December 20
Lake Jocassee is down to 89.1% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are about 58 degrees.
DNR trout stocking on Lake Jocassee usually correspond to improvement in the trout bite, and this year is no exception. Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that some brown trout up to 21-inches have been caught recently, and while he has caught smaller rainbows it shouldn’t be long until a big one also shows up. With water temperatures dropping most of the action is now in 60 feet and up, and trolling both minnows and spoons is working. The biggest fish recently was caught on bait.
Trout guides have seen some surface activity, but without catching one it is unclear whether it is trout or bass.
At least some of the fish seen on top by trout fishermen are almost certainly bass, as tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that even though it’s late in the year there have been some smallmouth caught on topwaters and even a few schooling. Still, most of the fishing activity is now concentrated in deep water, and the last tournament was won with an Alabama rig fished deep. Some people are also dragging a jig on the bottom, but there are a lot of fish right now suspended in 40-100 feet of water. The mouths of creeks as well as creek channels where you mark bait are good places to look.
November 24
Lake Jocassee is at 95.4% of full pool and water temperatures are down to 65 degrees. Clarity remains normal.
While fishing is still a grind, it’s promising for trout fishing that water temperatures are finally starting to fall on Lake Jocassee. Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that in a really good sign of seasonal improvement he has started marking some fish in the 50-60 foot range. They got about a 5-pound brown to the surface from 60 feet but it flipped off. Still, there are plenty of fish in 100 feet and so a fair range is from about 50-100 feet. Live bait and spoons will both work, and the better fish recently have come off a mix of the two. A 5-pound trout took first in the JOC tournament and the same angler got second with a 3-pounder.
Most of the action Sam has found has been in the big water near the dam, but while they have marked plenty of fish in the rivers from the way they are set up it seems likely that they are bass.
The bass fishing is still pretty good on Lake Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that he is still focusing more on the main lake where the fish seem to be set up on steep ledges that range from 20-60 feet of water. Bulky football jigs like Mop jigs, spy baits, and swimbaits have all worked well on a deep retrieve, and when there is some wind a spinnerbait has been good.
That is not to say that there are not still some fish on flatter banks, but as water temperatures drop they should get more rare.
November 12
Lake Jocassee is at 95.5% of full pool and water temperatures are still around 70 degrees. Between fall and the storms there is a lot of debris in the water, but conditions remain very clear.
The bass fishing has gotten a little tougher on Lake Jocassee, but tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the fishing is still pretty good – and he expects it to be wide open by the end of November. The last couple of times Joe has been out he has concentrated more on the main lake, and the fish have seemed to be set up on steep ledges that range from 20-60 feet of water. Bulky football jigs like Mop jigs, spy baits, and swimbaits have all worked well on a deep retrieve, and when there is some wind a spinnerbait has been good.
That is not to say that there are not still some fish on flatter banks, and the best fish Joe caught his last time out came on a popping frog fished shallow.
With water temperatures still very warm it’s unsurprising that there’s not a lot of improvement with the trout, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing is still very slow. They are still marking a ton of fish (and bait), but in general the trout are just not eating very well. The fish remain stacked up in 90-100+ feet in the big water, but they are not interested in spoons or live bait. Still, if enough people are fishing someone usually catches them and with a make-up tournament this weekend from April’s event it will be interesting to see what is landed.
When water temperatures drop significantly the trout fishing should really improve, usually about the time that DNR stocks the lake, and we should get into the best months of the year on Lake Jocassee.
October 23
Lake Jocassee is at 93.8% of full pool and water temperatures are still 70-73 degrees. Water clarity remains very high.
There were some signs of life at the last trout report, but Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the trout fishing has been very slow recently. They did catch a nice 3+ pound fish this week, and they are still marking a ton of fish (and bait), but in general the trout are just not eating very well. With water temperatures still very warm the fish remain stacked up in 90-100+ feet in the big water, but they are not interested in spoons or live bait.
Fortunately Lake Jocassee is also full of bass, and while Sam reports that they are picking up some bass out deep in the main pool while targeting trout the better pattern has been pulling up shallower and trolling 20-35 feet of water in the Toxaway River. They are putting out some plugs too but the spoons are generally working better than crankbaits.
When water temperatures drop significantly the trout fishing should really improve, usually about the time that DNR stocks the lake, and we should get into the best months of the year on Lake Jocassee.
October 6
Lake Jocassee is at 95.4% of full pool and water temperatures have dropped to about 73-74 degrees on the main lake. With no recent rains water clarity is very high.
It’s questionable to call it a seasonal improvement since the water temperatures haven’t changed much down where the trout live, but Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the fishing has definitely picked up since the last report. There is still the occasional trip where bass save the day, but generally they are catching trout every time they go out including some big fish up to 7 plus pounds.
While they are marking bait scattered throughout the water column down to about 90 feet, the cold water starts in about 90 feet and almost all of the trout have been coming in 100+. Spoons continue to work as well or better than live bait, and the best fishing continues to be in the big water. When Sam decides to check the rivers, or wind forces them to fish up there, they only catch bass.
As we get into October the bass bite changes a little on Lake Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that right now spotted bass and largemouth are roaming together and feeding on shad. The fish are fish are setting up from the mouth to mid-ways back in the creeks, and the best thing to do is to find shad on your graph and then fish the banks and points in that area. Even though you are fishing close to the shore, Jocassee is so steep that fish could be over 30 or 60 feet of water. Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, Sebille Magic Swimmers and other baits that imitate shad will all work.
As is clear from the trout report are still some fish that can be found offshore close to the bottom, and while these will mainly be spotted bass and smallmouth there could even be some largemouth mixed in. The depth range varies from 25-90 plus feet of water. Football jigs are hard to beat and spy baits will also catch fish.
September 25
Lake Jocassee is back up to 95.1% of full pool while water temperatures have dropped to about 77 degrees. Water clarity is still very high.
The trout fishing continues to be slow, and while Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that they are still marking a lot of bait in 70-110 feet of water the trout they are also marking are just not cooperating. The best bet still seems to be pulling spoons under the bait in 100-120 feet of water in the big water near the dam, but even tricks like fishing near tree tops aren’t making much of a difference right now.
Many a trip recently, however, has been saved by bass. They are picking up a bunch of spotted bass and the occasional smallmouth up to 4+ pounds in the same areas where they are trolling for trout, and there is also the occasional catfish mixed in. These fish are out in the middle of the big water related to nothing except bait.
While there may be bass in 100+ feet of water, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley points out that is not a great pattern if you are trying to weigh live fish on the scales in a tournament! However, from what he has seen he can’t disagree that the spotted bass are deep, and they have been catching them in 60-70 feet of water dragging a football jig off points.
The winning tournament weights are more likely to come from largemouth, and generally they are shallower. Right now Joe thinks they are around the banks feeding on crawfish that are molting. Fishing jigs and Carolina rigs in 15+ feet of water is the best pattern.
September 15
Lake Jocassee is down to 93.8% of full pool and water temperatures range from 80-82 in the big water but can be as warm as 84 in the creeks. Water clarity is very high.
The bass fishing on Lake Jocassee is starting to pick up again, and Joe Anders of Easley reports that they won a tournament last week with 18 pounds – and then on Sunday a friend won with 21 pounds! Dropping water levels seem to have changed the bite, and as a lot of the fish have left the banks they seem to be eating more crawfish and less bream. The same fish that were strictly spitting up bream in the live well are now spitting up crawfish. They also seem to have pushed to the mouth of rivers.
The best action has been in 15-65 feet of water off points with football jigs and Carolina rigs, with the largemouth coming on the shallower end. A 9-pound fish was caught yesterday on a Carolina rig! The spotted bass have often been in 50 plus feet.
While 65 feet has been as deep as most bass fisherman are going to look, Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that he recently caught a smallmouth in 104 feet and they have caught lots of 1-3 pound spots in 70 feet! The trout fishing has truthfully been a little slow, and many days the bass and small catfish have been what kept things interesting. Still there are some occasional big fish being caught like the 24-inch, 6-pound brown shown below, and most all of the trout seem to be in the 100-120 foot range. Sam has found the best action in the main pool and sometimes in the Whitewater and Toxaway channels, and when he has fished Jumping Off Rock and the Three Rivers area it has been even slower. Overall the water really needs to cool before things pick up, but for right now one useful tip is that you need to be fishing around tree tops to get bit as the fish are a little more structure oriented.
Sam is mostly pulling spoons, and when he does try live bait it’s hard to keep the small catfish off the line as they seem particularly fond of live shiners.
August 28
Lake Jocassee is at 96.8% of full pool, and water temperatures are around 83-84 degrees. Clarity is very high except there is some slight stain in the backs of creeks.
A few weeks ago the night bite was sometimes the best thing going on Lake Jocassee, but now tournament bass angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the morning bite is the hottest. The night tournament last night only took 10.38 to win, while in the daytime there have been some large bags caught.
Big fish can be caught around bream beds on buzzbaits and Whopper Ploppers, and there are also some good ones coming on spinnerbaits. However, some fish are also starting to transition into more of a September pattern where they will set up on deeper points and ledges in 25-65 feet of water. The sweet spot is often in 30-40 feet. In September the fish generally shift away from feeding on big crawfish and bream and start to focus more on shad, which will be migrating into the rivers. The deep points and ledges at the mouth of these creeks make good ambush spots where they can pick off the bait that is moving into the rivers. Paradoxically, then, as the shad start to move into the creeks and rivers the bass often come out of them.
Football jigs, blade baits and bulkier 5/16 ounce Ned rigs will all work.
The trout bite remains pretty tough on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that that even though they are marking a lot of trout the main catch right now is small catfish and bass. Fish are in 90-120 feet and don’t seem to be showing much interest in spoons or live bait in any section of the lake.
July 28
Lake Jocassee is at 98.2% of full pool, and water temperatures range from the mid-70s to mid-80s. Clarity is normal.
Water temperature is a funny thing on Lake Jocassee, and out on the main lake by the dam water temperatures are around 79 or 80 degrees. Back in the creeks they get warmer and often hit the mid-80s. However, if you go way back into some of the creeks and rivers the mountain water inflow is much cooler, and you can find temperatures as low as the mid-70s or even less.
Due to this temperature differential, tournament bass angler Joe Anders of Easley has been heading up the Horse Pasture and Toxaway River. Joe and his tournament partner Greg Glouse have been targeting the big largemouth that spend the summer up the rivers and catching some monster tournament bags up to 30 pounds. These fish are eating bream and big crayfish, and they are catching them on the largest Whopper Plopper as well as big Mop Jigs in red or orange. The best action is around rocks or other structure and the fish will feed all day.
While this is an all-day pattern, the fastest way to fill out a limit is often early. If you target points first thing you can find areas where spotted bass pull up overnight to feed on herring. This pattern fades out after 9 or 10 when the bait goes back to deep water, but in “limit holes” in 20 feet of water or less you can catch a bunch of spots on spinnerbaits, swimbaits and flukes.
After dark is a great time to get bit in the summer on Jocassee, and there are some really big bags being caught at night. Big Whopper Ploppers, buzzbaits, and large worms and jigs are all working.
The trout bite has gotten a lot tougher on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the last few days the trout have not been cooperative for almost anyone. It has not mattered what section of the lake you fish, and the dam in particular has really slowed down from earlier this summer. The fish haven’t really wanted spoons or live bait.
Still, they are making a ton of fish scattered all over the place. Most of them are in 90-115 feet, and in 92 feet Sam’s boat caught a 4-pound spotted bass this week!
July 2
Lake Jocassee is at 98.4% of full pool, and water temperatures had hit 80 but are now in the high-70s around the dam. Water clarity is normal.
While there are certainly bass to be caught during the day on Lake Jocassee, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that early in the morning, late in the evening and at night are the best times to target fish right now. In the evening fish will come shallow and hit Spooks and buzz frogs fished around the banks, and the clear water means that they are willing to move a long way up the water column to take a topwater. Fish like to be around wood cover.
During the day different species of bass will be doing different things, and smallmouth are likely to be the deepest in as much as 80+ feet. Sometimes they will be on the bottom at that depth and sometimes they will be suspended over 120 or more feet. Spots and largemouth are more likely to be found on the bottom in 40 feet or less of water, and they can be caught on humps with soft plastics, spy baits, football jigs, or blade runners. Because of the clear water it is often required to back off of the fish and cast to them instead of sitting on top of them, and they will sometimes be suspended 15-20 feet down.
There is also a good largemouth bass bite around bream beds.
The trout bite is still good on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that fish are still extremely fat due to the bait population. Bait is so prolific that some days it may be hurting the bite, but recently that has not been too much of a problem.
The best pattern is now trolling in 70-90+ feet, while most of the bait is about 60 feet down. The theory is that trout are moving up to feed and by dragging a spoon below the bulk of the bait it appears to be a wounded baitfish that they don’t have to move as far to eat. Live bait has been no better than spoons and more trouble. While they are still spending a little time at the edge of the Whitewater River, the dam is producing the best.
When the fish get this deep sometimes time of day does not matter, and Sam has been finding a relatively consistent bite throughout the day. Mid-morning has often fished the best and there certainly has not been a necessity to be on the water very early.
June 18
Lake Jocassee is at 97.4% of full pool, and water temperatures at the dam had gotten to the upper 70s but have now dropped back to 70-72. Water clarity is normal.
The trout bite is still good on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that what is still remarkable is the abundance of bait. There is so much competition that it continues to make the fishing a little tougher than usual, but the fish they are catching more than make up for it. The fish are fat and healthy, and Sam has caught some incredible specimens including a 21-inch, 6.5 pound fish and this 23 inch, 8 pound trout!
As water temperatures rose fish have gone a little deeper, and the best pattern is now trolling in 80-90 feet. His boat has caught some fish as deep as 93 feet. While they did have some hits at the edge of the Whitewater River they have almost exclusively been fishing at the dam. Spoons seem to be working the best and while they are picking up a few spotted bass and catfish the carp aren’t bothering them anymore. They are mostly catching brown trout but there have been some rainbows.
When the fish get this deep sometimes time of day does not matter, and Sam has been finding a relatively consistent bite throughout the day. Mid-morning has often fished the best and there certainly has not been a necessity to be on the water very early.