May 8

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the mid-70s or higher, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass on Lake Monticello are on a shad spawn pattern early again this week, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the best bite is with a Pop-R. The shad are mostly spawning on rocks, and the riprap along the dam is a magnet for fish. After the early surface action stops then back out in the same areas and crank for them, and then when that slows head to the points and fish in 15-20 feet of water with a shaky head.

We will probably also be saying this for months to come, but Eric reports that fish are also starting to get in the standing timber and targeting fish you can see on forward-facing sonar with a minnow-type bait on a jighead is a good pattern. 

As water temperatures are bumping the upper 70s, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite forcatfish has taken off. Plenty of eating-sized blues are now suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. You can easily catch a cooler full of fish up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.   

At the same time the bigger fish are now getting very close to spawning, especially closer to the power station, and the best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work. Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky so the best policy is to have more than one option. 

May 1

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the low to mid-70s. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass on Lake Monticello are on a similar but more seasonally advanced pattern again this week, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing fishing a spinnerbait or crankbait around the riprap where shad are spawning is must-do. After that pattern dies off as the sun comes up then there is a decent bite in the pockets with a worm. This is targeting post-spawn fish that have not left the coves for the main lake, but the better numbers have probably already returned to the main lake. They can be caught on crankbaits fished on points.

Of course, other fish on the main lake have already headed offshore, and once again it’s the time when forward-facing-sonar can be hard to beat on Lake Monticello. Fishing flutter spoons and deep cranking is getting good.

More to follow after Eric’s tournament this weekend.

While it’s still a good time to catch a big blue shallow on Lake Monticello, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the large catfish continue to be inconsistent from one day to the next. While the fish are in pre-spawn mode, they are not feeding well every day. The best places to look for them continue to be around long points and in coves, with 15-25 feet the key depth range. Fish move towards the deeper end of that as the sun rises. 

Anchoring with perch, gizzard shad, and bream all seem to be about the same.

It’s probably also very close to the time when free-line drifting for numbers of catfish can be productive, if it has not already arrived. We will try to provide a report on that for next week. 

April 24

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the low 70s. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

Another week and another big tournament bag of black bass on Lake Monticello, with BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reporting that a 24-pound sack won the last tournament. The fish were caught on the shad spawn, and the hottest thing going right now is fishing a crankbait around rocks anywhere there is riprap and spawning shad. That’s an early morning bite, and after it dies off then the best bet is to fish the ends of points in about 20 feet of water as fish start to move out. When there is wind then a deep-diving crankbait is a good option, but in calm conditions then a shaky head is the best bet.  

At this point Eric has not seen or heard of any open water bite yet, and fish still seem to be related to the coves and points. There are even some stragglers still bedding. 

While it’s still a good time to catch a big blue shallow on Lake Monticello, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the large catfish continue to be inconsistent from one day to the next. While the fish are in pre-spawn mode, they are not feeding well every day. The best places to look for them continue to be around long points and in coves, with 15-25 feet the key depth range. Fish move towards the deeper end of that as the sun rises. 

Anchoring with perch, gizzard shad, and bream all seem to be about the same.

April 10

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello range from about 65-70 after some cooler temperatures and rain. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

In last weekend’s CATT black bass tournament on Lake Monticello it took 21 pounds to win, while BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that an even bigger tournament only took 16 pounds. Between waves of spawning fish the bite was a little tougher, but Eric’s son Hunter did manage to see and catch a four-plus pounder off a bed. With this weekend’s full moon there should be another decent-sized wave of fish going on beds.

Besides targeting spawning fish, the predominant pattern right now is fishing the riprap with a spinnerbait first thing where there are shad congregated. After that a jerkbait is very good for post-spawn fish that have recently come off beds. For now almost all of the fish are in the pockets still, and it won’t be for some time until they head deep on the main lake. 

With water temperatures rapidly rising and more and more prey around the banks, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that we are in probably the best period for shallow catfish fishing of the year on Lake Monticello.  In the morning anchor rods as shallow as 5-15 feet on out, while when the sun is up concentrate most efforts from 10-35 feet or more. With the contours of Monticello it’s a lake where you can easily cover a wide array of water depths. 

Monticello cats are often finicky and so having a variety of baits including herring, gizzard shad, perch, bream and more is a good bet. 

Our family is travelling for our children’s spring break next week, but we will resume weekly Lake Murray fishing reports after the Easter holiday. 

April 3

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are around 65 at the 99 end and in the upper 60s by the power station. The lake is fairly clear and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass spawn got underway really, really fast on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that it may be that the peak of the spawn actually took place this week and we are now on the backside! There will still be at least a couple more waves of bedding fish, but with Monticello fish generally bedding in at least 6 feet of water because of variable water levels it’s always a bit harder to pin down than on other lakes. 

Regardless there are still numbers of fish shallow, and all day long you can catch fish in the coves on a shaky head. Work it around the banks, off the points, and even in the middle of coves. On days when there is current or wind and fish are a bit more aggressive then a jerkbait is fishing really well off red clay points. Additionally, with a shad spawn getting underway look around rock first thing with shad-imitating crankbait or a jerkbait. 

With water temperatures rapidly rising and more and more prey around the banks, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that we are getting into probably the best period for shallow catfish fishing of the year on Lake Monticello.  In the morning anchor rods as shallow as 5-15 feet on out, while when the sun is up right concentrate most efforts from 10-35 feet or more. With the contours of Monticello it’s a lake where you can easily cover a wide array of water depths. 

Monticello cats are often finicky and so having a variety of baits including herring, gizzard shad, perch, bream and more is a good bet. 

March 25

Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are around 57 at the 99 end and 63 by the dam. Both ends of the lake are stained, with the dam a bit dirtier, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

It’s been a very good week for black bass on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that even though some cooler temperatures this week mean they aren’t seeing as many fish spawning – none reported in the tournament Saturday – there were a bunch of bags at 20 pounds and more.  By 8:30 Saturday morning Eric’s son Hunter had caught 30 bass!

The magic lure right now is a spinnerbait, which makes sense considering the persistent windy conditions and the stained water. Everything is being caught around rock, regardless of whether it’s on the main lake, pockets, or any kind of point. The combination of warmer water around rock, and crawfish coming out of hiding, has the bass keying on it. If the spinnerbait bite slows in calm conditions then a shaky head is working, and DT-6 and DT-10 crankbaits are also catching fish.  

The one exception regarding bedding fish is the smallmouth, which are still further along simply because they spawn earlier. 

While Eric reports that no one seemed to be on offshore pattern this week, when he looked in the deep coves with 50-60 feet of water they marked tons of fish 5-10 feet down. “Shaking a minnow” they confirmed these were crappie, and big ones, loaded up in the top of the water column. They saw the most down near the dam. It’s unclear where and when they will spawn, but either using forward-facing sonar to cast at them, or perhaps long-line trolling, there are tons of slabs to be caught. 

They are also still marking tons of catfish suspended in deep water, and accordingly Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that anglers can still catch them with down-rods (and live or even cut bait) fishing just like they would for striper. With the development of forward-facing sonar we may be learning that all year catfish are suspended on the lake. 

But anchoring is still Captain William’s go-to technique right now, and he recommends anchoring on points and humps. In the morning have rods as shallow as 10-15 feet on out, while when the sun is up right now he would be concentrating most efforts in 35 feet or more. With the contours of Monticello it’s a lake where you can easily cover a wide array of water depths. 

Monticello cats are often finicky and so having a variety of baits including herring, gizzard shad, perch, bream and more is a good bet. 

March 19

Morning surface water temperatures continue to climb on Lake Monticello, with most of the lake 60 degrees or above. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The black bass spawn is on at Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the smallmouth are a little ahead of the largemouth but both types of bass are bedding. Because of the water fluctuations on the lake fish usually spawn in 6-8 feet of water, and right now Eric advises fishing out to about 10 feet.  For now it’s mostly buck largemouth bass on beds, but by this weekend he’s fairly certainly that female largemouth will be up there. 

There are also still plenty of fish staging around secondary points and riprap, and on the rocks there is a good shad bite going. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits are both effective for these fish. For bass in the spawning pockets worms and jigs are working well. 

While Mother Nature doesn’t put all the fish in the same place at once, it’s pretty hard to find bass offshore. But they are still marking tons of catfish suspended in deep water, and there are also crappie moving into the coves. They are generally suspended about 10-15 feet down, and the bigger fish seem to be in groups of twos and three. You can catch them “shaking a minnow” just like you would for bass. 

With so many catfish still suspended, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that anglers continue to be able to catch them with down-rods (and live or even cut bait) fishing just like they would for striper. With the development of forward-facing sonar we may be learning that all year catfish are suspended on the lake. 

But anchoring is still Captain William’s go-to technique right now, and he recommends anchoring on points and humps. In the morning have rods as shallow as 10-15 feet on out, while when the sun is up right now he would be concentrating most efforts in 35 feet or more. With the contours of Monticello it’s a lake where you can easily cover a wide array of water depths. 

Monticello cats are often finicky and so having a variety of baits including herring, gizzard shad, perch, bream and more is a good bet. 

March 12

Morning surface water temperatures continue to climb on Lake Monticello, with upper 50s to lower 60s now common. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

While BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union hasn’t personally seen it yet, he has little doubt that black bass and particularly smallmouth will be spawning by this weekend. With the full moon this Friday that may actually become a credible tournament pattern on the lake.

But for now the best pattern has been fishing riprap and rock first thing with a spinnerbait, and actually that’s now become an all-day pattern as fish stay shallower. Additionally, there are plenty of anglers LiveScoping in the coves for staging fish getting ready to spawn.  “Shaking a minnow” in the ditches of coves is still a top pattern.

There are also a fair number of fish just around the banks, and in some areas this is mainly smaller buck bass. However, in areas with red clay banks that warm up fast there are some better fish in the dirt. 

Timber is still loaded up with crappie, but any day now they should head shallower as soon as water temperatures approaching their spawning zone – if they have not already. 

There are also still tons of catfish suspended over deep water, and our Monticello catfish expert Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) points out that in addition to standard catfish techniques of drifting or anchoring baits on the bottom, you can also catch catfish fishing down-rods with live herring just like you would for striped bass. Fish will also take suspended cut bait.  

Overall Captain William predicts that, since the catfish spawn is later than that of other species, it will be a bit longer until cats start moving much shallower in substantial numbers. When they do it will be at least in part because bream and other fish they eat are moving up to spawn, and that is still a little ways off – but closer after temperatures predicted for this week.   

March 6

Morning surface water temperatures are around 56-57 on the 99 end and 62-64 near the power plant. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

Unsurprisingly with water temperatures like that, there are things going at Lake Monticello that aren’t going on at any other lake we report on in the state.  BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that, while there don’t seem to be any black bass bedding yet, in the warm water on the lower end of the lake there is a small shad spawn starting to take place at first light – and the fish know it. The shad are spawning around rock, and the presence of blue herons will alert you to where they are. That bite is only first thing in the morning but it’s very shallow in 2-8 feet of water with crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

When that pattern plays out fish are pulling out a little deeper, and the best bet is slow-rolling a spinnerbait on points out to as deep as 15-25 feet. Fish seem to be setting up on these points all over the lake before actually moving up to spawn. With a few warm days, however, expect a flood of fish to come to the banks.  

Deep timber in 70-80 feet is still loaded with crappie, and they are typically holding in the timber or barely over the top of it on sunny days. Again, crappie should head shallower as soon as temperatures rise. 

At the same time, the fish you see suspended well over the timber are now more likely to be catfish. Again, that doesn’t surprise our Monticello catfish expert Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), who points out that Monticello catfish often suspend (as do fish on many deep lakes in certain conditions). In addition to standard catfish techniques of drifting or anchoring baits on the bottom, you can also catch catfish fishing down-rods with live herring just like you would for striped bass. Fish will also take suspended cut bait.  
Overall Captain William predicts that, since the catfish spawn is later than that of other species, it will be a little while until cats start moving much shallower in substantial numbers. When they do it will be at least in part because bream and other fish they eat are moving up to spawn, and that is still a little ways off. 

February 26

Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s on most of Lake Monticello, with the warmest water near the power plant. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The patterns for black bass on Lake Monticello are changing fast, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the overall trend is that fish are moving shallower. You can still catch fish with a soft plastic minnow-type bait on a jighead while looking at them on Live Scope, but instead of fishing this way on the main lake you now pretty much have to stick to the pockets in the 20-foot range to find bass. And the fish you catch here are usually smaller males.

The best pattern is now fishing rock, including riprap and natural rock, with a Chatterbait, spinnerbait, or crankbait. First thing the most productive water is the riprap at the dam or on the 99 end, and then all day any shallow rock with sun on it in 2-10 feet of water can hold fish. 

Deep timber in 70-80 feet is still loaded with crappie, and they are typically holding in the timber or just over it on sunny days. Tournament fishing some bass guys have been frustrated when what they thought was a big bass turned out to be a stud crappie.

At the same time, the fish you see suspended well over the timber are now more likely to be catfish. Again, that doesn’t surprise our Monticello catfish expert Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857), who points out that Monticello catfish often suspend (as do fish on many deep lakes in stained conditions). In addition to standard catfish techniques of drifting or anchoring baits on the bottom, you can also catch catfish fishing down-rods with live herring just like you would for striped bass. Fish will also take suspended cut bait.  
Overall Captain William predicts that, since the catfish spawn is later than that of other species, it will be a little while until cats start moving shallower in substantial numbers. When they do it will be at least in part because bream and other fish they eat are moving up to spawn, and that is still a little ways off. 

February 19

Morning surface water temperatures are about 52-53 on the 99 end, while they are as warm as 64 close to the power plant. The upper end of the lake is slightly stained while the lower end is heavily stained. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

The offshore open water pattern for black bass on Lake Monticello that has been so good this winter is winding down, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that now the best pattern is fishing pockets and particularly secondary points. If there is wind or current then a spinnerbait or crankbait can work, and if not a jig or worm is working the best. Smallmouth spawn earlier than largemouth, and whether they are getting close to spawning or not they are shallower right now than other fish.  While most of the largemouth are still in ten plus feet of water.  

But while offshore bass fishing is winding down, other species are still suspended over deep water around bait. You can catch tons of crappie suspended just ten feet down over 100 feet of water, and it also seems like many of the catfish are in the middle of the water column. 

While that is a normal summer pattern on Lake Monticello, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that it also makes sense in stained conditions – or when the bait gets well off the lake floor. In addition to drifting and anchoring on the bottom around deep bait schools, right now you can also catch catfish fishing down-rods with live herring just like you would for striped bass. Fish will also take suspended cut bait. 

February 12

Morning surface water temperatures are about 54 away from the power station, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. 

It’s a really fun time to fish for black bass on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that you can catch bass about any way you want. Of course they may not all be big, and fishing a minnow-type bait out deep guided by forward-facing sonar seems to still be the predominant pattern for big fish. In addition to the main lake this can be a successful pattern at the mouth of pockets, and Alabama rigs and jerkbaits are also working casting at fish you are marking. 

But there has also been a really good bite for smallmouth on the 215 end, and running any main or secondary point with swimbaits, shaky heads, or shallow-running crankbait you can get bit. The fish are in shallow water and moved up earlier than largemouth because they spawn earlier, although this cold snap has almost certainly pushed them back out a little.

Finally, if you want to catch smaller bass but good numbers there are plenty of fish shallower in the pockets that will take a shaky head. In clean pockets they will just be cruising around, but in coves with brush or stumps the fish will be holding on those. 

For now the crappie still seem to be in deep water, but they are marking them only about 10 feet below the surface in big schools. They should make their way into coves before long. 

It’s still basically fair fishing for catfish on Lake Monticello, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) still believes that deep is the best place to look for big blues. Both slow drifting and anchoring can work, and deep ledges seem to be the most productive terrain.  White perch and gizzard shad have been the best baits. As usual when pursuing big fish anglers need to be patient. 

February 5

Morning surface water temperatures are about 52-54 over most of the lake , and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water color is about perfect for fishing with roughly three feet of visibility. 

For now the black bass seem to be coming out of their winter patterns, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that they are seeing lots of fish moving into the pockets and coves. If there is cover like a stump, tree or brush then fish will be in it, and if it’s a clean pocket then they will be on the bottom in the center of the cove. 

But even though that’s where the bulk of the fish are headed, in the CATT Saturday both Hunter Enlow (first place with 23.49 pounds) and Eric (second place with 18.54 pounds) concentrated on the lower numbers of fish still out deep on the main lake which seemed to be bigger.  These fish were mostly 20-40 feet down over as much as 100 feet of water. Eric notes that the main lake bait was still mostly 65 or more feet down. 

Wherever you are fishing, first thing in low light conditions fish seem to want a jerkbait or Alabama rig, while after about 9:00 they prefer a minnow-type bait on a jighead.  However, for fish that are high in the water column they consistently seem to favor a jerkbait retrieved fast without a lot of pauses.

While the warm weather for the next few days will likely pull even more fish into the pockets, the deep main lake zone may hold more fish again after the cold front comes through at the end of this weekend. 

It’s basically fair fishing for catfish on Lake Monticello, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) concurs that most of the bait – and catfish – are still holding in at least 60 feet of water, and often much better. Both slow drifting and anchoring can work, and deep ledges of gullies seem to be the most productive terrain.  White perch and gizzard shad have been the best baits. As usual when pursuing big fish anglers need to be patient, particularly now when catfish have so much bait to choose from.

January 28

Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 on the Highway 99 end but warmer towards the power plant, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The water has cleaned up some but is still not clear. 

It’s difficult to describe the black bass fishing on Lake Monticello as anything short of incredible most of this winter, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that again this Sunday they had five fish over 25 pounds in a few hours. A 6.86 pound smallmouth was also caught in a tournament, and overall there is no question that the bass are feeding well.

While techniques haven’t changed a whole lot the most interesting development is how the bass have separated from the bait. Eric reports that most of the bait is now 65-85 feet deep, and while the catfish are still holding with the bait the bass are mostly suspended 20-40 feet down. Smallmouth may be running even shallower. 

Eric and his son Hunter fished a drop shot, shaky head, and a jigging spoon without bites, and all the fish they caught came on Alabama rigs and “shaking a minnow”.  One group of fish was suspended over the bait (again, 20-40 feet deep) in open water, and at times they were catching bass in 100 feet of water. But another group of fish were in the pockets related to the brush, stumps and rock. These fish were on the bottom in 25-35 feet of water.

Consistent with what Eric is seeing, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that fishing 60 plus feet deep is a pretty standard winter tactic on Monticello. In fact, they have caught plenty of cold water fish in 100 plus feet of water. Basically, anywhere you mark bait is worth anchoring, including at the bottom of steep ledges that go deeper than you would expect to produce. Gizzard shad and perch are both good choices. 

January 15

Morning surface water temperatures range from 57-58 near the power plant to 51-52 on the 99 end, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. Visibility ranges from about 2 ½ feet on the upper end to a foot on the lower end.   

The black bass fishing has gotten really, really good again on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that lots of five-fish limits in the 20s are being caught right now. The fish are in the timber where the bait is, and they are catching them near the bottom in 65-70 feet of water! 

While the lower lake has a ton of timber, it’s not super thick and very fishable. Usually they are dropping a minnow-style bait down to fish that they can see on forward facing sonar, but when the fish are really gathered up then a jigging spoon can work even better. 

In general the bait is 30-50 feet down, and the bass are under that.  In contrast, there are a ton of crappie and catfishhigher in the water column where the bait is.   

Bass can also be caught off the end of points with an Alabama rig, and the best bite is usually about 40 feet deep.  Jigging spoons will also work in these areas. 

While it always worth suspending some baits on Lake Monticello for catfish, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) advises putting most of your baits on the bottom around those big, deep schools of bait. Gizzard shad, perch, and more will all work. 

January 3

Morning surface water temperatures range from the lower 50s to upper 50s depending on which end of the lake you are on, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently. The lake is highly stained. 

The black bass fishing has changed fast on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that was a result of the lake getting dirty after recent rains. As the lake got dirty the fish that had been holding tight to the bottom suspended following the bait, and the jigging spoon pattern pretty much completely went away.

Now the best way to catch them is “hover strolling”, and in fact throwing minnow-style baits to suspended fish that you can see around bait schools on forward-facing sonar is about the only reliable way to approach fish since they remain in deep, open water. The bait and bass are generally about 30-35 feet down.

The best bite has been on the warmer end of the lake near the power station, and when you locate the fish numbers have been really good. 

More to follow on the catfish next week.