April 16

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 438.10 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees and despite very little rain parts of the lake have some color. 

The black bass spawn is winding down on Lake Greenwood, as can be seen in tournament weights, and tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that he is now pretty much focused on fishing topwater lures around the banks for post-spawn fish. Especially compared to a lot of other South Carolina lakes water levels are fairly high, and so that keeps fish holding near the banks. On the water he has not seen a shad spawn yet, but it should be developing any day and that will concentrate bass early. 

While there may still be some very late crappie spawning on Greenwood, Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that almost half of the fish have moved to brush and the other half have headed to open water. The fish that are in open water are not schooled up and generally very difficult to target, and so the most catchable fish are the ones on brush – where soon all the crappie will be. The best brush right now is in about 10-20 feet of water in the creeks. 

April 3

Lake Greenwood water levels are up to 438.03 (full pool is 440.0).  Morning surface water temperatures are 65 degrees.    

The black bass fishing at Lake Greenwood is about to bust wide open, according to tournament angler Stan Gunter. Stan said the bass are on the verge of spawning, and he believes the big push will occur within the next week based on his and his son’s fishing this week. He said a few bass have already spawned, and they’re moving into the spawning pockets and shallow-water areas now. By late in the week and the weekend, that’s where bass anglers will want to be fishing. The best baits right now vary with individual fishermen; it’s the time when bass migrate to the shallows in pre-spawn and during spawn, when they're in an aggressive bite mode. Spinnerbaits are outstanding right now, with the double willow blade his top choice. Also, the floating worm will begin to produce working shallow, shoreline cover. The buzzbait, Frog, and topwater Bang O’ Lure are all effective now and should be even better choices by the weekend.

Stan said to work along shallow shorelines near bedding pockets and coves, and anglers should find bass willing to bite on several types of lures. Pick your weapon and get to Lake Greenwood.  While he’s not saying allthe crappie have finished spawning and headed deeper, Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service(864-980-3672) reports that by now most of the fish have started to set up on brush.  They can be found in both the main lake and the creeks, and 10-20 feet is the key depth range.  Both minnows and jigs will catch aggressive fish.

March 25

Lake Greenwood water levels are up to 437.19 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are 58-59 degrees.    

As on many South Carolina lakes it hasn’t been the best spring for crappie fishing, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that the repeated cycle of fast rising and then falling water temperatures made for tougher fishing.  Regardless, we are now on the tail end of the spawn, and in fact many fish have already moved onto the post-spawn pattern of ganging up on brush. It’s mostly stragglers that can still be caught on the banks, although you can also catch some pre- and post-spawn fish long-line trolling.

But the black bass don’t move as fast as the crappie, and tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that the various cold snaps have set the fish back far enough that the majority of fish have not yet spawned. Others have not even fully pulled up shallow. Still, the best pattern at this point is fishing in the creeks or main lake coves around secondary points and even inside spawning pockets with spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, and crankbaits. If that doesn’t work then slow way down with soft plastics. Finally, Stan notes that a decent number of fish are holding on docks right now. 

March 18

Lake Greenwood water levels are up to 436.82 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures have likely dropped back into the mid- to upper 50s.   

With almost nobody on the water the last few days it’s unclear what effect the cold front has had on the crappie fishing, but Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that at least by this weekend he doesn’t think too much will have changed. So many fish seem to have already spawned that he believes we are already on the downhill side of that, but he expects there will still be tons of fish hanging around in 10-15 feet in the creeks that can be caught long-line trolling. And while they may not be up there today, he believes that by this weekend anglers should also be able to catch fish casting jigs and minnows around the banks. 

More information to follow once we have current updates.

March 12

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 436.52 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are now in the low-60s. 

The black bass on Lake Greenwood are on the edge of spawning, and while tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda won’t deny that a few fish are already on beds he thinks the vast majority are still pre-spawn. However, by next week he expects a massive wave of fish to be spawning and from what he is seeing they are mostly all already close to or even inside their eventual spawning pockets.

It's a really fun time to fish, and basically any shallow water technique will work. Just going along the bank with a floating worm, Senko, or even a topwater lure you will catch fish. 

Meanwhile the crappie fishing on Greenwood has actually gotten tougher, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that basically fish are scattered out all the way from deep to shallow water. While many are spawning they have not all gone to the banks, and now you can find fish from 2-30 feet, from the creeks to the main lake, and they are moving a lot. Basically you can fish how you want to, from casting at schools with LiveScope, to long-line trolling, to fishing jigs and minnows around the banks, but fish are doing so many different things that it’s not always easy to find numbers. 

March 4

Lake Greenwood water levels are up to 436.56 (full pool is 440.0) and the upper end and the backs of some creeks are dingy/ dirty while the rest of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are getting into the mid-50s. 

The black bass fishing is finally getting good on Lake Greenwood for springtime anglers who like to fish around the banks, and tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that fish are moving back in the creeks as well as into main lake pockets. Fish are not spawning yet but they are moving up and getting into pre-spawn mode. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits are good around rock and shallow brush, while shaky heads and jigs will catch fish around docks. 

While Stan hasn’t been crappie fishing on Greenwood one of his sons has, and he reports that a good number of fish have moved into the backs of creeks. He is finding big schools in as little as 10 feet of water and casting jigs to them. 

Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) is seeing the same thing, and he notes that by this point fish can be found literally from 5 (or less) feet of water out to 50 feet. There are still schools of fish deep on the main lake, but there are also tons of fish that have moved into all parts of the creeks. Some male fish are almost certainly around shallow cover on the banks, and Captain Roland expects that some fish will spawn this weekend. He actually believes that there is also a small number of fish that has already spawned, and while it seems hard to believe last week he was catching a group of fish that were fat and full of eggs in one area but are now flat as boards. Considering the spikes in water temperatures in some areas that’s not impossible.

Overall it’s a time when you can fish about however you want to, from looking at schools on LiveScope and casting jigs to tight-line trolling to long-line trolling in the backs to casting at shallow cover with minnows and jigs. 

February 25

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 436.04 (full pool is 440.0) and the lake is fairly clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 50s.   

While there haven’t been a ton of big fish caught in recent tournaments, tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that catching numbers of black bass is getting easier on Greenwood.  His most reliable pattern has been fishing an Alabama around docks, and in a tournament Saturday Stan’s son caught spots and largemouth this way. They were fishing the main lake, but with lake levels low pretty much all the docks had five feet of water or less. They found the best action in the mid-lake area.

A secondary pattern is fishing rock, and a crankbait, Alabama rig, and jig are all doing well around rocky points. 

Temperatures have not risen enough to move the crappie, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that fish are still pretty high in the water column, mostly 5-15 feet down, in 20-40 feet of water. They are still mostly main-lake oriented, although some fish are at the mouths of creeks. While Captain Roland is mostly casting jigs, long-line trolling is effective with fish up high. 

February 18

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 435.65 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are about 46 degrees. 

Either because of small increases in water temperatures or the calendar, tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports the black bass fishing on Lake Greenwood is improving. But Stan expects that the first fish are still a long way off from spawning, and so for now they are still highly focused on bait. They are also looking for the warmest possible water, and so if you can find rocky areas where there is bait around there should be fish. While more fish are probably still out on the main lake Stan advises checking the creeks in 10 feet or less, particularly on warm days, and it’s definitely worth fishing docks that are close to deep water.  But rock remains the best structure. 

Alabama rigs and crankbaits are his two preferred lures right now. 

Back in South Carolina, Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that the biggest change with the crappie is that as temperatures start to warm fish are beginning to hold higher in the water column where the water temperature is frequently a few degrees more than on the bottom.  Most crappie are now 5-15 feet down, and the overall depth doesn’t matter that much although most are in 20-40 feet of water. They are still mostly main-lake oriented, although some fish are at the mouths of creeks. While Captain Roland is mostly casting jigs, long-line trolling is effective with fish up in the water column. 

February 12

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 435.03 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-40s. 

There has been more fishing activity on Lake Murray recently, but tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda has also been keeping up with the black bass on Greenwood and reports that even with only a few degrees of warming patterns are changing. The jigging spoon bite seems to be slowing down, although you can still catch lots of fish throwing an Alabama rig around docks, rock, and even just covering blank banks. People are also still LiveScoping with a jighead minnow, but with the warming trend fishing a crankbait around main lake or main creek rock has been rapidly improving.

It will probably take temperatures moving up a few more degrees for fish to really start to slide back into the creeks. 

While he’s now in Florida chasing specks, as of this Sunday Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that Lake Greenwood crappie really hadn’t moved much. They were still in 20-35 feet of water chasing bait, anywhere from 10 feet below the surface down to the bottom. The middle to upper lake was the most productive, with most fish still from the main channel to the mouth of the creeks. If you are using LiveScope you can cast jigs to the fish, but otherwise traditional trolling or tight-lining techniques will also work. 

February 4

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 434.72 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 40s. 

While tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda hasn’t been able to get after the black bass on Greenwood since the snow, he reports that channel and creek swings will continue to be the best places to look for fish as well as deeper rock. Alabama rigs and jigging spoons should continue to be good in these areas, and then of course some people will be in open water looking at LiveScope and throwing a minnow-type swimbait on a jighead. 

Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) also hasn’t been since the weekend, but he did get to fish immediately beforehand and already found a much tougher bite. 

Fish were still in 20-35 feet of water chasing bait, but instead of holding 10-20 feet down they were close to the bottom. The middle to upper lake was the most productive, with most fish still from the main channel to the mouth of the creeks. If you are using LiveScope you can cast jigs to the fish, but otherwise traditional trolling or tight-lining techniques will also work. 

January 28

Lake Greenwood water levels are at 434.59 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 30s to low 40s. 

One major cold front with ice moved the black bass deeper, but tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that a second major cold front and possibly accompanying snow this weekend will just cement that trend. Now channel and creek swings are the best places to look for fish, and while rocky points are still good you want to concentrate on rock in 10-15 feet of water. Far less fish will be around shallower rock.  And deeper docks are almost certainly better than shallow ones. At this time of year Alabama rigs always play well on Greenwood and this year is no exception, and jigging spoons are also working well. For rocky point crankbaits and jigs are also good. 

Of course, for guys fishing “the abyss” with LiveScope a minnow-type swimbait on a jighead is productive. 

While Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) hasn’t been fishing since the last report and won’t go again until Friday, it’s a near-certainty that the fishing hasn’t gotten better. When temperatures drop like this things rarely if ever improve. With the weather ahead he also expects a shad kill.

Still, patterns are unlikely to have changed and the fish should still mostly be in 20-35 feet of water chasing bait, generally holding 10-20 feet down depending on the depth of the water. The middle to upper lake has been the most productive, with most fish still from the main channel to the mouth of the creeks. If you are using LiveScope you can cast jigs to the fish, but otherwise traditional trolling or tight-lining techniques will also work. 

January 21

Lake Greenwood water levels are down to 434.51 (full pool is 440.0). Morning surface water temperatures are around 50 degrees. 

The cold front could change everything, but tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that there are more black bass patterns in the mix this week. In addition to a good jigging spoon bite (which the cold snap and an ensuing shad kill could improve), there have also been some heavy bags of fish caught “dirt shallow” in the backs of creeks with a Rattle Trap. Dropping temperatures are unlikely to help that bite. Then predictably there have been some of the best bags caught LiveScoping in open water. 

But none of that is Stan’s preferred pattern right now, and he still thinks the best way to catch a big bag is throwing an Alabama rig around deeper docks.

The crappie aren’t doing very much different from a week or two ago, with one big exception, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that the fish are still mostly off brush in 20-35 feet of water chasing bait, generally holding 10-20 feet down depending on the depth of the water. The middle to upper lake has been the most productive, with most fish still from the main channel to the mouth of the creeks. If you are using LiveScope you can cast jigs to the fish, but otherwise traditional trolling or tight-lining techniques will also work. 

Unfortunately, the big change is that they just aren’t biting very well – which is about right with temperatures in the mid-40s. And with the weather coming in Captain Roland obviously expects the lockjaw to only get worse. 

January 8

Lake Greenwood water levels are down to 434.93 (full pool is 440.0) and the lake is clear for Greenwood. Morning surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees. 

There’s a different black bass pattern this week on Lake Greenwood, and tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that a jigging spoon has been the best thing going on the lake. Even the “perch jerkers” are getting in on the action, and getting 5-pound largemouth mixed in with white perch has been a non-unusual phenomenon. You can either jig around bait schools or brush, but either way about 18 feet has been the ideal depth. The creeks have had fish but the main lake has been more productive. 

The secondary pattern remains fishing an Alabama rig either deep or around docks. 

By now the crappie have made a big move, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that the fish are almost entirely off brush at this point. They are generally in 20-35 feet of water chasing bait, generally holding 10-20 feet down depending on the depth of the water. The middle to upper lake has been the most productive, with most fish still from the main channel to the mouth of the creeks. If you are using LiveScope you can cast jigs to the fish, but otherwise traditional trolling or tight-lining techniques will also work.