April 11
Lake Jocassee is at 97.2% of full pool and the main lake and major rivers are clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 58-60 degrees.
The trout fishing remains good on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that in the brutal conditions at this weekend’s tournament they still had a handful of boats, everyone caught fish, and a 5 ½ pounder took the day. Overall Sam’s boat is still catching fish in both the rivers and at the dam, and 30-50 feet remains the peak depth range. He has had the best luck at about 38 feet. It seems like the best action is coming trolling spoons right now.
It’s still a pretty tough bass bite on Lake Jocassee, but tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that once we get through the last cold front and into the warm weather this week things should improve fast.
Right now one good way to catch fish is with a spinnerbait around rocks, especially when there is wind, and glide baits and big swimbaits will also work. As they move towards the spawn look around any clay banks or sand, and note that when they bed on Jocassee it’s usually in groups.
The best reports have come from the Toxaway and Horse Pasture.
March 30
Lake Jocassee is at 98.2% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are back to about 58 degrees on the main lake.
The trout fishing is still pretty good on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that this week they have caught a few solid 4-pound fish but there have also been a ton of borderline fish just over and under the 15-inch limit. A 14 7/8 inch fish was particularly memorable! The best fishing continues to be in Toxaway River, while in the Horse Pasture more of the fish have been too small to keep.
Once again the best catches are coming on spoons, and 30-60 feet has been the best depth range. They did catch a nice fish in 28 feet.
It’s a pretty tough bass bite on Lake Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that Jocassee is typically behind other lakes and the fish are very much still pre-spawn. However, over the next month they should move into spawning mode.
One good way to catch fish right now is to fish a spinnerbait around rocks, especially when there is wind, and glide baits and big swimbaits will also work. As they move towards the spawn look around any clay banks or sand, and note than when they bed on Jocassee it’s usually in groups.
The best reports have come from the Toxaway and Horse Pasture.
March 16
Lake Jocassee is at 97.3% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are still around 58 degrees on the main lake.
It continues to be a good bite for trout on Lake Jocassee, and even no monsters were caught in the last trout tournament Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the rivers continue to produce well. He has found the best action midway up the Toxaway River in the area they call Jumping Off Rock.
The best catches are coming in about 20-60 feet of water, with 30 feet the best depth. Because of the abundance of very small threadfin shad that the trout seem to be eating small 1.5 inch lures as well as the bigger spoons they customarily fish. Herring is also working.
There are also reports of some monster bass being caught at the dam tied up to the yellow pipe. These fish are generally being caught on live bait, and there have been some spotted bass and smallmouth in the 6-pound range!
Since Lake Jocassee warms more slowly than other lakes bass get into spring mode there later, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that – consistent with the report from Sam - the fish have still not really moved up. Bass are still in the rivers hanging under schools of bait and also eating trout. They are suspended from 20-90 feet down and moving a lot.
The best bait is still an Alabama rig, but they will also take spinnerbaits, single swimbaits, and more.
March 9
Lake Jocassee is at 98.7% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees on the main lake.
Some really big trout have been pulled out of Lake Jocassee this week, with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reporting that two more 7 pounders were caught. Both came partly up the rivers, while the big water near the dam has not been producing the big fish recently. The best action is now in 30-60 feet, although you could still catch one on the surface. A mix of live bait and spoons is producing the best.
Since Lake Jocassee warms more slowly than other lakes bass get into spring mode later, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the fish are still in the rivers hanging under schools of bait and also eating trout. They are suspended from 20-90 feet down and moving a lot.
The best bait is still an Alabama rig, but they will also take spinnerbaits, single swimbaits, and more.
February 23
Lake Jocassee is at 98.9% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 55 degrees on the main lake.
Good trout continue to come out of Jocassee, and in the mini-tournament this weekend Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that two fish weighing nearly 7 pounds were landed. One came up the rivers, while another was caught near the dam; and one was caught on live bait, while another was caught on a spoon – confirming much of what has been reported recently.
Basically fish are still very spread out and they can be caught anywhere on the lake from the dam to the rivers, although the best catches have generally come in 25-55 feet. Occasionally one will come as deep as 60, and bass fishermen sometimes catch them near the surface.
While live bait and other artificial lures will also work, Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring scent.
In the tournament two weeks ago one angler went up the river and fished live herring, catching a number of big bass but no trout. That is consistent with the report from tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley, who says that the bass are in the rivers hanging under schools of bait and also eating trout. They are suspended from 20-90 feet down and moving a lot.
The best bait is still an Alabama rig, but they will also take spinnerbaits.
February 15
Lake Jocassee is at 98.7% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 54 degrees on the main lake.
Good trout continue to come out of Jocassee, and in the JOC tournament this weekend Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that a 6.25 pound fish was caught trolling in the big water. This week Sam caught a 5-pounder in the same area.
Still, the bite has not totally turned on and the fishing is still a little hit-or-miss. Fish are very spread out because they can be caught anywhere on the lake from the dam to the rivers, although the best catches have generally come in 25-55 feet. Occasionally one will come as deep as 60, and bass fishermen sometimes catch them near the surface.
While live bait and other artificial lures will also work, Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring scent.
One interesting note is that in the tournament one angler went up the river and fished live herring, catching a number of big bass but no trout. That is consistent with the report from tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley, who says that the bass are in the rivers hanging under schools of bait and eating trout. They are suspended from 20-90 feet down and moving a lot.
The best bait is still an Alabama rig, but they will also take spinnerbaits.
February 2
Lake Jocassee is at 98.9% of full pool and the lake has cleared a little. Morning surface water temperatures are around 53 or 54 degrees.
They continue to pull some good trout out of Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the bite has been a little hit-or-miss. Some days the fish cooperate, while other days are tougher.
Most of the fish are still from the surface to about 50 feet down, and they can be caught anywhere on the lake from the dam to the rivers. Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring or shad scents, but you can also catch fish on live bait or casting bass lures.
In fact, one of the best catches on the lake recently came when Captain Steve Pietrykowski with Fishski Business got into big trout and bass up a river and dropped live herring down onto them.
The bass patterns are still about the same, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that they are still catching fish by looking for them in the rivers on Active Target, and they seem to be hanging under schools of bait. They are also eating trout.
Fish are suspended from 20-90 feet down and moving a lot, and it appears that some of the biggest fish get out there with the giant lake trout and suspend very deep. These are the same groups of fish that Steve got into.
The best bait is still an Alabama rig, but they will also take spinnerbaits.
January 26
Lake Jocassee is at 98.9% of full pool and the water is stained in the creeks but clear on the big water. Morning surface water temperatures are around 53 or 54 degrees.
They continue to pull some good trout out of Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that on his last trip he had a couple of browns. One was skinny but one was fat, weighing about ¾ of a pound more than his same-length brother. Maybe some of the fish are starting to be better fed again?
Most of the fish are from the surface to about 50 feet down, and they can be caught anywhere on the lake from the dam to the rivers. Sam caught the last two in the big water, but people are truly fishing all over the lakes.
Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring or shad scents, but you can also catch fish on live bait or casting bass lures.
January 25
Lake Jocassee is at 99.3% of full pool and the water is stained in the creeks but clear on the big water. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s.
With the CATT final and a strong second place finish behind him, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley is ready to give a little more information about how they are catching them. Nothing was different Saturday than in practice but they didn’t win because they couldn’t find the monsters again. Instead of a couple of spots approaching 6 pounds, their big fish was a 4.52.
They caught the fish by looking for them in the rivers on Active Target, and they seem to be hanging under schools of bait. The Toxaway and Horse Pasture had the most fish, but they did seem to be in every river they checked. Fish were suspended from 20-90 (!) feet down, and it appears that some of the biggest fish get out there with the giant lake trout and suspend very deep.
The best bait was an Alabama rig, but they also caught fish on a big one-ounce spinnerbait.
In addition to bait, Joe also finds that fish are eating trout.
January 19
Lake Jocassee is at 98.9% of full pool and the water is stained in the creeks but clear on the big water. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s.
After a few weeks away, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley finally got up to Lake Jocassee yesterday and what a day it was! He caught an incredible 22 pounds of spotted bass, including the pigs pictured below. The fish were in 15-45 feet of water up the rivers and in big pockets, while there doesn’t seem to be much going on out on the main body. He caught everything on a big one-ounce spinnerbait and an Alabama rig.
The key to catching fish right now is locating their food source, and Joe reports that they are feeding on two main things. One is the herring, but the other is the stocked trout. If you find either that’s where the fish will be!
Full-grown trout continue to be caught on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that in the tournament this weekend a nice 5-pounder won. Each trip he seems to get about a 20-inch fish, and it was only a week ago that a near 7-pounder came to the scales.
However, while they continue to catch fish they are so scattered that numbers usually aren’t that impressive. Most of the fish are from the surface to about 40 feet down, and they can be caught anywhere on the lake from the dam to the rivers. A new front every couple of days probably isn’t helping, either.
Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring or shad scents, but you can also catch fish on live bait or casting bass lures.
January 12
Lake Jocassee is at 98.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 55 degrees. Unlike the rest of the state’s lakes, Jocassee is still clear!
While it’s still a good time to catch trout on Lake Jocassee the fish have been a bit more temperamental this week, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they have caught some nice fish but there have been other days when it’s tricky to get them to bite. They are still seeing a ton of spotted bass, but those have also been a little more finicky about eating this week. But the most exciting news is that the trout being caught have generally been big, and one of Sam’s buddies caught a 6-12 fish yesterday!
Water temperatures are still in the range where fish can be anywhere, and most of the action is coming from the surface to 50 feet. Good fish can be caught from the back of the rivers to the dam, and the big fish yesterday was caught relatively shallow by the dam. Sam is still trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring or shad scents, and his best fish this week came in 27 and 37 feet.
Sam has not been hearing as much about anglers catching recently stocked sub-keeper trout, but they should still be grouped up at the waterfalls. Casting or even trolling with small Rooster Tails works well for these fish, but be sure to handle them as little as possible and release them with care.
While they aren’t getting as many bass as a by-catch, if you want to target spots then heading to the flats in the back of the Toxaway where bait is stacked up and casting minnows into the schools is hard to beat. Diving loons and gulls will let you know when you are in the right area.
January 5
Lake Jocassee is up to 98.9% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 56 degrees.
There has been some pretty outstanding fishing on Lake Jocassee recently, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that it continues to be a really good time for trout. With water temperatures in the mid-50s the trout can be anywhere, and the best pattern for catching keepers is trolling Sutton spoons slathered with Pautzke Fire Gel in herring or shad scents from the surface to about 50 feet. Some of the better fish are still coming out of the big water, but the rivers and creeks are also productive and fish are everywhere.
With recently stocked trout now in the lake there are also still a ton of sub-keeper fish around, and they are grouped up around the waterfalls. It’s almost like they are trying to get out of the lake and so they run way up the creeks and congregate. Casting or even trolling with small Rooster Tails is working well for these fish. Be sure to handle them as little as possible and release them with care.
As always at this time of year they continue to catch a lot of spotted bass, and the yellow perch fishing continues to be very good. Sam’s boat is just picking them up as a by-catch while trolling spoons, but if you head way up the Toxaway and fish minnows 40-50 feet down over timber you can wear them out. They make excellent table fare.
