February 18

Lake Jocassee is at 93.5% of full pool and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are about 51 degrees on the main lake. 

While in the recent past some big trout have been caught out of Lake Jocassee, Guide Casey Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that in the Jocassee Outdoor Center tournament this past weekend the winning fish was under four pounds and in general the action has been pretty hit-or-miss for fish of any size. February is not usually a time when the catches tighten up, but right now the fish seem to not be biting a lot of the time and then feeding in small windows. Most of the fish are still coming out of the big water where the rivers empty into the lake, generally trolling spoons 30-50 feet down. 

They are picking up very few black bass and if you want to concentrate on those it’s a better bet to head into the rivers.

February 11

Lake Jocassee is at 94.2% of full pool and the water is still clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 52-53 degrees.  

It’s been an impressive week of trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and in addition to Guide Casey Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) catching the 8 ½ pound fish pictured below on a Sutton spoon over trees in the big water there was a 9-pounder caught Saturday. The wind was howling and that fish was caught up the rivers on bait. 

However, that doesn’t mean the fish, and certainly not monsters, bite every day and yesterday Guide Sam Jones (Casey’s father and guiding partner) reports that on their two trips they only had four trout between them and no monsters. For a time nothing bit, and then eventually the trout turned on a little but the black bass never did. Perhaps it was too pretty, but the fish also don’t feed all the time.

Overall we are still in the period where trout can be anywhere with mild water temperatures, but the most productive fishing has generally come trolling spoons in 35-50 feet. 

February 5

Lake Jocassee is at 96.3% of full pool and the water is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 52 degrees.   

Receiving 7-9 inches of snow will hurt some fisheries, but Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that trout love cold weather and it only gets them more active. With that said not many people have been fishing since the storm, but on his last trip Sam managed four trout (two decent holdover fish and two from this winter’s stocking). They all came from the big water but not in the vicinity of the dam, and Sam found them 30-55 feet deep. He also managed one nice spotted bass. 

The best action came fishing over the tops of trees, and everything still bit Sutton spoons. 

January 28

Lake Jocassee is up to 97.4% of full pool and the water is still extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are likely headed to the lower 50s if not already there. 

This week Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that he has not fished on the lake, and when he went Monday to check on things the roads were virtually impassable with so many downed trees – which were continuing to fall. It would have been impossible to pull a boat. However, while fishing activity is still very low as of today (as can be seen on the Devil’s Fork Webcam) access is apparently now possible again. 

Patterns are unlikely to have changed for trout, and the catch should continue to be a mix of newly stocked fish in the 13-inch range and fish that were stocked last winter which are in the 19-21 inch range and weigh three to four pounds. It’s unclear how many older fish are around. 

While there should be trout everywhere most keepers have been coming in the big water, generally in about 25-55 feet. When they venture into the creeks that mainly get black bass. On Sam’s last trip the two good fish came on the shallowest line at 23 feet and the deepest at 57. Sutton spoons have been out-fishing everything else.

This next round of cold and possible snow could help the bite, and if it doesn’t bring ice and limit access should have only upside. 

January 21

Lake Jocassee is at 95.8% of full pool and the water is still extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 55 degrees.

The trout fishing has picked up again on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are getting a few fish each trip. Generally it’s a mix of newly stocked fish in the 13-inch range and fish that were stocked last winter which are in the 19-21 inch range and weight three to four pounds.  They are not getting a lot of bigger, more mature fish, and about four pounds has been winning tournaments.  But they are fighting very hard in the cold water!

While there should be trout everywhere most keepers seem to be coming in the big water, generally in about 25-55 feet. When they venture into the creeks that mainly get black bass. On Sam’s last trip the two good fish came on the shallowest line at 23 feet and the deepest at 57. Sutton spoons are out-fishing everything else, but part of that could be because nobody is super excited about messing with live bait in the cold unless they have to!  

The cold weather isn’t expected to change the trout bite very much and if anything should make it better. 

January 8

Lake Jocassee is at 95.3% of full pool and the water is still extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 56-57 degrees.

Fishing for trout on Lake Jocassee is really more about catching black bass and then picking up occasional trout right now, as Guide Casey Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the pattern is trolling spoons and live bait from the surface down to 50 feet right now – the same range that the majority of the bass are in. Live bait is catching fish but Sutton spoons continue to outperform for both species. 

The basic pattern is to search for bait that has active fish around it, and then expect to catch a bunch of bass and hope for one trout. While both species are all over the lake, right now the greater numbers of trout seem to be coming out of the big water while bass seem to be equally distributed between the main lake and the rivers. 

In general the bass are mainly in small packs of 3-5 fish, although there are some bigger schools. 

December 23

Lake Jocassee is at 96.4% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are about 56 degrees.

The trout on Lake Jocassee are moving out of the depths and coming closer to the top, and Guide Casey Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that more and more fish can be found from the surface to about 50 feet down. They are still pulling live bait and spoons to catch them, but this week concentrating on the rivers it’s been the catches of black bass and yellow perch that have been remarkable. The bass are everywhere from the surface to the bottom, and at times they are seeing small packs of fish schooling. They are just following bait schools and so anywhere you locate a bait school you can catch bass. 

Meanwhile, the perch are on the bottom and almost exclusively being caught on live bait.

December 17

Lake Jocassee is at 97.1% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 57 degrees.

The trout on Lake Jocassee are moving out of the depths and coming closer to the surface, and Guide Casey Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that in the past couple of weeks there have been seven or eight fish caught in less than 50 feet of water. These are generally 2 ½ to 4-pound browns. Most of the fish are coming in the bigger open water on the main lake, but there have been a couple caught back in the rivers. They are fishing a mix of live bait and spoons but Sutton spoons are out-fishing everything else. 

December 4

Lake Jocassee is at 95.6% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 59-60 degrees.

And just like that the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee is improving again as temperatures drop!  Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still marking fish in very deep water near the dam, but this week they have also started to fish shallower in the rivers with some success. Sam’s son and guide partner Casey Jones managed this 18-inch, 4-pound brown trout on a Sutton spoon trolled 35 feet halfway up the rivers, and so it seems fair to say we are approaching that time when trout can be about anywhere in the lake due to favorable water temperatures. 

They have also been picking up more black bass as they move away from the dam, including a fair number of smallmouth. 

November 19

Lake Jocassee is at 94.8% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 65 degrees.

It seems clear the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee is slowing down, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are marking a lot of big fish between 100 and 130 feet but they basically are not biting. A few fish have been picked up in the last couple of weeks but not many – unsurprising for November. Like clockwork the lake usually turns on again when it gets cold and DNR is able to start stocking fishery trout again. 

Even the black bass fishing has gotten a lot tougher, and they really aren’t picking up many bass while trying to catch trout. They have not tried fishing significantly shallower or way up the rivers and so perhaps that is where the bass have gone. 

November 5

Lake Jocassee is at 95.9% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 67-68 degrees.

With limited trips this week it’s hard to say whether the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee has gotten worse, but Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still marking fish that are most likely trout in 100-110 feet at the dam – but not catching any on spoons or live bait. The catch this week has been black bass, and to catch those they have had to go up the rivers and troll spoons. 

November is usually a tough month on Jocassee for trout, but so is October, and since it was an above-average October we will wait until next week to pass judgment on whether the fishing seems to be in a fall decline.   

October 29

Lake Jocassee is at 94.9% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 69 degrees.

The trout fishing on Lake Jocassee continues to be very strong for October, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are catching one to three fish on most trips, often accompanied by several black bass. The bass can be caught anywhere from the surface to 100 feet, but the trout (both rainbows and browns) are all coming in deep water at the dam. The biggest trout they caught recently came at 115 feet! Overall Sutton and Apex spoons are out-fishing live bait about 3:1. 

October 22

Lake Jocassee is up to 95.0% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to 72-73 degrees.

The biggest change on any lake we report on so far this week is with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that almost overnight the fish have turned on. After a lengthy “trout drought” they still aren’t wearing them out but are now getting fish most trips and had three on one charter, often accompanied by several black bass.  Today they had five spots – but for the first time no trout. The bass can be caught anywhere from the surface to 100 feet, but the trout (both rainbows and browns) are all coming in 90-110 feet of water at the dam. Some days the trout show a preference for Sutton and Apex spoons, then the next day they might prefer medium and large minnows.    

October 15

Lake Jocassee is up to 95.2% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are still 75-76 degrees.

There’s still not much change with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that even though guides have picked up a few trout it’s not many. Additionally, they are last year’s stocking class and no big holdover fish. Still nothing has been very productive, including the trees which usually have some fish in October and November.  The fish they have caught are coming at the dam in the 100-foot range on spoons. 

The main catch continues to be black bass, mostly spotted bass out of deep water in 50-100 feet.  When they have tried trolling shallower points in the rivers to target bass they aren’t doing any better than out deep.

October 8

Lake Jocassee is at 93.8% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are still 75-76 degrees, but with some cooler weather on the horizon that will change soon. 

The fall is always a difficult time to catch trout on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) points out that usually they are able to catch some big fish this time of year. However, with a very weak year class from the annual stocking two winters ago it only makes sense that there are less holdover fish than usual, and it’s showing in their catches. Nothing has been very productive recently, including the trees which usually have some fish in October and November.

Sam believes the fish are still in the 100-foot range based on his electronics, but after catching a smallmouth (!) at 100 feet it’s hard to be sure what they are marking. The main catch continues to be black bass, and they also picked up a spot in 60-feet on their last trout trip at the dam. 

There should also be bass stacked up in all the rivers. 

October 2

Lake Jocassee is down to 93.6% of full pool and water clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 75 degrees on the main lake.

The trout are in a pretty typical fall pattern on Lake Jocassee, which is to say it’s a struggle to catch fish. On his last trip Guide Sam Jones with Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the catch was just black bass (spots), with fish coming from 20-90 feet. The trip before that they did catch one good rainbow trout – for some reason the browns have been absent this fall, while it’s usually the rainbows that disappear after the spring and summer – that came in 100 feet of water by the dam on a spoon. Sam has also been trying to fish the trees, and marking a lot of fish, but he’s not sure if they are bass or trout.

They have not been able to try live bait because the only minnows locally available have been too small.