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The newest Lake Greenwood fishing report can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-greenwood-sc-spring-2019-fishing-report/
January 9
Lake Greenwood water levels are down to 435.07 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures have risen into the mid-50s. The lake is still extremely dirty and they are pulling a ton of water through the lake.
Lake Greenwood has only gotten muddier in the last week, and as a result veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that bass have gotten even more solidly into a shallow pattern. When they can’t see they really have no choice but to go to the banks, and the water is not cold enough to force them to think about going deep. The shallows may actually be warmer.
Most anglers are still fishing a crankbait in shallow, rocky areas. Alabama rigs, usually so popular at this time of year, are still worth throwing but just not as good in the dirty conditions. You can also try a spinnerbait particularly during warming trends.
Follow the birds to locate fish, and continue to keep your eyes open for schooling striped bass.
January 1
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 437.39 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures are in the lower 50s. Most of the lake remains muddy, but for now the lower lake is a bit cleaner although they are pulling so much water that the mud is quickly making its way down.
Bassfishing has gotten tough on Lake Greenwood, and veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that in the most recent ABA tournament it took a little over 14 pounds to win. While you can still catch fish, the action has gotten spotty and finding them is a challenge.
With all the mud a deep bite seems almost nonexistent, and most anglers have been turning to a crankbait in shallow, rocky areas. Alabama rigs, usually so popular at this time of year, are still worth throwing but just not as good in the dirty conditions. You can also try a spinnerbait but it’s gotten a little cold for that.
Follow the birds to locate fish, and keep your eyes open for schooling striped bass. The striper bite has been significantly better than the action for largemouth.
December 20
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 438.29 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures have fallen into the lower 50s. Most of the lake is muddy but the lower lake is a little better.
Even though the water is cold and muddy, veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that bass fishing is very good right now. Probably because of the water conditions, fish seem to be shallow in less than 10 feet of water around rocky points. Some boats are even sitting inside of the shoal markers casting to very skinny water.
Alabama rigs, swimbaits and shallow-running crankbaits are working well, and some striped bass are also being picked up while bass fishing. It seems that birds have followed the bait shallow in places and they can be seen diving into very little water.
There will be a deeper jigging spoon bite when the water settles out but for now it is too muddy to seem worth looking deep.
November 28
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 437.16 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures have dropped into the mid-50s. The lower end has decent visibility at 2-3 feet, while the upper half gets much dirtier ranging to muddy at the top of the lake.
It never seems to fail that bass fishing on Lake Greenwood gets better when it’s cold, and FLW angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that in a weekend tournament they found a really good bite for numbers of solid fish. Fishing a half day before motor issues they were able to catch around 30 fish, with a solid 15-pound limit of near-clones at about 3 pounds each. 16 ½ won the tournament. About 75% of the fish they caught were spotted bass.
They pretty much stuck to the lower end of the lake below the railroad trestle, and they only fished 10 feet or less. However, almost all the fish were in steep areas close to deep water. Pretty much everything came on an Alabama rig and a shakey head.
Veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda also advises sticking to the more fishable lower lake, and in addition to Alabama rigs he suggests spinnerbaits. The deep fish are hard to target right now but it’s worth fishing most shallow structure on the lower end.
November 15
Lake Greenwood water levels are up to 439.26 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures have fallen into the lower 60s, with the riverine sections colder than the lower lake. There is a ton of muddy water coming down the lake.
Fresh off a 4thplace finish in the SC BASS Federation two-day championship on Lake Greenwood, and a 2nd place finish for his son Bryan, veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda is just the person to update us on the Greenwood fish. Fishing is okay, but out of about 30 boats only 7 individuals finished with a limit both days. It took about 28 pounds over two days for the win on the boater side.
Fish can be caught from 2 feet to 25 feet, and with a range like that as expected there are a bunch of different patterns going. While it’s mainly catching small fish right now you can run docks with an Alabama rig, and Stan says they did catch a 3 ½ pounder that way. As good at the A-rig is already working, when it’s really not cold enough to peak, Stan thinks that bite is about to get awesome.
There is also another shallow pattern fishing jigs around shallow laydowns and brush, but the best fish seemed to come out of deep water. The winning angler apparently caught everything on a jigging spoon in 25 feet, and the Gunters found their best fish around brush in 15-18, and sometimes 20, feet of water. They caught them on spinnerbaits, jigging spoons, drop shots, Texas rigs and shakey heads. Some of the best fish came on a shakey head, which was outfishing an Ole Monster.
Fish seem to be closer to the main lake in the fronts of creeks to about halfway back, but Stan anticipates that more fish will get into the very backs as the temperatures drop a few more degrees.
Finally, it’s worth noting how prolific spotted bass have become on the lake. It’s much easier to catch spots than largemouth now, but there are also starting to be some big spots in the 3-4 pound range weighed in. And even bigger ones are almost certainly swimming around.
October 19
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 439.06 (full pool is 440.0) and water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s. The lower end has cleared after the storm.
Bass fishing on Lake Greenwood is by no means strong right now, but veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter reports that some fish have been caught flipping docks in shallow water in the river area with big Ole Monster or Mag 2 worms. As water temperatures drop more fish will come to the banks, and soon a buzzbait should work well all day.
September 21
Lake Greenwood water levels are at 438.08 (full pool is 440.0).
It’s typical for the Lake Greenwood offshore bass bite to deteriorate this late in the season due to a variety of factors, including a long summer of fishing pressure and reduced water quality. Add in the effects of recent rains and SC BASS team boater Stan Gunter of Saluda says that it’s a no-brainer to start shallow in the creeks and up the rivers and fish the dirtiest water you can find. Stan has had success lately fishing square-billed crankbaits, buzzbaits, and flipping cover, keying on any wood or shallow docks he can find. However, you want to fish areas with some deep water nearby and not very shallow, flat creeks.