April 3

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.25 (full pool is 360.00), and without much rain, clarity is clear in most areas.  Morning surface water temperatures are rising, but are currently 65 degrees. 

Thestriper action is productive lakewide, but that also means the fish are highly scattered, requiring anglers to move a bit to find the hotspots, according to Captain Brad Taylor withTaylor Outdoors (803-331-1354). Early morning fishing can be productive back in the creeks, and on Tuesday, Captain Brad started out catching fish freelining blueback herring on planer boards in the creeks. While the fish were shallow in the water column, the bottom depth where he found them was over 100 feet deep. He said he could see stripers swirling on forage on the surface. When this action slowed, he began searching deeper in the water column for fish and ended the morning catching 30 fish, with plenty of keepers. But with fish scattered so widely, it takes some searching to find them.

Captain Brad said thecrappie are primarily in spawn mode, and with this weather forecast, fish should be scattered throughout the shallows by late in the week. It’s a great time to take the cork and minnow rig and fish around every piece of wooden cover you can find. He added that some fish are in post-spawn mode, and shooting docks with small jigs was effective for one group of anglers. Since not all crappie spawn at the same time, longline trolling is still productive for fish in deeper water.

Thecatfish action has been sporadic recently, but is on the verge of breaking wide open, according to Captain William Attaway (Slick Willies Guide Service; 803-924-0857), who reports that the recent cold snaps have had a dramatic influence on catfishing action. Attaway reports that before the last big cold snap last weekend, for the second week in a row, one of his close friends caught nine catfishing during a short trip, with the smallest at ten pounds and the rest in the 20-to-30-pound-plus range.

After the front passed, the bite slowed considerably. Attaway reports the lake is on the verge of some excellent catfishing, and most of the big catfish are in pre-spawn mode; they’re in the creeks in reasonably shallow water. With this week’s consistently warmer weather, the catfish action is likely to break loose and get wild. While much of the action is shallow, down to 15 feet deep, Attaway reported the catfish caught on his trips this past weekend were caught deeper because of the cold snap.

Attaway said this catfish ‘spring fling’ to the shallows doesn’t last long, but it’s worth seeking out because of the quality and quantity of catfish available. The current weather forecast looks good for excellent action in the shallows this weekend. Attaway said the best bite is coming on cut gizzard shad, white perch, and bream chunks and heads.

Thebass action is perking up and becoming more consistent and predictable. Tournament angler Andy Wicker from Pomaria said one key improvement this week is that the herring spawn is imminent, and that’s always a great bass attractor. With the full moon and warming water this week, the bass are pushing to the shallows now and through the weekend. Wicker said when fish are shallow, it creates sensational action along the shoreline, and he recommends the Sinko, floating worms, and topwater lures, including buzzbaits and the Pop-R. If fishing a tournament, he’ll likely fish faster-moving baits to cover more water, but if he’s exploring for the best locations to fish, the Pop-R seems to produce a more consistent bite; it’s just slower to work properly. The big females are spawning now.

March 25

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.39 (full pool is 360.00) and without much rain clarity is normal or better. Morning surface water temperatures are in the high 50s. 

While they aren’t all there significant numbers of striped bass have made a pretty typical spring move into the middle to backs of creeks, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that they are all over the points. This is leading people to speculate that the blueback herring spawn has begun, which is possible, but sometimes the fish just know where they want to go even before the bait arrives. The pattern for catching fish is pretty simple, pulling free-lines and planer boards across points, and very soon fish will also be caught casting a wide array of artificial lures. 

As on many of the lakes in South Carolina the crappie fishing is not what you would expect in March, and Captain Brad reports that there are people catching a few fish a lot of different ways (trolling, casting at schools, fishing around the banks, targeting bridges) but very few people bragging about catching big limits. It’s unclear if fish are in a post-spawn malaise or if there are just fish at so many different stages that it’s hard to catch numbers any one way, but regardless it’s not a great bite. 

And while some people are wearing out the black bass, and last weekend’s CBC tournament was won with 26 pounds, tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that he personally finds the fishing challenging right now. You can see tons of pre-spawn fish under docks but they are basically in a negative mood, and about the best way to catch fish seems to be bed fishing. Soon the bite should get really good as fish feed on herring, but right now most fish seem to be spawning or so close to spawning that they aren’t too focused on eating. 

On the catfish front, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he didn’t get out this weekend himself but a friend slayed them on Friday. He caught ten fish between 19 and 30-something pounds fishing in the creeks from the bank to 15 feet of water on gizzard shad. Still it’s not an everyday bite, and on Sunday the same angler only caught one channel and one 22-pound blue cat and reported the fish were basically buried in the mud and lethargic. It’s unclear why it’s not a more consistent bite. 

March 19

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.38 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake is mostly still clear. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 56 degrees. 

Finally back on the water yesterday afternoon after several days of unpleasant weather conditions, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that they didn’t find a great bite for striped bass and he actually wonders if the fish fed better in the morning when the lake was less calm. He found fish in a typical pre-spawn pattern, glued to the bottom in the low 20-something feet of water on ledges. If you fished at 17 feet you were too shallow, and at 25 you were too deep. Every year they seem to do this right before the spawn. Yesterday he was able to get some fish to come up to the surface and take free-lined baits with no weight pulled over them, but the other way to catch them is to spot-lock on top of them and then put live bait right on top of them. 

This same pattern is going on all over the lake in the middle section of major creeks. 

The crappie fishing is a little off since the cold front hit, and Captain Brad reports that anglers have been struggling to scratch out a limit of fish. They are highly scattered and it’s hard to mark any big groups of crappie or find fish very intent on feeding. 

That is all about to change though, and Brad predicts that today or at least in the next 24 hours the long-line trolling and tight-lining bite will turn back on and be very good for a couple of days. However, with 90 degree temperatures predicted for Sunday he doesn’t expect that to last very long, either, and expects that there will be another mass migration of fish into very shallow water where you basically have to fish against the banks. 

On the catfish front, even before the cold front Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that fish were not as far along as he expected and so now he thinks it will be even longer until fish move very shallow. Fishing last weekend he marked surprisingly few fish in less than 20-25 feet of water and very few inside the creeks, seemingly only channel catfish. Captain William is now thinking it will be closer to April before the blue and channel spawn really gets going. 

More information to follow once we have current updates. 

March 11

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.13 (full pool is 360.00) and down the lake is extremely clear while there is a little stain up the lake and in some of the backs. Morning surface water temperatures are about 61-66 degrees. 

The striped bass have quickly move out of winter patterns, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that Saturday his boat had five fish that weighed 50 pounds to win a company tournament. They caught everything pulling free-lines and planer boards in Bear Creek, a pattern they have basically carried forward all week this week. Buffalo Creek is loaded with fish just over 21 inches and they have been targeting those much of this week, again with the same techniques. 

While fish in the lower part of the lake that are feeding on herring, and in the upper part of the lake that are feeding on shad, can all be caught about the same way, in the lower lake you can look for loons to find them. In the upper lake you need to just cover water and zigzag through the creek channels. Everywhere they are high in the water column and even when Captain Brad marks deeper fish they aren’t actively feeding. 

Lake Murray black bass are also moving up, and tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that a few fish are already spawning but the big wave of spawners is still to come. Right now he is mostly seeing small buck bass making beds, while the bigger females are holding a little deeper around docks, deeper grass, and points near spawning pockets. Floating worms and wacky-rigged worms will both catch fish. 

Under shallow docks you can catch all the small males you want on a small white swimbait, and there are also lots of smaller fish around grass in 2-4 feet. 

But the crappie are already in full-blown spawning mode, and tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin reports that with water temperatures in the mid-60s most of the females are in less than 10 feet of water and many have followed the males to the banks to lay eggs. You can still catch fish long-line trolling, but you can also catch them casting to shallow cover.

Up the lake, however, Captain Brad reports that while many have gone to the banks there are still thousands of fish under the bridges and deeper docks. This could be partly a function of the very large population of crappie in this section, where they simply can’t all go to the bank at once. They are high in the water column just 4-6 feet down and can be caught a variety of ways, including casting jigs and floating minnows under corks. 

Finally, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he has not been able to fish for catfish this week and with skyrocketing water temperatures sincerely hopes he isn’t missing the best pre-spawn bite and even the beginning of the spawn. By now fish should be inside the creeks with the spawn close, and he advises anchoring near points inside the creeks and fan-casting gizzard shad and herring at a variety of depths. 

March 4

Lake Murray water levels are up to 356.08 (full pool is 360.00) and up the river there is a little stain to the water. Morning surface water temperatures are about 52-54 degrees down the lake and a little warmer up the river in the shallower water.

While conventional wisdom is that several days of extremely warm weather will bring the black bass flooding to the bank, tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that at least on Lake Murray he has a contrary view. While things are clearly changing with the fish, he believes the bass have their own timeline and that it is generally a negative thing when it turns this warm this fast. It doesn’t generally change the overall patterns and instead puts the fish in a negative mood where they are just harder to catch.

As to how to catch them, fish are in the immediate pre-spawn phase right now and that means they are grouped up on secondary points, staging brush just out from spawning grounds, and around docks. This close to the spawn it’s not unusual for fish to switch from wanting moving baits to a preference for soft plastics, and especially with the heat wave that may be even more important. Shaky heads, Senkos, wacky rigs, and the like should all be more effective than power fishing. 

In striped bass news, Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that there are still a lot of fish up the river being caught on planer boards and free-lines and a few birds picking at the surface, but with the warm weather that is generally getting more sporadic. Today he found the best bite fishing in the front third of Bear and Hollow Creek, with most fish in the top half of the water column in up to 60 feet of water.  He caught them on free-lines in areas where gulls and loons indicated the presence of bait, but down-rods will also work. 

Captain Brad notes that, similarly, up the rivers fish are generally in the top-half of the water column but in much shallower water. 

It was a strong weekend for crappie fishing up the lake, and Captain Brad reports that schools and schools of fish were around the bridges where anglers were wearing them out. Interestingly one of the most effective methods was throwing minnows under corks to the fish instead of traditional LiveScope jig-fishing techniques.

Overall Brad sees a migration of fish up the rivers and something similar going on down the lake into the creeks. While from there they will spread out into the backs, it’s not happening yet. He expects the spawn to be a little later this year because of the cold winter and the moon phase schedule with the next full moon on April 1. 

Finally, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that as of this past weekend it appears that the majority of the catfish were still in relatively deep water, and they marked as many fish in 50 feet as 10. However, they did find some quality fish that had moved up into shallow water off long, main lake points. From there they will make their way back into the creeks, and with this warm weather it should be happening sooner rather than later and very soon the proportion of shallow to deep fish should reverse.

They continue to find the best action in the mid-lake area on gizzard shad.  

February 25

Lake Murray water levels are at 355.67 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity varies. Morning surface water temperatures are about 52 degrees.

Fresh off a 6^th place finish in the BFL this weekend on Lake Murray with 20 pounds of black bass, tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that overall weights were a little down although Michael Murphy won with 29 pounds which he reported he caught deep. In contrast, Andy caught all of his fish shallow. A few came on docks with an Alabama rig, a few came cranking rock, and then he caught fish out of the grass with a worm.  Overall it seemed as if there was a fairly even mix of fish caught off deep brush and then around the banks, but Andy believes we are only about two weeks away from the beginning of the spawn and a month from the midst of it. 

With the cold weather the striped bass fishing on Lake Murray under the birds got good again, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that the last few days catches up the river have been pretty strong casting with a variety of baits. They are also catching a bunch of fish pulling free-lines and planer boards. 

The fish in the rivers are eating threadfin shad, but down the lake in all the creeks there are good numbers of fish in the front third eating herring. Again, you have to figure out how deep the fish are holding as herring can be much further down the water column – which will inform the decision whether to pull baits or drop down bait on down-rods.  

In crappie news, Captain Brad reports that there has been a fair amount of trolling activity up the rivers but the action has been a little slow. Anglers are having to pull jigs all day to get a limit, but it should turn on very soon.  Further down the lake tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin reports that they are still catching most fish at the mouths of creeks casting with LiveScope, but he has also found some fish that have moved back into the creeks about midway. Still fish are overall pretty high in the water column.

Finally, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that from what he is seeing catfish are moving out of the main channel and starting to make their way shallower as they eventually head towards the creeks. All the fish he has been catching seem to be point-related, and the best way to target them has been anchoring and fan-casting in 20-40 feet of water. He has preferred gizzard shad recently and found the best concentrations of fish mid-lake near Dreher Island.   

February 18

Lake Murray water levels are at 355.72 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity varies. Morning surface water temperatures range from about 48 to 50 degrees.

The progression of spring striped bass fishing on Murray is about where it should be, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that this warmer weather has pretty much killed the ice-fly type bite but you can still cast to striper up the rivers with small soft plastic swimbaits. When fish aren’t boiling on the surface (as they were yesterday morning in Captain Brad’s cove) then cover ground with free-lines and planer boards and look for the presence of gulls. 

Down the lake it’s a similar but different story, and Brad says the best pattern is to look for the massive groups of loons as whatever creek they have gone into is where the striper will be. From there it’s a matter of figuring out how deep the bait and fish are to see if your approaching should be down-rods, drifting, or pulling. 

Interestingly, Brad says that anglers who are tight-lining for crappie are often reporting more striper than specks right now. 

Speaking of crappie, tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin and Captain Brad report that water temperatures are still a little short of where fish will really start to move back into the creeks and stay. Right now they are still catching lots of fish in the main channels and at mouths of creeks casting with LiveScope, and you can also tight-line or troll. There are warmer days where fish will go back into the creeks, but then on cooler days they will pull back.

Perhaps the biggest change is that fish have generally moved higher in the water column because that is where the warmer water is typically found.  

In black bass news, Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that this warm spell has moved fish up even further and in a tournament Monday the shallow fishermen did decidedly better than the anglers fishing out deep. The best bags are coming from the mid-lake down fishing around grass in 3-12 feet of water, and an Alabama rig, crankbait, and Chatterbait continue to be effective. 

Finally, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he has been fishing his winter catfish spots in the main channel around Buffalo Creek and Rocky Creek but it appears that the fish have started to move shallower. He is marking less in the channel and seeing more signs of fish moving up the ledges and even onto flats. It’s not too early to put baits as shallow as 10 feet of water. 

February 11

Lake Murray water levels are down to 355.52 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures range from 44 up the lake to 48 down the lake. 

Fresh off a 6^th place finish fishing alone in the 146-boat CBC championship on Lake Murray, tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that he caught black bass a bunch of different ways. In practice he discovered tons of 3-pound fish that were pretty easy to catch stacked up in ditches (that, as we are reporting on Clarks Hill, would bite early), but these weren’t generally the quality that it would take to finish at the top. The first tournament day he caught two fish that he weighed on a jig fishing deep around brush and rock, one on a jighead minnow in the same zone, and two cranking shallow in the high winds around boat ramps and rocky points. But on the second day he discovered schools of fish that had slid up under docks and left the ditches, and he caught everything on a jig and Alabama rig on docks in 5-8 feet of water.  Andy notes that the water temperature hadn’t really changed and he thinks Murray bass are on more of a calendar cycle that a temperature cycle to go into pre-spawn mode. 

From correspondents also fishing the tournament two more patterns were BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union fishing a jig off rock in 12-40 plus feet of water, with his big 6.96-pound fish coming off rock in 43 feet, while Stan Gunter of Saluda was fishing an A-rig around the grass. 

The striped bass fishing is changing, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that by February the casting bite under birds usually falls way off and this year is no exception.  But they are still catching a few good quality fish pulling free-lines up the rivers, while numbers are being caught further down the lake. Around Dreher Island pulling weighted planer boards has been working well, while in areas like Hollow Creek down-rod fishing has been good. The cold water has driven the fish down and 50 feet is a good starting point to look, although fish will be wherever the bait is. 

Unsurprisingly given the temperatures the crappie are in massive schools, and Captain Brad and tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin report that fish are still in deep water in the main channel and at the mouth of coves. Cold temperatures have backed the bait out and are keeping the crappie from moving into the creeks. Most people are catching fish casting jigs with LiveScope in open water, and some of the best areas to look are almost vertical banks where the channel swings close to the shore. 

Catfish report to follow next week. 

February 4

Lake Murray water levels are down to 355.55 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-40s. 

It’s going to be a tough week to get information about black bass on Lake Murray, as snow, ice, and an off-limits period before this weekend’s CBC tournament have had bass fishing activity at about zero – and once they start practicing everyone will be tight-lipped. Frankly there has been much striped bass fishing either, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports the whole cove at his house froze and then water temperatures stayed in the 37-38 degree range for some time. With a second major shad kill in two weeks the fishing is sure to be really, really slow up the rivers.

Captain Brad says the best bet now is to head down the lake and fish deep in 50-60 feet of water in the gut of major creeks near the bottom until things settle out. In the lower lake the fish are eating herring which can escape the cold, and they will take down-rods. 

But on the back side of this the fishing should be even better up the lake as there will be a lot less bait around and fish will be hungry.   

It’s a similar story with the crappie, where in about seven to ten days the fishing should be good – especially with milder weather forecast.  But for now it’s a bit of a grind, although you can still catch them on channel ledges in 25-30 feet of water either tight-lining or throwing jigs at fish anglers can see on forward-facing sonar.  

While Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) hasn’t been able to go to prove his theory, he thinks the catfish should be deeper in the channels with dropping temperatures. As cold as the water has gotten you probably need to anchor on them, or else drift incredibly slowly. Gizzard shad and white perch are likely the best baits. 

January 29

Lake Murray water levels remain at 356.11 (full pool is 360.00). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 40s depending upon area of the lake. 

Catching black bass on Lake Murray is relatively straight-forward right now, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that if you just want to catch fish then it’s hard to go wrong targeting rock in 8-10 feet of water. He has found it a little trickier to catch fish on a jerkbait, but on the bottom a jig and shakey head are both working well in these areas. 

But big bags are harder to come by that way, and in the TBF tournament this weekend (when the wind was howling on Saturday) Andy suspects a lot of the better weights came throwing a crankbait shallow. There was also a pretty good deeper bite with a jigging spoon or Alabama rig.  And of course some people were fishing in “the abyss” for fish around bait that they could see on LiveScope.

If the snow that is forecast for this weekend materializes Andy doesn’t expect it will shut down the fishing, as it’s just not the time of year where that is likely to happen on Murray. On the front end it could make a for a very good bite. After the snow you might have to fish moving baits like a jerkbait more slowly, but it’s unlikely to have too much effect on how fish take something on the bottom like a shaky head. Fish could move deeper but the right conditions will still bring them shallow.

January 28

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.11 (full pool is 360.00). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 40s depending upon area of the lake. 

As he predicted there was a massive shad kill when ice hit the water this weekend, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that in the short term that was a good thing for the striped bass fishing but things are now slowing as fish have gorged. There are a particularly large number of fish in the Little Saluda right now, but if you aren’t finding good action casting double rigs or pulling bait on free-lines and planer boards there now Captain Brad advises heading down the lake to areas where fish are feeding on herring. They can go deep enough to get away from the dangerously cold water, and fish will be caught on down-rods fished in the deeper gut of creek channels. 

The shad cycle could repeat itself this weekend, but Brad points out that if temperatures possibly get into the 30s it can get really tough to catch fish.  

The crappie patterns are fairly similar to last week, although Captain Brad reports that fish seem to have headed deeper as temperatures dropped and the bite has slowed a little. The best action is coming closer to the bottom on channel ledges in 25-30 feet of water either tight-lining or throwing jigs at fish anglers can see on forward-facing sonar.

However, the same caveat applies and if temperatures drop into the 30s this weekend then the bite could almost totally shut down for a period – especially if a very large number of shad are stunned and/ or die and get eaten. 

Friday Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) found the catfish highly point-related, and he managed a 30-pound blue as well as a number of big channel catfish. However, they ought to be deeper in the channels after last weekend’s weather and certainly should be after this weekend. As cold as temperatures have gotten you probably need to anchor on them, or else drift incredibly slowly. Gizzard shad and white perch are likely the best baits. 

Check back here for a bass report. 

January 22

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.10 (full pool is 360.00) and clarity remains high. Morning surface water temperatures are about 51 degrees over most of the lake. 

The incoming weather is expected to be a mixed bag for the striped bass fishing, and Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that for a day or two things should be really, really good if they get the significant shad kill that looks likely.  However, after that it could get slow for several days once the fish have gorged.

For now there are still tons of fish up the river, and really the only difference from a couple of weeks ago is that there is much less pressure on them. They are still feeding well under the birds, and all you really need to do is locate gulls and either cast artificials or pull bait through them. Weighted planer boards had been the best way to present herring but in the last couple of days the free-line bite has come on. 

On Murray a good bit recently, tournament angler Stan Gunter of Saluda reports that there have been good but not great (by late winter Murray standards) black bass bags winning tournaments recently. Stan thinks the lake is too clear for conditions to be ideal, but there has been a good deep Alabama rig bite fishing creek and river channel swings. There is also a pretty fair deep bite on jigging spoons, jigs, and shaky heads. While some people are having limited success shallow cranking or fishing Alabama rigs around docks, in the clear conditions this is generally better when there is some wind. 

On a random note, Stan also had a friend who got off to an early start catch 19 pounds in about four casts on a green light early one morning recently!  

The crappie patterns are basically unchanged, and Captain Brad reports that with fish basically in open water the LiveScopers are having a field day fishing depth changes at the mouths of pockets above Black’s Bridge. Fish are related to the channel ledges, and generally they are about 15-18 feet down in 25-30 feet of water. You can also tight-line for them, but casting at fish you can see on forward-facing-sonar is generally more efficient.

However, if the weather predicted comes through tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin reports that he expects most of the fish to head to the bottom and basically stop eating for a few days.

While he hasn’t fished since the cold front last weekend, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) suspects the catfish will be grouped up tighter in the channel when he goes after them this Friday and Saturday. He will be drifting gizzard shad and white perch unless he finds the fish really grouped up (or lethargic) and decides to anchor.

January 7

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.07 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is very high with little inflow. Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 degrees.

There are has been an “astronomical” amount of striped bass schooling activity, and while Captain Brad Taylor with Taylor Outdoors (803-331-1354) reports that you can catch them in other areas the action in the rivers has been pretty unreal. His boat is catching some fish pulling bait, but this is much more difficult than casting double rigs and Alabama rigs at the birds. 

Outside of the rivers creeks are all over the lake are also the right temperatures for fishing this way, and Hollow Creek has been notable. 

 

It’s not easy black bass fishing like some winters on Lake Murray, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that strong bags have been winning tournaments but not the upper 20s that sometimes come this time of year. Overall down the lake doesn’t seem to be fishing as well as the mid-lake and rivers, and there isn’t a single clear pattern. 

If there is wind then probably the most reliable pattern is fishing a crankbait shallow around rock or boat ramps, and there are plenty of fish being caught LiveScoping with a minnow-type swimbait. There are also fish that can be caught on rock piles with a shaky head, and Andy did manage to catch one fish in 40 feet on a jigging spoon that was mixed in with striper. He has also marked a lot of fish in deep brush.

We are getting close to the time when fish will start to show up on docks and they can be caught on Alabama rigs, jigs, and shaky heads. 

It’s a pretty simple pattern for crappie right now, and with most of the fish roaming in open water the name of the game for most people is LiveScoping and casting. For anglers who don’t have forward-facing sonar then concentrating efforts on creek mouths is a good starting spot and tight-lining with minnows and jigs can be effective. But the biggest numbers of crappie are certainly being caught ’Scoping right now.  

With the weather stubbornly warm the catfish still aren’t grouped up tightly, and as a result Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that bigger fish are still at all different depths from the mid-lake around Dreher Island up to Black’s Bridge, with some in the channel, some on channel ledges, and some up on the flats. It just a matter of catching them when they are feeding. 

With fish still scattered William remains inclined to drift instead of anchoring, and it’s a good idea to have several bait choices including both gizzard shad and white perch.