June 25
Lake Hartwell water levels are back up to 661.04 (full pool is 660.00), and morning surface temperatures are about 82 degrees. Clarity is very good.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing has gotten a little more consistent on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that the early morning bite which had been the best thing going a couple of weeks ago died off with the cold snap last week. Mornings have been terrible, but as temperatures normalize he thinks it will pick up again. However, instead of pitching free-lines into 8-12 feet Chip expects to be fishing down-lines in around 25 feet of water early.
Right now the best action is during the day fishing down-lines right on the bottom in 40-50 feet of water. Fish are hanging around clean bottom areas near underwater timber, and while they are not on drop-offs they are also near them. They are hanging around near wide, “roundhouse” points – not sharp points – as well as underwater ridges.
Fish are still in a similar pattern all over the lake, whether you are a little ways up the Seneca River, the Tugaloo or at the dam. It will be much later in the summer before fish group up in the lower lake.
Usually at this time of year the bass are biting topwater lures offshore on Lake Hartwell, but right now Guide Brad Fowler reports that bite is terrible. It could be due to the high water or boat traffic, but regardless flukes, Spooks, Sebilles and the like are not doing much. There is also not a lot of bait up where it should be which could be related.
At the same time the fish have been biting decently on drop shot rigs, shakey heads and scrounger heads with flukes in 20-25 feet. Still, tournament weights have been low.
It’s worth trying to throw a buzzbait around the bank to get a better bite.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that the bite for channel catfish has been good, and fish are eating worms really well in 5-15 feet. He is also catching a lot of shellcracker on the same pattern. Channel catfish will also eat cut bait, dip baits, and more.
The flathead catfish bite has pretty much died as fish seem to be focused on spawning, but there have been a few big blues caught recently in the creeks. The blue catfish should get more scarce while the flatheads should feed better very soon.
June 10
Lake Hartwell water levels dropped down to normal full pool but have risen back to 660.51(full pool is 660.00), while morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees. The lake is mostly clear but slightly dingy in places due to heavy boat traffic.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing is still a tad inconsistent on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that they are still having some good days and some tougher ones. The most significant change this week is that there is more hope for a later morning bite, and some days the fish seem to turn on again around 9 or 10 and feed well.
Early in the morning fish can still be found shallow in 8-12 feet of water and they will take free lines pitched to them. After that they move deeper into 40-50 feet of water where down-lines are the best option. Daytime fish are actually a little deeper than usual and in some ways this looks more like a July pattern.
The consensus of guides is that fish are still in a similar pattern all over the lake, whether you are up the Seneca River, the Tugaloo or at the dam. It will be much later in the summer before fish group up in the lower lake.
The bass bite is starting to change on Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that while there is still a decent early bite around shallow points (which should last through the end of June) the offshore topwater pattern is starting to come on. Fish are setting up well off of points where they can be caught on flukes, Spooks, Sebilles and other baits fished up in the water column.
At the same time the drop shot bite is picking up too.
As water levels have slightly risen there can also be some fish caught on buzzbaits around the banks, particularly early. But if there is another drop in lake level more of these fish will pull out away from the bank.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that the bite for channel and flathead catfish is still really good most of the time, although there can be some slower days.
Channels can be caught pretty much everywhere in 2-25 feet of water on any cut bait, live bait, worms or dip baits.
The flathead catfish are being caught on bream, and they can also be found about anywhere. Main lake points have actually been producing pretty well, and the bite has (atypically) been best during the day.
The blue catfish bite remains tough and it seems that they will be holed up in the timber for a while.
June 2
Lake Hartwell water levels are way down to 660.66 but still above full (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures in the mid to upper-70s. The backs of creeks are clearing again.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing is still tricky on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fishing is day-to-day and fish are just not as aggressive as normal. While they will have a good time and fish can be caught, overall it is hard to explain what is going on.
What has been bailing out guides is a good bite very early, but if you have not caught fish by about 7:30 then you may be in trouble. Usually in June good action continues until 10:00 or later. Early in the morning fish can be found shallow in 8-12 feet of water where they are keying on the tail end of the herring spawn. They will take free lines pitched to them, and then after that they move deeper into 40-50 feet of water where down-lines are the best option. Daytime fish are actually a little deeper than usual.
Fish are still in a similar pattern all over the lake, whether you are up the Seneca River, the Tugaloo or at the dam.
The bass bite is still brutally tough on Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that there is still just not a good pattern. Some fish can still be caught feeding on spawning herring around bridges, bushes and flat red clay points, and there are also some other random fish cruising.
However, as lake levels drop and temperatures get warm the fish should start to get on deeper brush where they can be caught on drop shots. An offshore topwater bite may also develop after the bait moves deeper but that has not happened yet.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that the blue catfish bite remains tough and it seems that they will be holed up in the timber for a while. However, the bite for channel and flathead catfish is still really good.
Channels can be caught pretty much everywhere in 2-25 feet of water on any cut bait, live bait, worms or dip baits.
The flathead catfish are being caught on bream, and they can also be found about anywhere. Main lake points have actually been producing pretty well, and the bite has (atypically) been best during the day.
May 20
Lake Hartwell water levels are way up to 663.00 (full pool is 660.00) and promise to rise further, and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s. The creeks are starting to get muddy.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing has improved a little on Lake Hartwell, although Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that right now the rain appears to have slowed things down again.
The fish are still on a similar pattern, and right at daylight fish are on the banks feeding on spawning herring and they will eat a pitched free-lines. However, once the sun gets up they have moved a little deeper and gone out to 35-40 feet of water. It’s as if they are skipping over May depths and going straight to summer depths. Fish are in a similar pattern all over the lake, whether you are up the Seneca River, the Tugaloo or at the dam.
Chip is finding an improved spotted bass bite off points and ridges in 15-20 feet of water.
Fresh off a long tournament weekend on Lake Hartwell, Guide Brad Fowler reports that the bass fishing is very tough. While the winning team had 14 pounds per day, catching 10 pounds was a struggle. Brad and his partner caught 7 keepers Saturday and 5 on Sunday and finished 11th.
They caught some fish in the morning that were feeding on spawning herring which can still be found around bridges, buses and flat red clay points, and they caught some fish that were still on beds. They also weighed a fish that came off of a drop shot near a brush piles, but overall the offshore bite was terrible. They saw a lot of fry shallow but only a few fish guarding it, and overall they are left with the question – where are the bass? The bream have not moved shallow in big numbers yet and so maybe that will improve the bite.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill reports that the blue catfish bite remains tough and it seems that they will be holed up in the timber for a while. However, the bite for channel and flathead catfish is still really good.
Channels can be caught pretty much everywhere in 2-25 feet of water on any cut bait, live bait, worms or dip baits.
The flathead catfish are being caught on bream, and they can also be found about anywhere. Main lake points have actually been producing pretty well, and the bite has (atypically) been best during the day.
May 12
Lake Hartwell water levels are up to 661.61 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures remain in the upper 60s. Overall water clarity is very good.
It’s a strange bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that this appears to be the result of highly unusual water temperatures. Water temperatures should be 72-74 but they are more like 67, where they have been stuck for about 6 weeks. Fish are acting like they act in early March, where you can see them on electronics but they just won’t eat. Overall Chip reports that this has been his most challenging May in 26 years!
The fish are basically on the right pattern, they are just not very aggressive. Right at daylight fish are on the banks feeding on spawning herring pitched on a free-line, but instead of catching 25-30 fish they are getting 5-10. Once the sun gets up they pull off the banks into coves in 25-30 feet of water, but again the numbers are down. A consensus of full-time guides is that the same pattern is going on over the whole lake, and you can see from the graph that the numbers are there but the fish just are not gorging. Chip finds the spotted bass are biting better but even they are also not very aggressive.
There’s no disagreement from Guide Brad Fowler, who reports that there are bunch of different bass patterns but they are all tough. 14 pounds has been a monster sack recently.
You can see post-spawn fish swimming the banks or guarding fry, and there are some spotty fish around herring which are also hit-or-miss. There are still some fish on beds, and about the only pattern that is not producing at all is fishing deep over brush and trees. Bream haven’t really showed up shallow yet and so the bream bite is still a ways off.
Brad believes the best pattern is to look for herring fish early off points, and after that you can go down the bank with a worm and target the flooded cover. Water levels have come up a good bit recently.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill reports that the blue catfish bite has been tough and it seems that they are holed up in the timber again. However, the bite for channel and flathead catfish has been really good. Channels can be caught pretty much everywhere in 2-25 feet of water on any cut bait, live bait, worms or dip baits.
The flathead catfish are being caught on bream, and they can be found about anywhere. Main lake points have actually been producing pretty well, and the bite has (atypically) been best during the day.
April 29
Lake Hartwell water levels remain above full pool at 660.77 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures remain in the upper 60s. Overall visibility is very good pretty much across the lake.
It’s a time when you can catch bass on Lake Hartwell a lot of different ways, although Guide Brad Fowler reports that the major patterns are focused on either the herring spawn or the bass spawn. Fish are still on the beds and they can also be found guarding fry, and so targeting coves with a floating worm, Pop-R, or slowing down and dragging a Senko is effective.
Because of cool water temperatures the herring spawn looks like it will be extended this year, and particularly in the mornings bass can also be found around the long flat points where they ambush spawning bluebacks. However, for the last few days the bite has been a little hit-or-miss, although it should improve once temperatures rise. Right now flukes and Sebilles are working better than topwater lures, and fish are not blowing up the way the sometimes do – and may soon.
The fishing for hybrid and striped bass has been good, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that with water temperatures stuck in the upper 60s they have not migrated out of the rivers. The biggest change may be that fish are getting a little boat-shy, and if the bite shuts down anglers need to keep moving to find another group of active fish.
Before the devastating storms fish were starting to move down the lake and Chip was even catching some near-limits towards the dam, but right now the bulk of the fish are back up the rivers again. They are still gorging on spawning herring early in 2-5 feet of water, and pitching free-lines as well as anchoring herring out the back of the boat has been working for shallow fish. When fish pull out of the shallows then the bite gets a little slower, and anglers can target fish in 25-35 feet with downlines.
Captain Bill Plumley reminds anglers that in the morning if the fish are there they will eat immediately and so if you don’t get bites move on.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill reports that the channel catfish bite is really coming on strong. Most of the fish are in 8-10 feet of water or less, and they can be caught on herring, worms, and more. The flathead catfish are also shallow in the rivers, and they can be caught on drifted baits.
While last week blue catfish were being caught in 12-14 feet of water, this week the only blues Captain Bill has picked up have been in about 35 feet of water. It seems as though they have already headed out deeper and the narrow window when they come shallow may have passed.
April 15
Lake Hartwell water levels are above full pool at 660.92 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures have dropped from 68 to the low to mid-60s. The fresh round of rain has stained some areas but generally the pollen has been a bigger hindrance to visibility.
It’s still an excellent time for bass fishing on Lake Hartwell, but now Guide Brad Fowler reports that is because the herring spawn is underway in the rivers. In the morning fish are feeding on herring spawning on the usual flat, red clay points, and very early in the morning they can also be found around rocks and boat ramps. The best bite has been on subsurface lures like Sebilles and flukes, but there are also some fish starting to bite topwater lures too.
The fish off the points seem to be a mix of pre-spawn and post-spawn fish, and perhaps half the bass have now spawned. That means you can still fish for bass on the beds, but the pollen has been so bad and there has been so much wind that visibility has been tough.
By the end of the April the bass spawn will wind down and the herring spawn will have moved out more towards the main lake.
The fishing for hybrid and striped bass is really good, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fish are up the rivers right now where they are tearing up the spawning herring. Just before daylight and right at dark fish are in 2-5 feet of water wearing out the herring, and if you are on the right spots you can catch 20-25 fish in just a few minutes. Pitching free-lines as well as anchoring herring out the back of the boat has been working for shallow fish.
When fish pull out of the shallows then the bite gets a little slower, and anglers can target fish in 25-30 feet with downlines.
For now fish are about 2/3 the way back to the very backs of the creeks and rivers, but as April progresses they will start to trickle out. When water temperatures get into the low 70s they should be in the front of the creeks and rivers moving to the main lake.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that the fishing is really good. With the herring spawning it pulls everything in the lake shallow, and in 15-20 feet of water he has caught some nice flathead and blue catfish. They have gotten into the backs of coves and creeks, and the channel catfish will be headed to the same areas.
Cut bait will get better and better this month, but to catch mixed bag of species including some nice catfish this month the best bet is to cast live herring off the points. For now fish are scattered all over the place, but later in the month they will be more bunched up on certain spots.
March 31
Lake Hartwell water levels are only slightly above full pool at 660.12 (full pool is 660.00) and surface water temperatures are up to the mid-60s in the morning. The lakes have cleared substantially but some creeks are still dirty.
We are in an excellent period for bassfishing on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that there are a mix of pre-spawn, spawning, and a few post-spawn fish. Anglers can ride the banks and see bedding fish, although the pollen is severely limiting visibility at times. For shallow fish dragging soft plastics is generally preferred, and they will take floating worms, flukes, Senkos and more.
While the blueback herring spawn has not started yet, some bass are starting to set up on the points where the herring will soon be. (Although Brad points out that in years like this with high water herring will spawn in areas besides traditional saddles and points like coves, old grass, etc.). For right now topwater baits are not a good way to approach the early point fish, and something subtle like a Carolina rig, jig or shakey head is more effective. A fluke will also work but you want to avoid something noisy that disturbs a lot of water until the bass get aggressive.
It’s an unfortunate time for anglers to have difficult getting on the lake to target hybrid and striped bass, because Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fishing is starting to get good. Fish are moving up the rivers, and early in the morning they will be found in 10-18 feet of water on free-lines trolled or pitched towards points. After the sun gets up they will pull out deeper in the same areas where they can be caught with down-lines near the bottom in 25-28 feet of water. You can also still throw freelines. There continue to be a lot of spotted bass caught by striper fishermen.
It will be a couple of weeks until fish get to the very backs, but they are moving that way.
On the catfish front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that fishing is getting better and some nice blue catfish are starting to be caught in 12-15 feet of water. Baitfish are spread out all over, and so cut herring or shad is working in both the creeks and off main lake points. The channel catfish have not yet turned on.
March 25
Lake Hartwell water levels remain above full pool at 661.78 (full pool is 660.00) and surface water temperatures are around 59-63 at first light. The lakes have cleared substantially over the last two weeks.
March can be an unpredictable month for catching hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fishing right now is a bit of a mixed bag. Fish are moving up the rivers right now, and in the major creeks they are about halfway back. In the small creeks they are still out at the mouths.
When the fish are on the move like this they can be a little hard to catch, particularly in the mornings. However, for the last 2-3 hours of the days there can be a wide-open bite throwing a scrounger head/ fluke, L’il Fishie, or any other rubber shad imitator. At this time of day they will move up shallower and chase bait on main points. You can also fish free-lines in 5-10 feet of water. In the morning the fish can be caught on down-lines just off the bottom in 25-30 feet.
While in the morning/ daytime striper and hybrids can be temperamental, the spotted bass have saved many a trip recently. They are on the same points as the striper and feeding very well. Since the bait is relatively stationary, if you get near bait you will catch a ton of fish.
Always his favorite way to fish, Captain Bill Plumley reports that pulling up on shallow points in the morning and casting live herring out the back is working very well. The catch is heavy on spots but there are also hybrids mixed in.
Speaking of bass, Guide Brad Fowler reports that since water temperatures spiked most of the fish are pre-spawn with some already spawning. They just pulled up shallow, and it’s a pretty easy time to just go down the bank and blind cast spinnerbaits or soft plastics. Crankbaits will also work, although they usually fade as temperatures get into the 60s. There are also some spotted bass that will spawn on shoals, and some of them could even be post-spawn.
While there is not much of a topwater bite yet, by this weekend there could be – and buzzbaits could also start to produce. There are already some fish starting to be caught off points, which will only get better and better.
On the crappie front, Captain Bill Plumley reports that crappie are staging at the mouths of creeks. When temperatures rise a couple more degrees they will go to the backs. For now the best bet is to long-line troll with jigs tipped with minnows or get over brush in 6-8 feet. Most of the crappie are already in less than 10 feet of water.
Catfish have not yet turned on but they should soon move into shallower water.
March 12
Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full pool at 661.41 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures have risen into the mid-50s. All of the major creeks are still dirty but clarity is improving with no recent heavy rains.
Finally there is improvement for hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that they have been finding fish up the rivers in 30-38 feet of water near the bottom. Fish are off long, tapering main points that drop gradually towards the creek channel, and they are usually about where the points plateau at that depth. For right now fish are about halfway back in the rivers, but as temperatures warm up about 4 more degrees they should go further back. The best pattern is down-lining with herring and reeling the bait a couple of cranks off the bottom.
The forage population seems to be in excellent shape and the fish are fat and healthy-looking. Bait is all over the place, and while fish will not be everywhere – if there is no bait it’s not worth fishing.
It’s not ideal conditions for the way Guide Brad Fowler like to bass fish on Lake Hartwell, and high, dirty water means that the offshore bite in most of the deep places is pretty messed up. Between water conditions and the upcoming spawn most of the fish are from 15 feet of water to the banks.
Staging fish can be found on mid-depth spots in 5-15 feet of water, and they can be caught on jerkbaits, blade runners and crankbaits. These fish are in the guts of creeks and they are relating to bait. There are also birds there and everything is gorging.
There is also a shallow group of fish that is in 1-5 feet of water behind the old grown-up brush, and they will take Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits.
Finally, due to high water levels there are some fish on rocks that usually don’t have any water over them.
Even as water temperatures gradually warm the catfish bite remains very tough, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that bites remain extremely hard to come by.
February 27
Lake Hartwell water levels are still a couple of feet above full pool at 662.21 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 52-54 degrees. All of the major creeks are muddy with trash and logs floating, but the main lake towards the dam is not as dirty. Some boat landings are closed and you still need rubber boats to walk on many stationary docks.
Conditions remains really tough for hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that there are a few fish being caught in the cleaner water at the dam by anglers who are trolling. However, overall getting bites right now is very, very difficult.
As we move into March the fishing should get better as the water hopefully clears and warms, and Chip looks for fish to move up the rivers. In the morning fish will be a bit deeper in 15-25 feet of water where they can be caught on down-lines, and if you get the fish activated then sometimes you can pitch free-lines around the boat.
Often the best bite will be in the afternoon, and on days when the shallows warm then fish will pull up into 3-8 feet of water. They can be caught throwing a scrounger head and fluke, or on swimbaits. If anglers are targeting large fish then planers boards can be effective, but with this method you are generally looking for more scattered ones and not getting numbers.
Probably as a result of water conditions, Guide Brad Fowler reports that the bass bite on Lake Hartwell has been really tough. It only took about 15 pounds to win the BFL tournament on Saturday, and even if you find a few fish they are so scattered that there is not much of a pattern. Fish have been caught out in 40 feet of water on drop shots and spoons, and they have also been caught on crankbaits and spinnerbaits fished around the banks. However, nothing is very strong.
Catfish don’t always mind muddy water, but right now Captain Bill Plumley reports that the cold, muddy conditions on Lake Hartwell are not good for the fishing. Bites have been extremely hard to come by, and even though he has picked up a couple of good fish in the 20- and 30-pound class there have been days where he only got one bite. Cut bream has been the best bait even though nothing has been working even moderately well.
Normally this is a peak time for trolling for crappie on Lake Hartwell, but some of the best anglers on the lake are only catching a couple of fish right now. There is so much cold, muddy water that the fish are just not feeding like they should be as they do not want to fight the current.
February 14
Lake Hartwell water levels are more than three feet above full pool at 663.01 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 50-52 degrees. Much of the lake is very dirty, and all of the creeks and rivers are muddy – including in places that almost never get muddy.
With very high water levels several boat ramps are closed to access, and there are reports that they will open the flood gates next week to try to drop water levels.
It’s pretty awful conditions for hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fishing has gotten really tough. The water is so muddy/ stained that there is no consistent pattern, and with new rain events every couple of days there is no time for it to clear. The mud line is also constantly on the move due to new rain.
Fish still want to be staging in the creeks in the same areas that they have been, but since these areas have gotten dirty it’s hard to catch anything but small fish 2 pounds and under. It seems that these small fish can tolerate the mud better and continue to feed. Even though the water near the dam is relatively clear there do not seem to be a lot of fish in the lower lake.
Eventually the fish should want to make a move shallower, and when temperatures start to rise into the upper 50s they should start to go. But for now cold, muddy conditions just mean the bite is close to shut down.
Captain Bill Plumley concurs that fishing is tough and reports that bites have been very, very hard to come by.
On some lakes Guide Brad Fowler reports that with all of this dirty water he would be thinking about fishing shallow, but on Hartwell he just does not believe there is enough of a warming trend yet to push substantial numbers of fish shallower. They just don’t live up there the way they might on a Greenwood or even Murray.
Even though the water is dirty Brad advises that he would be focused on a deeper bite with a spoon, blade runner or drop shot, perhaps in the most visible white colors. While he would not head for the clearest water by the dam he would also not want to be in the muddiest water, and so he would stay on the edge of the mud lines.
If we do get a warming trend Brad points out that the muddy shallows should warm faster than clear water would, and so perhaps a shallow bite will come on.
January 24
Lake Hartwell water levels are above full pool at 660.12 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are in the low 50s. Up rivers like the Seneca the water is dirty, while down the lake it clears.
Conditions for bass fishing have been pretty tough, but Guide Brad Fowler reports that in cleaner water out on the main lake there have been some good reports of a deep spoon bite. Blade runners and drop shots have also been working in the same areas. There have not been reports of much action in the cold, muddy areas.
With water temperatures cold it will take longer for conditions to clear and so the bite may stay towards the main lake for a time.
Dropping temperatures have slowed down the hybrid and striped bass bite this week, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that dirty water also still has the bait downstream towards the lower ends of the creeks at the mouths. The best bet is to look off main points in those areas and to try to fish down-lines 30-40 feet deep close to the bottom.
Birds are not very helpful right now since conditions are making it more difficult for them to use visual cues to feed, and anglers should make use of their electronics to make sure they are on top of the bait. At that time of year fish will generally not be in areas where there is no forage to feed on.
Captain Bill reports that the best area to look for catchable crappie is still around deeper docks with 12-18 feet of water, and jigs tipped with minnows are the best bet. While there may be a lot of fish in the deep timber, they are tough to target.
In February Bill expects fish to move towards creek ledges in 18-20 feet of water.
Captain Bill Plumley reports that the catfish bite remains very slow and he has had a tough time getting bites on recent trips.
January 15
Lake Hartwell water levels are bouncing either side of full pool and currently at 659.86 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 51 degrees. The lake is uncharacteristically muddy in areas like the Seneca River as well as all the creeks, and there is trash floating everywhere. Anglers should take caution when navigating and look out for obstructions like logs.
Even though water conditions are really tough, Guide Brad Fowler reports that if he had to be out on the lake bass fishing he would start in the normal winter places looking in 20-40 feet of water around the edges of the timber. He suggests fishing spoons, drop shots, football jigs, and blade runners, but if that does not work head shallower and look for a crankbait bite.
Expect fishing to stay tough for a little while with so much cold, dirty water coming in that is unlikely to clear and warm anytime soon.
The muddy water is also affect the hybrid and striped bass bite, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that conditions are pushing the bait downstream towards the lower ends of the creeks at the mouths. The best bet is to look off main points in those areas, and try to fish down-lines 30-40 feet deep close to the bottom.
Birds are not very helpful right now since conditions are making it difficult for them to use visual cues to feed, and anglers should make use of their electronics to make sure they are on top of the bait. At that time of year fish will generally not be in areas where there is no forage to feed on.
Captain Bill Plumley reports that the catfish bite has gotten very slow and he has had a tough time getting a single bite on recent trips.
Captain Bill reports that the best area to look for crappie is still around deeper docks with 12-18 feet of water. Jigs tipped with minnows are the best bet.