September 26

Lake Jocassee is at 91.2% of full pool but sure to rise with the storm, and clarity is typically high but sure to fall. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake were about 78 degrees yesterday. 

For some time the trout fishing has been tough on Lake Jocassee, but veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs was very surprised to find an extremely slow bass bite on his last trip out. He fished shallow and deep, points and blowdowns, crankbaits and soft plastics, but only managed one small keeper bass on a topwater lure. As the water has continued to drop (until this morning) the fish have seemed more and more hesitant to bite, and rising water temperatures don’t seem to have helped either. Chip is hopeful that rain will fill the lake back up and that cooler fall temperatures will get the fish feeding again. 

The trout fishermen still aren’t having much success on Lake Jocassee, either, but Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are picking up a few spotted bass offshore. They are also getting the occasional trout, but they certainly don’t count on getting one every trip. The key depth range is still about 70-80 feet, and they are putting spoons out as deep as 100 feet. The bass are often coming on flat lines (no down-riggers) in the 20-60 foot range with plugs and spoons.  

September 18

Lake Jocassee is down to 91.9% of full pool and water clarity is normal despite about an inch of rain in the storm earlier this week. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 77 degrees. 

Even though September is typically a very tough month the trout report is a little better this week on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they have picked up a few nice 3-pounders. Some have been browns and some have been rainbows, and they are seeing the most fish in 70-80 feet although they have caught them as deep as 100 feet. Below that they are only marking a few fish. The key to catching fish, as is often the case in the fall, is fishing in the tree tops. It’s not clear why because there is plenty of bait in open water, but all the fish are coming around trees. 

In addition to picking up trout they have also caught some bass and catfish on spoons on down-riggers in the deep water, and they continue to get some bass on flat lines with plugs or spoons running between 20 and 60 feet. 

More information on the bass to follow from veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs. 

September 5

Lake Jocassee is down to 92.4% of full pool and water clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 81 degrees. 

So far there are no new trout catches this week on Lake Jocassee, although Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they have caught a decent number of spotted bass and some better catfish to keep things interesting. They continue to run four rods on downriggers around the 100-foot range, fishing both the dam and the Whitewater area, and they are also running flat lines at 20-60 feet where about half of the bass are coming. 

It's unclear what dropping water levels will do to the shallower water bass fishing, but veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs will let us know as soon as he gets up there again. 

August 28

Lake Jocassee is at 96.2% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are down to about 80 degrees.      

It’s still glum news with the trout on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still targeting trout but it’s bass that are keeping lines tight and clients happy. They continue to run four rods on downriggers around the 100-foot range, fishing both the dam and the Whitewater area, but in the last ten days everything they have caught has been a bass or catfish. Today they picked up spotted bass at 90 and 110 feet on spoons, but they are also running lines at 30-60 feet where they have caught some nice largemouth pulling spoons and plugs.

At the same time the shallower water bass fishing has been a mixed bag recently, perhaps as more fish have spread out, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that some days he has found really good surface activity while days like yesterday have been slower. It seems that the cool snap really helped the bite, but as water temperatures have rebounded things have slowed down again. The lack of rain has also been a detriment, and up the rivers Chip is seeing water temperatures in the mid-80s again without much inflow. River levels also aren’t quite high enough for the best bite. Overall fish seem to be up in the water column, and at times they are busting shad in the pockets. Usually flukes are working better than baits on the bottom, and Chip has caught a mixed bag of smallmouth, largemouth and spots near the surface. At the same time he has still caught a few fish on Carolina rigs around laydowns. 

August 16

Lake Jocassee is at 97.8% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 83 degrees.      

We sign out this week with – finally – a good trout catch on Lake Jocassee. Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that today they managed a fat rainbow over three pounds. It was caught on a Sutton spoon trolled 125 feet deep at the dam. 

Certainly the catch doesn’t yet mean the fishing has turned around, but it’s good to know there are some trout still swimming and eating in this mountain lake!

August 13

Lake Jocassee is at 97.3% of full pool and there is still some dingy water coming into the creeks. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 82 degrees but a couple of degrees cooler up the rivers.      

Bad news first – the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee is still terrible, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that it’s hard to find anyone who has caught a trout recently. They are still marking fish in 80-100 feet, but they aren’t eating spoons or live bait. The only catch is small catfish and the occasional bass. 

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the population is way down. 

But again the bass fishing is very good, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that he had one of his best mornings in a long time yesterday on Jocassee – catching over 20 fish. The water is still up but not as high as it was a few weeks ago, and fishing up the Toxaway River he found some fish where there was dingy water flowing in.  In the shallow dirty water he found a good bite on a three-bladed spinnerbait, but the best action actually came back down the river fishing around trees, stumps and brush in about 10-18 feet off the channel on a Carolina rig. A crankbait running 10-12 feet also got bites. Some anglers reported catching fish on topwater lures, but Chip could not get a bite that way. 

Overall he thinks the current is really helping and he notes that fish were spitting up shad in his livewell. 

Finally, last Saturday tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that he and his partner Greg Glouse won a tournament with 17 pounds. In the morning they fished up the rivers and around waterfalls with big trout glide baits, but then after the sun got up they moved out to the main lake in 20-60 feet of water and fished deep points, humps, and drops with swimbaits and jigs. 

August 1

Lake Jocassee is up to 98.8% of full pool and the backs of rivers are downright muddy. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 82 degrees but 5-10 degrees cooler in the backs of some rivers.    

We were hoping to have some better news with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee this week, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing remains brutally tough. They are marking fish in 80-100 feet, but getting them to follow a bait or much less commit has been next to impossible. Even targeting the treetops at the spillway to the right of the dam and in the Whitewater River has not been productive, and live bait has had no better results than spoons.  About all they can catch is small catfish, and not even the bass are feeding well in the big water. 

It may be a problem of competition, and with so much bait around (and a seemingly very poor survival rate for this year’s trout stocking) the fish that are there just don’t seem to need to compete as much. 

But that doesn’t mean the largemouth bass bite isn’t good up the rivers, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that even though the water isn’t coming in as fast as it was it is even higher with good current. In 3-5 feet of water there is still a very good spinnerbait bite, but Chip has also investigated the main channel bite and once again is having success on Carolina rigs in 15-18 feet. They are related to the main part of the channel and not cover right now. 

July 26

Lake Jocassee is up to 97.6% of full pool and the backs of rivers are downright muddy. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are about 82 degrees but 71-73 in the backs! 

After torrential rain this week rivers like the Toxaway are flooding, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that the bass bite is outstanding right now. In one morning of fishing by himself he caught about 25 bass, with everything coming in just 3-5 feet of water. The fish are eating whatever gets flushed into the lake, and a soft plastic crawfish will definitely get bites. However, the action on a spinnerbait has been so good in the muddy, turbulent water that Chip is barely throwing anything else.

The fish are positioning themselves facing into the current, especially around rock, and so throwing a ½ to ¾ ounce Hawg Caller with triple willow blades and working it with the current has been the ticket. Anything lighter will just get blown out. 

Chip notes that the last day he fished the current was so strong he had to run his trolling motor on 9!

July 19

Lake Jocassee has dropped to 95.8% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures range from about 80-84 degrees.

Fortunately the bass fishing is better than the trout fishing, and in a unique Lake Jocassee dynamic (because of the inflow of cool mountain streams as well as natural springs) veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that the water in the rivers is cooler than the water in the main lake – as usual. So while there are definitely some bass in the main lake around bait, he continues to target the rivers.

The fish are related to the river channels and they are following bait up and down the channel. He is finding the best action in about 5-15 feet, and they are finding fish in the channel, on flats adjacent to it, rocky ridges or humps off the channels where the bass can push the bait, and occasionally in laydowns. Most of the time the most consistent bait has been a Carolina-rigged worm or lizard, but in low light conditions (or cloudy days like yesterday morning) a pearl white fluke can also be effective.   

Overall they still aren’t catching a ton of big fish, but numbers have been very good. 

July 18

Lake Jocassee is at 97.2% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 80-81 degrees on the big water and as high as the upper 80s in the backs. 

Unfortunately there has been a dramatic slowdown with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee in the last few days, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the couple of week spell they had of catching rainbows has died down (as it often does after about the same duration). They are marking fish as deep as 100 feet, and the most numbers seem to be in 80 feet, but they just aren’t feeding very well. Even targeting the treetops at the spillway to the right of the dam and in the Whitewater River has not been productive.

Interestingly, they aren’t seeing a ton of bait right now and what bait they are seeing is much higher in the water column – it has a very different temperature tolerance than trout. 

More to follow. 

July 11

Lake Jocassee is at 97.5% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures have shot up to 81 degrees on the big water and as high as the upper 80s in the backs. Luckily there has been a good breeze to make angling comfortable. 

The trout are still biting on Lake Jocassee, even though Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are mainly getting rainbows and haven’t seen any monster browns in some time. But the rainbow trout are fat 16-18 inch fish that are shaped like footballs and fight hard!

The oddest thing is that the fish are basically in a fall pattern, and instead of being able to troll for them in open water they are having to fish over treetops at the spillway to the right of the dam and in the Whitewater River. One angler caught three fish but lost three spoons on a recent trip! It’s as if the water got so hot so fast that the fish skipped forward into late summer/ fall patterns. Everything is being caught in about 70-110 feet of water. 

Along the same lines, Sam tried to catch bass in the deeper places he usually catches them in the summer today with no luck.

That’s entirely consistent with the report from veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs, who reports that they had a good day yesterday on the lake – fishing the rivers. They started out way up a river where there was some current early and caught three solid keepers on a spinnerbait, but after that early bite died down they moved a little down the river and caught everything in 10-15 feet of water dragging a Carolina rig. Fish continue to hold around blowdowns. Chip notes that he had zero bites deep cranking, and the fish just don’t seem to be active.

That makes sense considering the temperatures he marked, as high as 90 degrees, and the only thing that seems to be very active on the lake is the summer tourists!

June 28

Lake Jocassee is at 98.7% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures range from about 78 to 82. 

High water levels and some surprisingly cool temperatures in the rivers have changed the Jocassee bass bite, and on the water yesterday veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that they had an extremely good day. It didn’t start off well when the parking lot was near full by dawn for a jet-ski “rally”, but if anything once the jet skis got out on the water and churned it up the fishing improved – and it started off good.  

In about four and a half hours of fishing they caught more than 15 keepers, starting off well up the Toxaway River fishing flukes and spinnerbaits but then keying in on the best pattern further down the river in about 8-15 feet. The best action came around blowdowns and the fish seemed to want a Carolina rig the most. 

Like many of our readers (and some of our other experts) Chip plans to avoid the water next week because of boat traffic, but we appreciate the report and wish everyone a good Fourth!

June 25

Lake Jocassee is at 98.7% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 78 by the dam and in the 80s elsewhere. 

The trout fishing has dramatically improved on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that while no monster trout have showed up (even though they are certainly still swimming around), they are now catching lots of rainbows, an occasional brown, and plenty of big carp and catfish. It’s unclear exactly why the fishing improved, and it could be that things were running behind and more stocked fish survived than they thought – or that there was a supplemental stocking. Regardless it has made every trip more fun, and optimism for the summer bite is much higher than it was just a few weeks ago!

The majority of the fish are in the 60-90 foot range, although they did have their first hundred foot fish at 102! The dam area has been best and trolling spoons has been the most productive technique. 

The bass fishing has been fair to good recently, and while they aren’t catching a lot of big bass either veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs  reports that numbers of solid fish have been decent. The fish have moved deeper, and with water temperatures very warm in the rivers they are now having better luck off main lake points in 15-18 feet of water. Shaky head worms are working the best, and overall it’s a pretty standard pattern for when temperatures get hot. 

June 11

Lake Jocassee is at 98.8% of full pool and water clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are up to 74-75 degrees on the main lake and higher up the rivers. 

The bass fishing has significantly improved on Lake Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that recently he has found the best fishing surprisingly shallow up the rivers. They aren’t marking many fish in the channel itself, but along flat stretches near the bank or on very shallow humps around river swings they are catching fish on a Frittside crankbait. Yes, that’s normally a cold-weather bait for them – but right now the fish are killing it. They are also catching a few fish on Carolina rigs, and they have picked up some isolated schooling fish on flukes. 

The last few times they have been out the water hasn’t been quite high enough to get way back into the coldest water (where there can often be a ten-degree break), but with conditions like they are today look for bait and bass to be back there and accessible. 

The trout fishing has picking up a little on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they haven’t had any monsters recently but they are catching some of the fish that were apparently stocked in the spring stocking which are now 15-16 inches. The best action is in about 80-90 feet and they are running spoons from 60-100 feet. Big water near the dam and in the Whitewater River has been producing.

Night fishermen are also catching some fish around the dam by putting out lights, drawing in bait and then fishing with live herring. 

Finally, they have caught some giant channel catfish up to 15 pounds pulling spoons. 

May 29

Lake Jocassee is at 95.6% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are up to 74-76 degrees on the main lake. 

The bass bite is still only fair on Lake Jocassee, but tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that there are still a few fish spawning on the lake. However, he and tournament partner Greg Glouse have had the best luck with post-spawn fish.  They have been fishing in the Horse Pasture area and have found the best action fishing around large boulders. Glide baits have been working well, and they have also caught some nice fish on Keitech 3.8 swimbaits. 

The trout fishing is still tough on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they have not picked up any big browns in more than a week. However, they have caught a few rainbow trout from the spring stocking – as well as occasional bass and some very large carp!

The fish they are marking still have not gone super deep, and they are still trolling spoons from about 30-65 feet. The most fish seem to still be in the dam area and so that is where they are concentrating their efforts. 

Reports do indicate that some fish are being caught at night on live bait around the dam, which make sense when the bite is slow the rest of the time. 

May 23

Lake Jocassee is at 96.1% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are still in the low 70s on the main lake but around 75-77 degrees in the rivers. 

It’s a familiar tale of woe, but the trout fishing is still tough on Lake Jocassee and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still struggling to catch fish. They haven’t had any big ones in the last few days but they did have a nice 16-inch rainbow yesterday, so apparently some of last winter’s stocked fish did survive – but not enough. 

They are still marking the most fish in the dam area and so that is where they are concentrating their efforts. By now the most fish seem to be in about 40-75 feet, with the last catch at 60. 

Reports do indicate that some fish are being caught at night on live bait around the dam, which make sense when the bite is slow the rest of the time. 

There is still hope that the bass fishing will keep lines tight this summer for guides if the trout don’t cooperate, but so far the bass have been very slow to take spoons. 

That’s consistent with the report from veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs, which provides some hope that the bass are just in a post-spawn lull. On his last trip yesterday they fished up near Bad Creek, mid-lake at Jump-Off Rock, and up the Toxaway, from shallow water looking for some late spawners or other shallow fish out to 35 plus feet around blowdowns. The only way they could get bites was with a Carolina rig, and even then the fishing was very slow. 

The most remarkable thing Chip saw yesterday was carp schooling on the surface! He has no idea what they were eating, and in all his time fishing he has never seen that before.

May 15

Lake Jocassee is at 95.0% of full pool and water clarity is normal on the main lake but the creeks are a big dingy. Morning surface water temperatures are still around 70 degrees on the main lake but a good bit warmer in the rivers. 

The trout fishing is still tough on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still struggling to catch fish but picking up a big one every now and then. They are marking the most fish in the dam area and so that is where they are concentrating their efforts. Even though surface temperatures have not changed the whole column is gradually warming, and so they are now pulling spoons in about 40-75 feet. Any shallower than that and they pretty much only hook carp, and Sam notes that in the target range they are generally picking up 2-3 bass each trip. 

Bass report to follow. 

May 9

Lake Jocassee is at 95.6% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees on the main lake. 

Finally able to spend some real time on Lake Jocassee, veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that he has found a really good bass bite. There are still a lot of fish on beds, but it appears that most of the bigger fish have already spawned and are started to feed up again to recover.  It should only get better in the next few weeks as the post-spawn feeding binge intensifies.

The best way to catch fish right now is around any sort of wood cover like treetops or blowdowns. They will take a pearl white fluke or a Spook, although they are more likely to just hit at the topwater bait and miss it. There are also some fish schooling over humps but so far they seem a bit finicky about what they will eat. Perhaps they are on small bait. 

Right now the shad spawn is spotty, but if you can find it going on early there are bass around. 

Given that it’s unsurprising that the bass that are starting to carry the trout fishing guides on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing is still really tough. Occasionally they will pick up a big fish, but numbers of trout are just non-existent right now. With temperatures warming the trout that are there have moved a little deeper and they are mostly from about 25 feet down to about 65-70, with most trout appearing to be near the dam and in the main part of rivers. Luckily there are plenty of spotted bass in that range now and they are also picking up some carp and usually very small catfish. 

May 1

Lake Jocassee is at 95.0% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 65-66 degrees on the main lake. 

In last weekend’s trout tournament on Lake Jocassee, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that out of 24 boats only 2 fish were weighed. A nice 6-pound trout won, but second place went to a small “stocker.” There is no doubt the population of fish is way down, most likely as a result of an unsuccessful stocking this winter.

For now they do continue to pick up some big fish, like the 7-pounder pictured below, but they are few and far between.   For a bit longer fish can be anywhere in the water column before it gets hot. No depth or area has a lot of action, though.

Meanwhile some carp up to double digits are showing up and giving anglers a thrill, and they are also getting some catfish up to 10-12 pounds. Unless something changes it looks like this summer they will be trying to go after a mix of trophy trout and other species, and live bait could play a bigger role. 

Veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs hopes to fish for bass on Jocassee tomorrow and if so will report back afterwards, but for now spawning fish should be in sandy areas as far as back as they can get – usually less than 10 feet of water. Other fish are forced to spawn on rock. In contrast pre-spawn fish are most likely to be found in laydowns a little out from the spawning areas, and they can be caught on a swimming jig, shaky heads, and they will even come up to hit a topwater. 

April 25

Lake Jocassee is at 95.2% of full pool and water clarity is normal although up the rivers it has been a bit dingy. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 65 degrees but as high as the 70s in the rivers.

While there’s no cause for panic with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing continues to be slow enough that it’s hard to have any explanation besides that more of the fish stocked this winter did not make it than is typical. A few 15-16 inch stocked fish are showing up, but not many. They do continue to catch some big fish, but they are marking few enough fish on electronics that when they see a big one now they are circling back and trying to entice it.  It could be a tough summer!

The best fishing is still coming in 45-50 feet, although we are still (albeit only for a bit longer) in the period where fish can tolerate water temperatures from the surface down. Spoons continue to out-fish live bait.    

We are back online with some bass reports, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that his last trip was really tough because of much stronger-than-predicted winds. But on this full moon there are good numbers of fish spawning, generally in about 10 feet of water in sandy areas as far back as they can get. Some fish are also forced to spawn on rock. In contrast pre-spawn fish are most likely to be found in laydowns a little out from the spawning areas, and they can be caught on a swimming jig, shaky heads, and they will even come up to hit a topwater. 

Chip has also picked up a few fish on crankbaits and jerkbaits on the first break. 

April 11

Lake Jocassee is at 94.9% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 58 degrees.

There’s been some improvement with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that with a tournament this weekend it will be interesting to see how the fish cooperate. It couldn’t be worse than last month’s where exactly zero fish were weighed.

While numbers still aren’t where they should be some nice 5- and 6-pound fish are being landed, and while fish can still theoretically be anywhere in the lake from the surface down they are marking the most fish in the big water at a range of depths. Sam also landed a good one at the Three Rivers split. They are marking fish as deep as 65-70 feet now, but the biggest fish his son Guide Casey caught this week came just beneath the surface (at the dam). 

Trolling spoons continues to out-produce live bait, and Sam’s biggest fish came on a spoon pulled right beside a large shiner. 

While they are still only picking up occasional bass, they are catching a bunch of good yellow perch back in the Toxaway River.  

We apologize for the prolonged hiatus in bass reports and hope to have new information next week.  However, if there is anyone who readers recommend we speak to for regular reports we are always open to suggestions at 803-563-2443 or jay@usfishingreport.com! 

March 28

Lake Jocassee is at 93.4% of full pool and water clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake range from about 53 or 54 in the morning to 57 during the day. 

It’s honestly getting to the point where it’s a little hard to explain why the fishing on Lake Jocassee is so tough, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that there still isn’t any good news with the catch. There’s no doubt things will turn around because they are still marking tons of fish and bait, and even watching trout follow their lures on LiveScope, but nothing from spoons to plugs to live bait is generating bites. 

They aren’t even catching bass in the rivers right now, and while you can watch loons diving on bait there aren’t obvious fish feeding around them. The bass boats seem to be pounding the banks, but they aren’t having much success either. It’s too early to use the bass spawn as an excuse.

The author’s theories are that all the freshwater coming into the lake may have thrown things off, as, around the state – in freshwater and saltwater – captains have been reporting unusually finicky fish due to the volume of incoming freshwater off-and-on all spring. To that point Sam reports that all the waterfalls are raging. Relatedly, the fact that water levels have dropped so fast may not be helping. But fish need to eat and there’s no doubt they will start again – at some point.  

March 21

Lake Jocassee is at 98.3% of full pool and water clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake range from about 53 or 54 in the morning to 57 during the day. 

This happens every now and then with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing has gotten very tough. Most people feel lucky to get a fish right now, and in the recent Jocassee Outdoor Center tournament not a single trout was caught by some of the best anglers on the lake! They are still marking plenty of bait and fish in 20-50 feet (with the greatest concentrations in 30-40), but they just have lockjaw right now. Sam has even turned to live bait with no success. 

Even the bass fishing has slowed down, and while they are still getting a few good fish nothing is guaranteed right now. There are still bass on the river flats in areas like the Toxaway, but the bait and fish aren’t as thick as they were a few weeks ago. With these water temperatures they don’t think bass have gone into pre-spawn mode so it’s unclear exactly where they area. 

March 6

Lake Jocassee is at 98.4% of full pool and before today’s rain water clarity was high. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake range from about 52 in the morning to 55 during the day. 

It’s gotten into an unpredictable stage for trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters(864-280-9056) reports that there have been some monster fish caught, including a 9 ½ pounder a friend of his landed. At the same time it’s pretty rare to catch multiple fish right now, and there have been days when the fish just won’t bite. 

That’s probably a result of the fact that fish are extremely spread out, and they can live literally anywhere in the lake with cool water temperatures. People are fishing all over the place, and that big one was caught by the dam but Sam has hooked his biggest fish in the back of the Toxaway River. 

Overall the best pattern is still trolling spoons about 20-55 feet deep, and while Sam has tried live bait he hasn’t found it any more productive. He has noticed that they are most likely to get bites in areas where loons are diving on bait. 

While the bass haven’t been terribly consistent, either, they still seemed to be stacked up in the backs of river flats like the Toxaway. Again, the loons are back there.

More information to follow.

February 23

Lake Jocassee is at 98.8% of full pool and most of the lake is clear but there is some dingy water in the very the backs of creeks. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 51 degrees. 

It’s continues to be an outstanding period for trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters(864-280-9056) reports that they are still catching plenty of big fish – like the 6-pounder below. At the same time it’s also a time of year where the fish don’t eat every day or at least all the time, and there are still plenty of times when they have to watch the fish follow their baits on electronics but they just won’t commit.

Overall the best fish are still being caught trolling spoons about 25-45/50 feet down, and Sam is having the best results right around 35 feet. There are some occasional big fish being caught at the dam, but for him the best results have been coming at the mouths of rivers or up them a ways. 

But if you want to find the bass you have to go way up the rivers, as the fish (and bait, and loons) are stacked up on the flats at the very back. The Toxaway has been particularly good. There are also a few trout back there but trolling spoons on flats in 25 or less feet of water has been very productive for all types of bass.  

As for conventional bass fishing techniques angler are having a lot of success fishing vertically with spoons and drop shots, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs (who hopes to be back on the lake very soon) reports that he is also hearing good reports dragging a worm in the backs. 

February 12

Lake Jocassee is at 98.4% of full pool and most of the lake is clear but there is some dingy water in the very the backs of creeks. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 49 degrees. 

It’s an outstanding period for trout fishing right now on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that Nate Leslie won Saturday’s Jocassee Outdoor Center trout tournament with an 8.80 pound fish. There was also a fish in the 10-pound range caught recently, a bunch of fish in the 6-7 pound range have been caught, and a ton of fish over five pounds.

As for patterns the fish are literally all over the lake, and Sam’s biggest came way up a creek recently. At the same time that there have also been giants caught at the dam. The common denominator is that fish are from the surface down to about 30 or 45 feet, and they are mostly being caught on spoons although live bait has also been productive again for some anglers.

   

 

 

There’s not a long of change with the best bass patterns, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that right now he advises concentrating on the lower end and the Bad Creek discharge (where warmer water comes into the lake when power is being generated). Fishing swimbaits around the long points as well as bluff wall ledges has been productive. 

February 1

Lake Jocassee is at 98.3% of full pool and the backs of creeks are dirty. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 52-53 degrees. 

With some stained water coming into the lake, veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that one of the best bass patterns going is to head way back and fish a crankbait, flashy spinnerbait or something with rattles in the very backs of creeks. While the water isn’t muddy back there, it has gotten kind of milky. 

Chip’s other primary pattern right now is to go to the area where the Bad Creek discharge sends warm water into the lake. Bait goes in there and the bass follow it, and at times the fish are in just a few feet because there is so much shallow rock to hold heat. They can get out as deep as 30 feet, and there are several humps below that area that hold fish. For the shallow fish crankbaits and three-bladed spinnerbaits both work, while for the deeper fish Chip will use a worm or drop shot. 

Out on the water after the trout right now and then again tomorrow after a couple of days off, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) will report back with any changes.  However, from everything he has heard fish can still be anywhere in the lake and the best action is coming 30-50 feet down in the big water or the main sections of rivers. Fish are still pretty spread out, and trolling spoons seems to be the most effective technique. They are catching lots of 3-6 plus pound fish right now. 

For some reason live bait seems to be mainly catching bass and yellow perch. 

January 23

Lake Jocassee is at 98.0% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are down to about 52 degrees. 

The trout fishing has been very good recently on Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that even with temperatures cool enough that fish can be anywhere in the lake the best action is coming 30-50 feet down in the big water or the main sections of rivers. Still fish are pretty spread out, and trolling spoons seems to be the most effective technique. They are catching lots of 3-6 plus pound fish right now. 

For some reason live bait seems to be mainly catching bass and yellow perch. 

While veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs hasn’t been on the water much this cold month, he reports that with the warm raining coming in the second half of the week he would suggest heading to the very backs of creeks where there is freshwater inflow to look for bass. There is likely to be some stain in the backs, and he would throw a half-ounce spinnerbait or bladed jig. Make long casts to avoid spooking fish.

The main point bite should also still produce, as the water never gets dingy in those areas. A swimbait remains a good bet although if there is some wind you can also fish the spinnerbait or bladed jig. 

January 4

Lake Jocassee is at 97.9% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s. 

It still hasn’t gotten cold on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that temperatures are cool enough where the trout can be about anywhere they want and so fish are scattered literally all over the lake. A decent number of 5- and 6-pound fish are being landed, and they are all coming from different places. The deepest fish seem to be in about 50 feet, and they can be found up to the surface.

The one group of trout that are easy to pattern are the 11-13 inch stocker, which generally race to the waterfalls after they are dumped in the lake!

Up the rivers they are wearing out the bass and yellow perch fishing minnows and trolling small Rapala plugs in 40-50 feet of water around bait schools, but at this time of year veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs actually spends more time fishing the deeper water towards the dam with a drop shot off points. Sometimes he will throw a swimbait when you can see fish up in the water column, and like the river fish they are mostly following the balls of bait. 

One other winter pattern can be fishing up towards Bad Creek, and when there is a warmwater discharge you can even get surface action. Slow-rolling a spinnerbait in the rocks can also be very good.