July 14
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are about 88 degrees, but peaking at 92.5 in the afternoon. The lake is clear, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
Fishing for multiple species continues to be excellent at Lake Monticello right now, with catfish action on fire, white perch very cooperative, and the black bass fishing excellent.
The black bass bite remains consistent on Lake Monticello, andBYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the action is good for quantity and quality fish. The early-morning bite is a bit shallower on humps and shoals, but most of the fish are being caught on points and humps in 15-35 feet of water.
Eric said they are generally sorted by size, and if you catch a couple of smaller fish, then it’s best to move to the next spot; some targets will hold much larger fish. The best action is coming on flutter spoons and deep-diving crankbaits like a 10XD, although a drop shot will also pick up some fish.
Captain Jay Bruce(Carolina Fishing Adventures with Jay Bruce; 864-420-8512) is making huge catches of catfish, with triple-digit catches common on most days. Captain Jay said the best days are windy and/or cloudy, providing cover for the clear-water conditions of Lake Monticello.
He said the catfish action is best around 50 feet deep and is associated with the huge schools of shad. A few weeks ago, the shad schools were scattered in clusters of small schools in a general area; now they’re combining to create huge schools of forage. Find these schools using your electronics, and fish chicken breast or cut bait beneath them.
Captain Jay is rigging with light tackle to focus on the number of smaller fish per his party’s request, but larger catfish are on the prowl, and an occasional big catfish hooked, providing off-the-charts excitement. He said that on some days, most of the fish will average between 3 and 5 pounds each. That’s quality catfish on light tackle and great table fare.
Captain Jay said both blue and channel catfish are on a strong bite using chicken as bait.
The catfish may be near the bottom or suspended a few feet off the bottom. Don’t ignore the suspended fish; they’re often the most active, feeding on the forage.
Captain Jay said the bite for jumbo white perch continues to be good, and most of the perch are being found in water 20 feet deep or more. He’s catching them on minnows or using artificial lures on a double rig, with a 3/8-ounce Berry spoon on the bottom and, 18-inches above it, a white jig on a short leader. This rig consistently produces two-perch-at-a-time action.
Terry Madewell
July 1
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the mid-80s. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
The black bass bite is on fire on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that they are catching numbers as well as quality fish. The best action is coming on points and humps in 15-35 feet of water, and with fish grouped by size if you find small fish then you need to move to the next spot. The best action is coming on flutter spoons and deep-diving crankbaits like a 10XD, although a drop shot will also pick up some fish. Anglers are using LiveScope to locate fish but note that they are turning it off once they are casting as bass seem wary of it.
You could probably catch bass on a minnow-type bait in open water were it not for the catfish, and one of Eric’s friends stopped throwing it after catching 10 straight catfish!
The humps on the 99 end are also loaded with white perch, which is probably at least part of the reason the bass are there, and they are big. They are also easy to catch with a minnow-type bait, small jigging spoon, or curly-tail jig.
Unsurprisingly given the bass report, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite is now very good. Plenty of fish up to 5 pounds are suspended and feeding high in the water column over deep water (and there is always the chance for a monster), and the pattern is as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.
A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work.
June 16
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello were about 82 degrees, but afternoon temperatures on Sunday, June 14, soared to 89.5 degrees. The lake is clear, and water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
Fishing for multiple species is excellent at Lake Monticello right now, with black bass schooling on shallow shoals, catfish action on fire, and white perch very cooperative.
Captain Jay Bruce(Carolina Fishing Adventures with Jay Bruce; 864-420-8512) and his fishing party were on the lake at first light this past Sunday, and although they were on a catfishing sortie, while motoring to the first stop, they saw black bass schooling on the surface over shoals in shallow water.
Captain Jay said it was a great opportunity for bass anglers to score some early morning topwater action, and he saw this action in a couple of places, so it wasn’t an isolated event. He said that after schooling, the bass will move to deeper water, but would still be somewhere in that area. He said it would be a great place to begin a bass fishing trip.
As for his targeted species of catfish, Bruce targeted deep pods of forage as his key area to fish and then fished under those congregated clusters of shad. He searches for multiple pods of shad in the same area, with obvious fish arches on his graph beneath them.
Captain Jay said this is the screen at the first stop on a trip that produced over 200 catfish.
The process worked because his party of four caught over 200 catfish in the 1–5-pound class, exactly what they wanted for a big fish fry. They used chunks of cut blueback herring and small chunks of chicken breast as bait.
He rigged with light tackle to focus on numbers of smaller fish per his party’s request, but larger catfish are on the prowl because their light rigs were broken off a few times by heavy catfish.
He targeted water depths in the 36–48-foot range where pods of forage were suspended about 10 feet off the bottom.
Captain Jay said the bite for jumbo white perch is excellent, and while they didn’t target them specifically, by cranking the chunks of herring about 10 feet off the bottom, directly under the schools of shad, the perch would quickly load on.
Terry Madewell
June 4
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the upper 70s. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
The black bass fishing has gotten tougher on Lake Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that there are still some productive patterns in this transition period between late spring and summer. First thing fishing a crankbait like a 6XD or 8XD off points is working pretty well, but as it gets into later morning you need to go further out on the same points and fish in 15-30 feet with a drop shot or flutter spoon.
While it has seemingly not turned on yet soon there should be a deep “minnow” bite when water temperatures get into the 80s, but most of June when they are pulling water the best pattern is typically fishing very deep-running crankbaits off deep points or humps and maintaining contact with the bottom. Instead of just winding sweeping your rod tip is usually the best way to keep the bait digging into the bottom. When there is no current then finesse techniques around offshore structure like humps and ledges are usually most productive unless you want to just chase fish on LiveScope.
The blue catfish spawn seems to be winding down on Lake Monticello, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that means that more big fish should be feeding again this month. But the most popular way to catch fish in June is typically free-line drifting, even though it got off to a rocky start in May with up-and-down weather and temperatures. When water temperatures hit 80 it should really turn on. Plenty of fish up to 5 pounds will be suspended and feeding high in the water column over deep water (and there is always the chance for a monster), and the pattern is as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.
A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work.
May 13
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are about 72 degrees, and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
When Captain Jay Bruce and his wife, Jill, launched their boat on Lake Monticello Saturday morning, they were excited about the prospect of good catfishing; they knew action had recently perked up. As usual, the success of the trip would depend on their graph depicting plenty of forage, and around and under that forage, he'd mark fish around those pods of forage. For the most part, he figured those signals near the bottom would be catfish.
And he was dead-on-target.
When Captain Jay(Carolina Fishing Adventures with Jay Bruce; 864-420-8512)
found plenty of forage on a flat in 35 feet of water, adjacent to a deep drop-off into much deeper water, he found what he was looking for. Using big live shiners, chunks of chicken marinated in garlic, strawberry, and grape flavors, and unflavored chicken breast, we set lines, and within minutes the fish started biting.
For most of the day, the action was consistent across different areas, and we fished the bait about 2 handle cranks off the bottom. When the action slowed, Captain Jay would move the boat 20-40 yards with the electric motor to different bait pods, with additional feeding catfish present, and the bite would get active again.
Jill Bruce with a blue catfish from Lake Monticello last weekend; the action is very good.
The final place we fished was the true hotspot, as predicted by Captain Jay. He’d said that typically the fishing improves as the morning progresses, and on this flat, Captain Jay found the forage and fish located 50 feet deep.
For the next 30 minutes, Jay, Jill, and I were almost constantly fighting catfish, great action for any trip.
And Captain Jay said this catfish pattern is just beginning, and as we get into the summer, it’ll improve. The catfish we caught were in the 1-5-pound class, but on most trips, Captain Jay said his clients usually hook a few larger fish. His wife, Jill, boated a 40-pounder at Monticello. We only fished in the morning, and boated well over 60 blue catfish.
And on this day, the flavor of the day was strawberry chicken, but Captain Jay said that on the next trip, the best bait may be a different flavor, or perhaps live minnows, so be prepared with different bait options.
Terry Madewell
April 30
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the low 70s and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
The tail end of the shad spawn is still going on around riprap congregating some black bass early on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that you can fish a crankbait or topwater around the rocks early. Similarly, there are still some fish being caught off beds on the 99 end in the cooler water, and with this weekend’s full moon there could be more.
However, deeper patterns are starting to come on and will only get better in May. Fishing around brush in 15-30 feet of water, especially off the end of points, is productive with a Carolina rig, and as water temperatures get into the mid-70s fish will move even deeper into the standing timber. If they are pulling water then fish will move up onto the humps to feed this month, especially early and late, and of course there will be more and more people fishing offshore in open water with minnow-type baits as it gets warmer. Already at the end of April this is a productive pattern.
Even as mature catfish can be entering a more difficult period, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite for eating-sized blues has taken off. Plenty of fish up to 5 pounds are suspended and feeding high in the water column over deep water, and there is always 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 and some may already be, 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.
April 22
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the low 70s and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
There’s not much change to report with the black bass on Lake Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that after the early shad spawn anglers are now LiveScoping with a jerkbait especially when fish are high in the water column. Carolina-rigged lizards continue to produce on points.
And once again a minor cold front came over the weekend, but Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) still believes the the mass migration of all sizes of catfish to the shallows should be on. For big fish he will set up on long points that run from shallow to deep water, or with a similar setup on a mid-lake hump, and fish multiple depths covering shallow, mid-depth, and deep water. The low-light times of the day are best for big fish bites in the shallows. He uses different baits to give fish options, but his favored baits are cut bream (heads and chunks), white perch, and gizzard shad from now through the rest of the spring. For smaller fish smaller pieces of cut bait and worms will both work.
April 16
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are in the low 70s and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
While the black bass spawn starts to fade into the past on Lake Monticello, BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the shad spawn is really getting good on the riprap. You can catch fish early there about any way you want, from jerkbaits to crankbaits to spinnerbaits. After the sun starts to get up the big weights are coming LiveScoping, and in particular with a big, curious bait called a “Coike”. For anglers who don’t want to fish that way you can catch lots of good fish, but usually not giants, Carolina-rigging lizards off points in 5-25 feet of water.
Another cold front slowed down the catfish last weekend, but by this weekend Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that the mass migration of all sizes of catfish to the shallows should be on. For big fish he will set up on long points that run from shallow to deep water, or on a similar setup on a mid-lake hump, and fish multiple depths covering shallow, mid-depth, and deep water. The low-light times of the day are best for big fish bites in the shallows. He uses different baits to give fish options, but his favored baits are cut bream (heads and chunks), white perch, and gizzard shad from now through the rest of the spring. For smaller fish smaller pieces of cut bait and worms will both work. When this movement begins it’s an ideal time to hook both quality and quantity catfish, so use rigs sized according to your catfish target. But remember that blue catfish can easily take a large circle hook and so you rarely need to downsize your hooks.
April 3
Morning surface water temperatures on Lake Monticello are 65 degrees, and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate frequently.
As is the case on several lakes, the cold front over the past weekend slowed the catfish action on Lake Monticello. Captain William Attaway (Slick Willies Guide Service; 803-924-0857) reports that this is a minor delay in the eventual mass migration of catfish to the shallows. Attaway said the timing is right, and the water temperature needs a slight upward trend to push the fish shallow. The clear water does factor into the situation. He sets up on long points that run from shallow to deep water, or on a similar setup on a mid-lake hump, and fishes multiple depths, covering shallow, mid-depths, and deep water. He uses different baits to give fish options. The low-light times of the day are best for big fish bites in the shallows. His favored baits are cut bream (heads and chunks), white perch, and gizzard shad from now through spring. When this movement begins, it’s an ideal time to hook both quality and quantity catfish, so use rigs sized according to your catfish target.
Capt. Jay Bruce (Carolina Fishing Adventures with Jay Bruce; 864-420-8512) said he also prefers the point-fishing process for catfish in early April, anchoring in 10 feet of water and fan-casting rigs around the boat. Capt. Jay uses worms or minnows when hoping to fill a cooler with ‘eater-sized’ fish.
Capt. Jay reports that big white perch are being caught at various depths from 20 to 40 feet in Lake Monticello. Artificial lures, such as jigs or small jigging spoons, work well, and he also uses live minnows because it's hard for these aggressive fish to turn down the ‘real thing,’ right now.
The black bass have moved into the creeks and coves, and some were in the spawning mode before the cold snap last weekend that backed many bass out of the shallows, Capt. Jay reports. Some of the fish have spawned and are in post-spawn mode now. The trend this week is that by Friday and Saturday, bass will be again moving into the shallows and/or spawning.
Capt. Jay said the shellcrackers are moving shallow to the beds in the creeks and coves, and he thinks the bream action will begin to improve by this weekend, with the water temperature adequate to have bream active in the shallows, but likely not bedding.