July 30

Lake Jocassee is very high at 99% of full pool, and, while the main lake is still clear, particularly in the evenings when there is a lot of boat traffic the creeks are milky or just dirty. Morning surface water temperatures are about 79-80 degrees. 

It’s been a really good week for trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that even though the fish have moved very deep they are biting well.  This week they have caught a bunch of fat 4-5 pound rainbow trout. 

The last three trips everything has come in 100-120 feet of water in the big water and at the mouth of the Whitewater River in the channel, and even though his boat is still putting out shallower rods at 60-80 feet they are mainly getting bass, small catfish, and the occasional big carp on those. The shallowest trout in the last two weeks came at 90 feet.

They are marking a ton of fish in deep water, but the trick at this time of year is getting them to eat and avoiding short strikes. When you fish this deep it’s hard to avoid getting some slack in your line when it pulls out of the downrigger. Sutton and Apex spoons have been working the best, and even though Sam is not sure how much color matters at 113 feet watermelon color is working very well. 

There continues to be no magic period when the fish are biting the best, and instead bites are still coming in flurries.

Night fishing has been pretty good recently, but like fishing during daylight hours the trout bite is off-and-on. Fish will come up as shallow as 30-40 feet to feet on bait over lights, although the bigger fish may prefer to feed further under the bait schools. 

At night you can also put out cut bait over some of the anchored spots and catch catfish when the trout are biting intermittently. 

In the Friday night bass fishing tournament last week tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley won with an impressive 16 pounds including the two brutes shown below, but then last night it only took 10 pounds to win and Joe had just 9. Overall the weights are not as consistent this year as last summer, when several teams were regularly catching 16-20 pounds every time they went out. 

Last Friday almost everything came on a buzzbait and the fish would only eat topwater, while last night the fish wanted a Carolina rig. There was so much boat traffic yesterday evening that it seemed as if the diminished water clarity hurt the shallow bite and fish seemed to be biting better offshore.  The best action for Joe came in 20-50 feet last night.

One factor hurting the bite, or at least fishermen, may be high water levels, and with the lake so high fish are not set up on their normal places. 

July 23

Lake Jocassee is up to 98.9% of full pool after all this rain. While the main lake is still clear the creeks are very dirty by Jocassee standards. Morning surface water temperatures on the big water are 78-80 degrees. 

It’s no surprise that the trout have gone deep on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the best action is now in 90-110 feet. The fishing has also slowed down a bit, and while they are getting plenty of bites less trout are coming to the surface than earlier in the summer. Carp, catfish and occasional spotted bass are all pulling rods down right now.    

The best fishing has been at the dam or in the big water at the mouth of the Whitewater River. Spoons are still out-fishing live bait, and if you put on minnows it usually just means that you pick up more little cats.
It’s hard to pinpoint a peak time of the day, and bites usually come in small flurries throughout the day. 

Last night on Lake Jocassee tournament bass angler Joe Anders of Easley showed that you can’t win them all, but Mother Nature may have had something to do with it. Joe and his partner only had 8 pounds, but the bite was pretty good before a storm blew up at 7:45 and basically shut everyone down. The winning bag of 11 pounds included a 6-pounder and the winner only had 4 fish. 

Still the bite in the rivers does seem to be a little off, and Joe wonders if the colored water is a factor in that. The lake has big ones but it is not full of bass, and Jocassee bass are visual feeders who will usually come a long way to take a bait.  Right now it’s harder to do that.

They are still catching some fish on topwater lures including a black Whopper Plopper around flatter, shallow banks, but the best bites are coming on a flipping jig fished around red clay banks or fresh wood that still has leaves in it. 

While there should be a decent offshore bite on spy baits, swimbaits, or orange and green football jigs, conditions have not been great for it recently with a lot of wind.  That bite is also usually better mid-morning rather than in the evening when Joe has been fishing more.

Interestingly, Joe has not seen any good smallmouth recently – unlike last year. 

July 9

Lake Jocassee is at 97.9% of full pool and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures on the big water are 75-78 degrees, while in the backs they are about 80. 

Even though surface temperatures have not changed a whole lot on Lake Jocassee, Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that water temperatures throughout the water column are generally rising and you now have to drop a temperature probe to about 100 feet to find 55 degree water.  As a result of all this the trout are going deeper, and the depth range where fish are eating is now about 60-90 feet. The big fish pictured below came in 93 feet, but in general the most productive range has been 70-80 feet.  

The bite has been particularly strong for rainbow trout, and they are almost exclusively pulling spoons in the big water near the dam. Time of day does not seem to make much difference but the fish are definitely feeding in small spurts. 

In addition to good numbers of trout they have picked up a few catfish including a 13-pound channel!  

Fresh off another night tournament win on Lake Jocassee, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley is definitely the man to talk to about how the bass are biting on Lake Jocassee. In this tournament he had 16 pounds, but instead of a big largemouth putting the bag over the top Joe had a monster 5-12 spot!

Typical for summer night fishing, Joe ran a bunch of different patterns. He caught some of his fish on a jig about 30 feet deep off points, and then he caught a few on a spybait offshore. There was also a shallow pattern, and in lowlight conditions right after dark he caught several on a buzzbait and a Whopper Plopper. This is also a good pattern first thing. 

Joe alternated between the main lake and up the Toxaway River, and notes that the water was extremely clear (before this rain) even in the very backs. 

June 25

Lake Jocassee is up to 97.6% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures have dipped back to a mild 76 degrees. 

In last night’s bass fishing tournament on Jocassee tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley and his partner Greg Glouse won with 16 pounds and found a good bite. Fish were split between shallow and deep, and their bag was anchored by a big 5.92 pound largemouth that took a prop bait. The rest of their fish were spotted bass, and the largemouth plus a couple of chunky spots that weighed were caught from the bank out to about 15 yards off it in less than 20 feet of water.  Shallow fish were willing to eat Texas rigs and a jig as well as topwaters.  

There was also a decent offshore bite, and they found a lot of hungry spotted bass suspended in the tops of timber that were willing to come up to take a spybait.  A couple came up to the surface and slapped at a topwater lure but they wouldn’t take it. You can also find fish off deep points, sitting in about 40 feet of water and fishing towards the banks with something slow moving on the bottom.

We are getting into the period where the water temperatures can be a little lower up the rivers, but with the main lake still relatively cool there is not much differential right now.

A few big brown trout have been caught recently on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that there has been a really good bite for 17-19 inch rainbows that were likely stocked last winter on the lake. The fish are fat and healthy from feeding on the good population of bait that Jocassee currently has. 

Overall the fish have been in 60-90 feet of water, with the majority of the fish coming around 80 feet right now. The best action has generally come in the big water near the dam, but when conditions are too windy Sam’s boat has found some success heading into the Whitewater. The Toxaway has been slow. 

Spoons are still out-fishing live bait and Apex spoons are working better than Sutton spoons.

June 11

Lake Jocassee is at 95.7% of full pool and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures have risen fast to about 75 degrees on the big water. 

At the begging of the the week it looked like the Lake Jocassee trout fishing was starting to slow down, but as the week progressed Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that they have been getting really good numbers of fish again, always with the chance of a really big one. The trout continue to move deeper, and by this point the most productive depth range is 45-75 feet.  The best fishing has been in the big water near the dam.  Time of day has not made much of a difference, and the fish are generally biting pretty steadily all day. Spoons are out-fishing live bait and Apex spoons are working better than Sutton spoons.

Fresh off second place with just over 13 pounds in last night’s bass fishing tournament on Jocassee, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the bite is a lot tougher than he expected.  While there may be a few rogue fish still spawning it’s certainly not enough to pattern around, and the ones they caught last night seemed to be in areas where the shad spawn had earlier been going on and perhaps still is. Except for one fish they caught on a jerkbait everything came on topwater, including a nearly 6-pound largemouth that anchored their bag. Yesterday the fish would swipe at a Whopper Plopper but they would eat a chrome Gunfish.

They started off fishing deep but never found a deep bite, and everything they caught was super shallow. Overall the bite seemed spotty, and they could only find flurries of fish with large dead areas in between where nothing was going on. They spent the whole night on the main lake and never went up the rivers.

May 27

Lake Jocassee is at 96.0% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures have risen fast to about 72 degrees on the big water. 

Even as water temperatures have shot up on Lake Jocassee the trout bite has stayed strong, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that they are still getting lots of 14-16 inch rainbows and a few big brown trout – such as the nice 5 pounder pictured below. As would be expected fish have finally moved deeper, and now the most productive depth range is 40-70 feet. While Sam has marked a few fish deeper he hasn’t caught any yet. Most of the fish are coming in the big water, and while he has caught a few around Jumping Off Rock nothing has come further up the rivers. It’s not really an early morning bite and the action seems to come in small spells throughout the day. Spoons are out-fishing everything else.

Sam’s boat managed a big 9-pound channel catfish last week, his largest on the lake, and for a minute they thought it was a monster brown!   

As water temperatures are heating up spring bass fishing is changing on Lake Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the spawn is now mostly in the rearview mirror. This will especially be true after the current full moon. 

That doesn’t mean there is not still a really good topwater bite, and particularly early in the morning buzzbaits and Whopper Ploppers have both been working very well around the banks.  There is also a pretty good bite on jigs off of deeper points as some of the particularly spotted bass start to get out in deeper water.

May 20

Lake Jocassee is at 95.8% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are still only in the mid-60s but that should change soon.

It’s a really good trout bite on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that they are catching lots of 15-18 inch fish that run from about 2 – 3.5 pounds. They are also getting some big ones, like the 7-pounder pictured below! The browns in particular are really chunky right now with a very strong population of baitfish. 

Because the water temperatures have not moved the fish have still not gone deeper, and the best action is still from about 25-55 feet down. Sam’s boat is still mainly fishing in the big water or at the mouth of the Whitewater River.

Spoons are out-fishing everything else. 

A mild spring is also doing wonder for the bass fishing on Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that, with fish still at all three stages of the spawn, overall fish are shallow right now. It has been taking a lot of weight to win recent tournaments. 

Buzzbaits and Whopper Ploppers up shallow have been producing, and a few fish are also being caught on Mops Jigs and big swimbaits.  A glide bait is also a good thing to throw right now.

May 7

Lake Jocassee is at 97.3% of full pool, and while the main lake is clear the backs of some creeks are dirty. Morning surface water temperatures are up to about 64 or 65 degrees on the main lake but higher in the creeks.

In the last week Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) has caught another trout that weighed more than 6 pounds, but the most exciting bite has been for numbers of rainbow trout this week. Even more fish stocked in the fall have now passed 15 inches. 

Sam’s boat is still mainly fishing in the big water or at the mouth of the Whitewater River, and with no major jump in water temperatures the best action has still generally come about 25-55 feet down. However, a few fish have been picked up as deep as 70 feet. 

In the tournament last Saturday a few people fished with live bait alongside spoons, but the fish they caught all came on hardware. 

The spring bass fishing also seems to be running a little behind on Jocassee, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that many of the fish still seem to be pre-spawn. The better largemouth finally seem to be moving up, though, and last night a bunch of big largemouth were caught in the Thursday night tournament and it took 20 pounds to win. The best pattern seems to be flipping rocky banks or trees with a jig or worm, and sometimes Joe likes to throw a big glide bait to identify where the fish are located before flipping at them.

Usually in May there are a lot of 4-pound smallmouth caught, but this year they have not really started showing up yet. When they do appear they are usually caught deep cranking, on jerkbaits or on a big swimbait in 10-12 feet of water. 

Spotted bass can be caught offshore on a mop jig around brush piles.

April 28

Lake Jocassee is at 98.2% of full pool and surface water temperatures are up to about 62 degrees on the main lake but approaching the upper 60s in the creeks.  

Spring bass fishing is outstanding on Lake Jocassee right now, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that fish at all three stages of the spawn can still be found. However, he is concentrating on what seems to be the hungriest group of fish – post-spawn bass that are feeding on spawning shad and on bream. Early he has caught some fish on a black Whopper Plopper, and for the first few hours of the day he has also had a lot of success on a big swimbait around staging areas. The bite up the Toxaway River has been the best right now.

There are also some fish that can be caught on a Mop Jig around offshore brush piles. 

The trout bite has been really good on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that in addition to some big fish such as a 6-pounder his boat caught this week large numbers of the fish that were stocked in the fall have gotten over the 15-inch limit. They are catching lots of 16-inch rainbows as well as browns.  For the last day or two the bite has been off because Sam thinks the bright full moon has them feeding at night, but there is every reason to think the bite will get back to where it was very soon.

The best action is still in the big water or at the mouth of the Whitewater River, and since water temperatures have not moved very much the best action has still generally come about 25-55 feet down.  However, a few fish have been picked up as deep as 70 feet.  Sam has had no reason to fish anything besides spoons recently.

April 16

Lake Jocassee is at 98.2% of full pool and surface water temperatures are about 60 degrees on the main lake. The big water is clear while the creeks are just a little dingy – but nothing like a week or two ago. 

The trout bite is picking up on Lake Jocassee, and even though they aren’t getting large numbers of keepers Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the bigger fish have started to feed again to go along with plenty of smaller ones (that will soon be legal).  Their biggest fish in the last week was a 6 ½ pounder, but an 8-pound carp did make them think it was a monster trout!  They are mostly catching big browns while the rainbows have all been smaller. 

The best pattern has been fishing in 20-50 feet of water, and right now Sam’s boat is only employing spoons. They are also picking up plenty of bass at this depth, mainly spots. 

Full bass report to follow from tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley.

April 2

Lake Jocassee is up to 98.6% of full pool and surface water temperatures are fluctuating around in the high 50s. There has been a ton of recent rain, and while the main lake never really gets dirty Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that the lake has been as stained as he has ever seen it. The lake is also very full and there was a ton of debris floating around everywhere.  

The cold snap has knocked water temperatures back down a few degrees, but nonetheless as they start to push 60 Sam has noticed more bites and also seen trout getting into their “acrobatic” stage. There are not a lot of big ones being caught yet, but the stockers are starting to approach keeper size and they are providing plenty of exciting aerial action.  Soon these fish will be 15 inches, and this month the rainbow trout bite should also come on at the dam.

Overall the pattern is still unchanged as the water has not gotten warm enough to push the fish deep, with the best action in 30-55 or 60 feet of water. Spoons, live bait and small Rapala plugs in brown or rainbow trout patterns are all working. 

 

On the bass front, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that fish are starting to push shallow and feed up for the spawn and as a result big fish in the 6-7 pound range are being caught every day.  Spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and swimbaits are working for the first few hours of daylight, and after the sun gets up Ned rigs or Carolina rigs are good.  There is also some schooling action in the river and creek arms.

March 10

Lake Jocassee is at 97.1% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 52 degrees on the main water and in the mid-50s in the creeks. Clarity is normal.

Things have still not busted loose with the trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, although Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that with water temperatures starting to slowly rise a better bite this weekend would not surprise him. With that said, it will be a while before the pattern really changes and fish have to go deeper. 

Fish are scattered since they can be about anywhere in the lake right now temperature-wise, although the best numbers are in 30-50 feet of water. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to the fish that are caught, and one will come on little lures while another will come on big baits. One will come out of 20 feet while another will come out of 50.  The dam is no better than the rivers.  

Sam has been pulling about everything except live bait, but anglers who have fished bait report getting more bites on spoons and the last 5-pounder reported was caught on a spoon fished next to a shiner. It seems right now that the trick really is getting lucky and having your bait pass by a fish that wants to eat at that moment.  

The bass fishing is following the same progression as last week, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the only real change is that more fish appear to be pulling up shallow and getting into pre-spawn mode. 

Of course, “shallow” on Lake Jocassee is a relative term, and a shallow bank is in the 15-25 foot range. Fish are relating to rocks and wood, and they are probably eating crawfish and shad around the banks. Jigs and worms are both working and if there is wind a spinnerbait can be very strong.  

The spawn on Jocassee will stretch all the way into June, especially for smallmouth and spots, and so there are still plenty of fish that can be found deep. They can be caught around points and swimbaits have been working pretty well. 

As is usually the case on Jocassee, in the clear water the fishing is better the first two or three hours of the day.   

March 5

Lake Jocassee is way up to 98.2% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 51 degrees on the main water and 54 in the creeks. Clarity is normal. 

After 20 plus years of fishing for trout on Lake Jocassee Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) knows better than to get worried when the fishing is tough for a few weeks – but the fact does remain that the action is slow. Yesterday he managed a 14-incher but not much more, but it is close to certain that when spring arrives to the lakes it will shake things loose and the fishing will improve. They are still marking plenty of fish so the population is not the problem – but they are very scattered.

It’s unsurprising that the fish are scattered considering that they can be about anywhere in the lake right now temperature-wise, although the best numbers still appear to be in 20-50 feet of water. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to the fish that are caught, and one will come on little lures while another will come on big baits. One will come out of 20 feet while another will come out of 50.  The dam is no better than the rivers.  

Sam has been pulling about everything except live bait, but anglers who have fished bait report getting more bites on spoons and the last 5-pounder reported was caught on a spoon fished next to a shiner. It seems right now that the trick really is getting lucky and having your bait pass by a fish that wants to eat at that moment. 

 

The bass fishing seems to be improving faster than the trout fishing, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that some fish appear to be pulling up shallow and getting into pre-spawn mode. It’s a little early for this, but not too early for a first wave.  Right now the numbers are low but there are some better fish being caught. 

Of course, “shallow” on Lake Jocassee is a relative term, and a shallow bank is in the 15-25 foot range. Fish are relating to rocks and wood, and they are probably eating crawfish and shad around the banks. Jigs and worms are both working and if there is wind a spinnerbait can be very strong.  

The spawn on Jocassee will stretch all the way into June, especially for smallmouth and spots, and so there are still plenty of fish that can be found deep. They can be caught around points and swimbaits have been working pretty well. 

As is usually the case on Jocassee, in the clear water the fishing is better the first two or three hours.

February 26

Lake Jocassee is down to 94.7% of full pool and surface water temperatures are around 51-52 degrees. Clarity is normal.

It seems the full moon has thrown off the daytime trout bite the last few days on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that they are still marking a ton of fish but they just don’t seem to be interested in eating. However, once we get over this hump the fishing should get better again. 

Most of the trout are still in 30-50 feet of water, although a few fish are also being caught shallower. However, these are often the smallest ones. He is marking equal numbers of fish in front of the dam as well as up the Whitewater. Sam is not noticing any preference for live bait over spoons. 

On the bass front, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that the fish are biting very well as March approaches. Early in the morning spinnerbaits have been fishing well against the banks, and offshore swimbaits and spybaits have both been working. There are still good numbers of fish suspended in the channels in 45-100 feet of water around bait schools. 

Counting your bait down to the right depth remains critical.

February 18

Lake Jocassee is at 96.9% of full pool and surface water temperatures in the big water are around 52 degrees, but cooler up the rivers. Clarity is still high on the main water and into the rivers, and there is also not too much floating debris at least in the bigger sections of the rivers despite the recent rains. 

There are still a ton of small trout being caught on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) points out that the results of the most recent Jocassee Outdoors Center tournament show that there are plenty of good ones biting, too. And this week Sam saw a 7-pounder caught in the same area he was fishing!

The best fishing is still in 30-50 feet of water, although a few fish are also being caught shallower. However, the shallowest fish are often smaller. In the tournament Saturday most of the anglers were fishing up the rivers, but the action in the big water has also been good, showing that fish are scattered all over the lake. The 7-pounder was caught at Roundhouse Point.  Sam is trying live bait from time to time, but he is still having better action pulling spoons.

One note is that there do not seem to be very many trout in the very backs of the creeks, although there are a ton of gulls, loons, and bait back there. In fact, one angler in the tournament caught a 7-pound bass on a blueback herring in the back of a creek – one of the very few times someone is disappointed to catch a 7-pound largemouth!

That is consistent with what tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports, as he doesn’t expect the bass to move out of the deep channels until we get closer to the pre-spawn. Right now most of the fish are suspended in about 45-100 feet of water, and the key to finding them is locating the bait. They are mostly feeding on shad right now and so small spoons, Rooster Tails and other smaller baits are working.  Alabama rigs and jerkbaits can also be effective.   

Counting your bait down to the right depth remains critical.

February 5

Lake Jocassee is at 97.3% of full pool and surface water temperatures in the big water are in the low 50s, but cooler up the rivers. Clarity is typically high.

It’s a still a good time to try for a big trout on Lake Jocassee, although Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that anglers do still have to contend with a lot of sub-legal fish that have recently been stocked. He caught a nice 20-incher on his last trip out, and there have also been some good ones caught on other boats this week.  

Sam would still prefer to start out fishing the big water in front of the dam, but windy conditions have frequently forced him to fish other areas. Fortunately fish are still spread out all over the lake. Roughly 30-50 feet is still the magic depth, and fish are hitting bait but they are biting spoons just as well.

 

The bass are still very much in a winter pattern, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that it won’t be until late March when fish start to really get into a pre-spawn pattern that he expects them to move out of the deep channels. Right now most of the fish are suspended in about 45-100 feet of water, and the key to finding them is locating the bait. They are mostly feeding on shad right now and so small spoons, Rooster Tails and other smaller baits are working.  Alabama rigs are also effective, and particularly in the morning when they are feeding jerkbaits are good. 

Counting your bait down to the right depth remains critical. 

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January 21

Lake Jocassee is at 97.2% of full pool and surface water temperatures in the big water are about 53-54 degrees, but cooler up the rivers. Clarity is typically high.

This is a great time to catch trout on Lake Jocassee, although Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that right now anglers are still having to fish through a lot of sub-legal fish that have recently been stocked.  Sam would still prefer to start out fishing the big water in front of the dam, but windy conditions have frequently forced him to fish other areas. Fortunately fish are spread out all over the lake, and he caught the 21-inch trout below in the back of Howard’s Creek. 

Roughly 30-50 feet is still the magic depth, and like a lot of them the 21-incher came right in the middle at 40 feet. Fish are hitting bait but they are biting spoons just as well. There is obviously still a very strong bait population in the lake, and one recent fish spit up a herring and threadfin shad back-to-back after it was landed!

The bass still seem to be in about the same locations, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that he is still seeing the bulk of the fish suspended out in the river channels. They are in 30-70 feet of water, and right now Alabama rigs are out-fishing everything else. Jerkbaits can also work, but regardless of what bait you are throwing you have to count it down to the depth where you mark them on electronics.    

In the mornings there is also a little bit of a crankbait bite around the banks of Lake Jocassee, and on warmer mornings the fish will even sometimes bust bait on the surface. A jerkbait can be good when this is happening. 

Check out the new Lake Jocassee Catch ’Em Kits with lures hand-picked for each season by Joe.

January 14

Lake Jocassee is at 95.6% of full pool and surface water temperatures in the big water are about 57 degrees, but cooler up the rivers. Clarity is typically high. 

Some nice trout are being caught on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that in the last Jocassee Outdoor Center tournament Saturday there was a big 7.18 pound brown weighed in as well as a couple more fish in the 5-pound range. But that doesn’t mean all the fish are big right now, and anglers will have to wade through a lot of smaller stockers in the 13-inch range. These won’t all pop your down-riggers and so anglers need to be attentive to avoid wasting time when you could be catching a big one – and killing fish. The stockers have been in the lake for a little while, but they first head to the backs of the creeks before they realize they need to head out to the bigger water to search for food.

On Saturday it was too rough for the anglers to fish the big water and so the catches came in the rivers, but the best place to start day-in and day-out right now is around Roundhouse Point and then fish the two main river channels. If that doesn’t pan out then head into the rivers and look because the fish could be scattered anywhere. The fish are still mostly in 20-50 feet of water, with 30-40 feet the best range day in and day out, but they could also be on the surface as all of the water is about the same temperature. Spoons and live bait are both working. In addition to trolling, some anglers are setting up with spot lock like a striper fisherman and dropping live baits down to fish that they mark. 

Sam has marked a ton of fish back in the Devil’s Fork area, but because of the way they were stacked up he thinks they were mostly bass. 

On the subject of bass, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that he is also seeing the bulk of the fish suspended out in the river channels right now. They are in 30-70 feet of water, and right now Alabama rigs are out-fishing everything else. Jerkbaits can also work, but regardless of what bait you are throwing you have to count it down to the depth where you mark them on electronics.    

In the mornings there is also a little bit of a crankbait bite around the banks of Lake Jocassee, and on warmer mornings the fish will even sometimes bust bait on the surface. A jerkbait can be good when this is happening. 

Check out the new Lake Jocassee Catch ’Em Kits with lures hand-picked for each season by Joe.

January 8

Lake Jocassee is at 98.0% of full pool and surface water temperatures in the big water are about 55.5 degrees, but cooler up the rivers. Clarity is normal.

The Lake Jocassee trout bite continues to improve, and Guide Sam Jones (864-280-9056) reports that it’s clear that the fish are turning on based on some good catches on his boat and others’. The fish are mostly in 20-50 feet of water, with 30-40 feet the best range day in and day out. Right now they aren’t have much success trolling plugs and flatlines at the top of the water column but that could still be coming. Spoons are working well, but live bait can be even better if you can find it. 

Sam is spending most of his time fishing in the big water, although some anglers are having success in the front section of rivers. When Sam goes very far back in the rivers all he finds is spotted bass. 

Speaking of bass, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that about 15 pounds has won tournaments on the lakes a couple of weeks in a row, and from what he is seeing the fish are mostly suspended out in the river channels right now. They are in 30-70 feet of water, and one tournament was won a Rattle Trap and one on an Alabama rig.

Right now you have to count your bait down, and if you mark them suspended deeper then a heavy swimbait or an Alabama rig is a good option. If they are only down about 15 feet then a jerkbait can work, and at times fish can even be caught schooling on warm mornings with a jerkbait.  

In the morning you can also fish a crankbait in shad patterns around the banks. 

Check out the new Lake Jocassee Catch ’Em Kits with lures hand-picked for each season by Joe.