigged. Crappie: Very good. The crappie have backed off the banks and finished spawning, but now they are being caught by anglers fishing at night under lights and around bridges. Also try deep brush piles and trolling during the day. Bream: Very good. Bream have moved into very shallow water and are spawning and feeding aggressively.
Chattooga River
Trout: Good. Water levels and temperatures are both good. Fly Fishing report: The dry fly season is winding down. Fish Addam's, Blue Winged Olives, or March Brown flies in sizes 14, 16, or 18. Nice sized trout are still being caught. Conventional tackle report: Fishermen continue to take large numbers of trout on rooster tails and other spinners. White and pearl colors are strong.
Piedmont Area
Lake Russell
Water temperatures are around 70 during the day, well below average for this time of year. Largemouth and Spotted Bass: Good. Most bass have completed spawning and traditionally they should be chasing baitfish now; however, few blueback herring seem to be around and the topwater and crankbait bite has correspondingly suffered. Try Carolina Rigging or fishing finesse worms in 10 to 15 feet of water. Green pumpkinseed and purple worms are most productive, as is watermelon color. Try the back half of coves in the Beaverdam area. Crappie: Very good. Lake Russell anglers continue to catch lots of crappie. Fish in 12 - 18 feet of water around treetops using small minnows. Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers along the bottom.
Lake Thurmond
Water levels have risen considerably over the past two months and water temperatures have hit the low 70s. Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good. The largest striper are being taken fishing cut bait in the mouths of creeks, and smaller ones are being caught free lining herring in the Parksville area. Stripers are also being caught down lining in 24 to 30 feet of water. Largemouth Bass: Very good. Bass have completed spawning and begun to feed on spawning herring. Fishing spinnerbaits off points has been productive as have topwater lures such as Zara Spooks and Pencil Poppers. Target points in the main lake areas. Black and purple soft plastics are also still productive. Crappie: Good. Crappie have moved back out to deeper water but can be caught around brush piles and bridges at night. Shellcracker: Excellent. Fish have moved very shallow and are spawning. Target shellcracker using red worms, pink worms, and crickets.
Savannah River
Yellow Perch: No report. Huge yellow perch are still in the Savannah River below Lake Thurmond but no one seems to be targeting them. Striped/ Hybrid Bass: Hit or miss. When the correct gates are open on the Lake Thurmond Dam action can be fast, but at other times fish are not feeding. Further down the Savannah River, below the New Savannah River Bluff Lock and Dam, action is slow right now. Mullet are starting to come up the river, however, and the striper will not be far behind them.
Lake Wylie
Largemouth Bass: Fair. A few fish continue to spawn with the cool spring, but most fish are finished and have begun to move out onto the drops. Jigs, deep diving crankbaits, and spinnerbaits are all producing, and some school fishing have been reported up the lake. Night fishing is also productive; best results are coming with buzzbaits, topwater lures, and plastic worms. Crappie: Slow. Crappie are in a transitional phase as they move to deep water and most anglers are having trouble finding them. A few people, however, are catching large numbers. Try a 2 inch chartreuse jig tipped with a minnow, or a plain minnow. White Perch: Fair. White perch have generally finished spawning and moved back to deeper water. Fish in 18-24 feet of water next to river channels and look for sandy bottoms. Use a minnow or small spoon lowered to the bottom and then bumped slowly. Small and medium sized perch are making up the bulk of the catch right now, and some anglers are having trouble locating the fish. Bream: Very good. Fish have moved into shallow water and are spawning in coves and feeding aggressively. Use nightcrawlers or red worms. Catfish: Very good. Anglers are catching large numbers of catfish fishing with mussels, shrimp, and stinkbaits. Fish are also being caught trolling with minnows using traditional crappie fishing methods.
Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood
Striped Bass: Fair. Some striped bass are being caught up the river but fishing in the main lake is slow. No schooling activity is being reported. Largemouth Bass: Very good. Some bass are still on the beds and being caught by anglers sight fishing with jigs or worms. Most bass have already bedded and moved back onto secondary points. Topwater lures including buzzbaits and floating worms are both productive, and swim baits and Texas Rigged worms are also catching fish. Crappie: Good. Crappie have generally finished spawning and moved back out to 6-12 feet of water. A few can still be caught shallow but best action is on deeper brushpiles or trolling with minnows and chartreuse and black jigs. Bream and Shellcracker: Good. Fish are moving onto the banks and bedding. Fish 2-5 feet of water using crickets and red worms. Catfish: Very good. Fish on the bottom using cut bait or worms, and try fishing at night.
Lake Murray
Striped Bass: Good. Striped bass fishing improved a bit in the last week, although anglers continue to have difficulty catching big fish. Best action is coming fishing down rods with live bait in 30 to 60 feet of water, free-lining in 10 to 20 feet of water, and trolling with umbrella rigs. Cut bait is also working well in the middle of the day, and early and late look for schooling fish chasing bait up to the surface. Expect summer fish kills to reduce the percentage of short fish being caught to more normal levels. Largemouth Bass: Fair to good. A very few fish remain on the beds but most Lake Murray largemouth have already spawned. Right now is a transitional phase; a couple of weeks ago largemouth were chasing herring, but now the herring spawn has mainly finished. Most people expected them to be chasing spawning bream on the recent full moon but a large-scale bream spawn did not materialize. Topwaters like pencil poppers, Zara Spooks, and buzzbaits are a good bet early, and shaky head worms in watermelon candy and green pumpkinseed colors fished in 2 to 15 feet of water may produce numbers of fish. Expect bass fishing to improve in the next couple of weeks. Crappie: Fair. Crappie have finished spawning and moved back out to deeper water, and the bite has been slow with the irregular weather patterns. Best action is coming fishing down rods on deeper brushpiles or trolling with minnows and jigs in 6 to 15 feet of water around creek mouths. Shellcracker and bream: Good. While a few anglers have productive secret spots, perhaps because of high water levels bream and shellcracker are proving hard to locate in good numbers. Fish red worms and baby nightcrawlers around the banks and a few feet off.
Saluda River
Striped Bass: Slow to fair. The water is very low right now and striper are not on the move and feeding aggressively; the fish trapped in popular holes are already picked over. If recent rains raise lake and river levels, or SCE&G otherwise decides to release water, expect fishing to improve. Throw large plugs, topwater poppers, or fish live shad or herring under corks or on the bottom. Trout: Fair. Fly fishermen should cast Wooly Buggers or similar flies; several hatches have already taken place. Stock fish are being caught, and spinners are also effective. If water levels rise expect trout fishing to improve, until the striper clean them out.
Lake Wateree
Largemouth Bass: Tough. Lake Wateree bass have been reluctant to bite ever since the spawn ended, and recent tournaments have featured small sacks taking prize money. Some schooling action is beginning to be reported and spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and plastic worms are all producing off and on - people are throwing everything and have yet to find a pattern that is consistently working. Crappie: Fair. Crappie have finished spawning and moved back out to deeper water. Trolling with jigs and minnows is most effective, and the June Creek area has been productive. Catfish: Very good. Multiple 40 pounders are still being taken as well as lots of smaller fish. Target big blue cats using cut bait fished on the edges of holes. 8 to 10 pound fish are being caught on stinkbaits, worms, cut bait, and live bait fished on the bottom. Bream: Very good. Bream are shallow and bedding on the full moon. Fish 1 to 5 feet of water using worms and crickets.
Pee Dee Area
River levels are about perfect for fishing.
Great Pee Dee
Fish the main river for catfish and target bass and panfish in the surrounding oxbow lakes. Catfish: Good to very good. Catches of catfish are picking up in the main river using eels, large minnows, and goldfish. Fish on the bottom in holes and around channel breaks. Crappie: Fair. Anglers fishing ox bow lakes off the main channel are starting to report improved catches. Use minnows.
Lynches River
Bream: Good. Anglers are doing well fishing worms, wax worms, and crickets on the bottom.
Santee Cooper System
Lake Marion
Fishing on the upper and lower ends of the lake is very strong, and all boat ramps are open again. Largemouth Bass: Good to very good. Fishing cooled off slightly after the spawn but fish seem to be starting to go on a feeding spree and some really large bass are being caught. Fish soft plastics or topwater lures as bass begin to chase bream and shad. Catfish: Very good. At the upper end of the lake some really large catfish are being caught in shallow water and up the river, and down towards the dam fishing is also very strong. Some fish have already spawned while other fish are about to spawn, and a 53.2 pound fish was recently weighed in at Randolph's Landing which had already spawned. Best fishing near the dam is coming in 12 to 14 feet of water as catfish continue to be in a transitional period. Cut herring is still the bait of choice. Crappie: Very good. Crappie have already completed spawning but are still feeding very well. Fish in the Jack's Creek area and around Santee State Park up towards Stump Hole Landing. Target bridges and piers; night fishing is starting to improve. Bream and Shellcracker: Very good. Fish shallow water along the banks near Rimini Swamp, Santee Park, Stump Hole. Fish have moved shallow and will continue to spawn and feed aggressively.
Diversion Canal
Shellcracker: Good. Shellcracker are being caught on the Moultrie end of the canal but the largest numbers of bream and shellcracker are in the shallow water of the main lakes. Catfish: Very good. Flathead catfish up to 50 and 60 pounds are being caught in the canal at night. Anchor or slowly drift cut bait.
Lake Moultrie
Moultrie is within one foot of full pool and water temperatures are around 76 degrees; baitfish are feeding in shallow areas where grass grew during low water and drawing predators shallow, too. Largemouth Bass: Very good. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits fished early and late have both been very effective, and during the day dragging Texas rigged worms in green and blue shades through deep lily and primrose patches has been productive. Also look for areas where the bait is concentrated. Topwaters like buzzbaits and Zara Spooks have also been working as well as floating worms. The last couple of weekends have been productive days and nights for drifting for blues. A little slow down probably because of weather changes and high winds was replaced with an improved bite lately. A couple of trips yielded 40 lb. plus class blue cats with numbers of other fish from 10 to 25 lbs. Bigger fish have come in 10 to 20 ft depths. Some folks are still catching numbers of blues in 30 plus feet but the average sizes are 3 to 6 lbs with some bigger fish now and then. Anchoring when the lake is too calm to drift has produced fish as well. Fish have been active in depths from 6 to 20 ft during the day the last couple of anchoring periods. Catfish: Very good. The catfish bite is improving and very large fish are being caught, as well as good numbers. Bigger fish are being caught in 10 to 20 feet of water, and while some anglers are catching numbers of big blue cats in 30 plus feet of water average sizes are 3 to 6 pounds in deeper areas. Drifting is productive, as well as anchoring and fishing cut bait on the bottom when the lake is too calm to drift. Best catches are coming in 5 to 10 fee of water using cut mullet and herring, and an unusually large percentage of flatheads are being caught right now. Crappie: Slow. Crappie are in between spring and summer patterns right now and fishermen are having trouble finding them. Try fishing in 8 to 12 feet of water around major creek mouths and over medium depth brush until they move over deeper brush for the summer. Shellcracker: Excellent. Really large fish weighing two pounds and better are being caught around cypress trees, especially where they meet lilies. Fish worms shallow.
Coastal Rivers
Waccamaw River
Largemouth bass: Excellent. Bass are feeding very well and fishermen targeting them with Texas rigged plastic worms are having best success. Crappie: Very good. Fishermen in the Waccamaw are reporting nice catches of crappies. Use minnows around structure and current breaks. Bream: Good. Bream fishing is still a bit short of peak conditions but expect excellent fishing as the full moon approaches. Catfish: Good. Use large goldfish or shiners to target big catfish. Anglers are having success using set hooks and trotlines but the same baits will work rod and reel fishing.