April 11

Lake Wateree has shot up to 97.6% of full pool but at least the lower lake is still pretty clear. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 62 degrees. 

It continues to be an unusual spring for crappie on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the fish are biting. He is still finding the best action out in about 26 feet of water where he is mostly catching post-spawn males, but they are also picking up a few females still with eggs. Generally fish are just swimming around in open water, and he is targeting them by casting jigs. You could also troll, and some are in open water much shallower than 25 feet.   

There are also a few fish around the bank, but with the jump in water levels they are extremely spread out. There are also some post-spawn females out in very deep water recovering.

Finally, a few fish are starting to set up on brush but there aren’t a lot and so maybe one out of ten brush piles will have fish. 

The sudden jump in water levels is another complication for Lake Wateree bass, especially since the water is expected to drop again quickly, and overall tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the fishing has been a little off. The fish that are on beds were a little spooky with the low water levels, and there’s no telling what the several foot rise will now do. Overall the best places to fish have been pockets and docks that have water on them.

The next excitement should be the post-spawn bite when fish generally key on spawning shad, and places where there is water on grass should be good. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits are both effective at this time. With unusual water conditions it’s hard to know where the fish will be, but look in both the creeks and the main lake. 

Again, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) won’t be targeting catfish on Lake Wateree again until water levels normalize. He reminds anglers to exercise caution navigating once the water drops again.   

March 30

Lake Wateree is at 94.9% of full pool and the lake is still very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 62.5.   

It’s been an absolutely crazy spring for crappie on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that at this point nothing will surprise him. There was pollen on the lake at the end of February which has mostly cleared now, and the water levels have been down-and-up-and-down again. 

By now he believes about half of the fish have already laid eggs, and he is catching big females that are completely flat. They probably went last week. Another half of the females he is catching are still full of eggs and presumably getting ready to spawn. 

But even though it should be around the peak of the spawn he’s seeing very few fish in less than 14 feet of water, and he suspects that instead of running to the bank and spawning many of the fish that have already spawned did it in deeper water on the main lake or coves instead of creeks. That’s probably a results of water level fluctuations.

The best concentrations of fish are all over the main lake, and he is catching the most fish in open water 6-16 feet down 25-30 feet.  

The one exception seems to be behind the Beaver Creek bridge, where boats are catching crappie in areas where their props are kicking up dirt!

The water is low again on Lake Wateree, and perhaps because of that tournament bass angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he is also not seeing as many fish back in the creeks at the moment – even though the spawn is near.  While a few fish are on beds most of the fish are pre-spawn, and he is finding them at the mouths of pockets staged on docks and other cover. Spinnerbaits seem to be working well. 

 Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) won’t be targeting catfish on Lake Wateree again until water levels normalize. He reminds anglers to exercise caution navigating. 

March 16

Lake Wateree is down to 93.9% of full pool and the lake has cleared drastically. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 56 degrees.  

There was a little 125-boat bass tournament on Wateree this weekend, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that it was good to see a 6-pounder come out of the lake as the big fish – for the first time in a while. Overall there were two bags over 20 pounds in the CBC and a few more in the high teens. 

Dearal had 14 pounds and was plagued by the same problem they have been having – the inability to catch a big fish on Wateree. They caught their fish on rocks and points in the creeks and main lake, and it seems like the fish are staging and pre-spawn. They were able to catch fish on a jig.

It sounds like the best bags were caught offshore in open water using LiveScope. 

The crappie were going shallow on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the cold front knocked them back to deeper water. Now he is seeing most of the fish in 20-32 feet and the bait is deep.  

There are piles of fish on the bottom, but getting them to bite is difficult. The most active fish are suspended about 12-16 feet down, and they feed better later in the day. Will has learned to get on the water around Noon.

For now Will is mainly targeting the creeks to avoid the wind, and the mouths of the creeks have been the best areas. There are also fish out in the open water following bait in the middle of the creeks. 

Once temperatures warm up again it won’t be long until fish move shallower again. 

It’s still a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree, and as on Lake Wylie Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best place to look is shallow on sun-drenched creek banks that have warmed up in the afternoon. Particularly look for the presence of gulls and cormorants. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice. 

Only Clearwater Cove and Molly Creek are accessible with the low water levels, and Rodger reminds anglers to use caution navigating.   

March 9

Lake Wateree is down to 94.7% of full pool and the lake has cleared substantially. Morning surface water temperatures are about 59 degrees.   

The crappie are pretty much everywhere on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that you can catch them shallow, deep, on the bank and out in the big water. Everywhere they seem to be aggressive, and so it’s a good time to fish. 

The dropping water levels may have temporarily pulled the male fish that were on the banks out a bit, but there are still fish in creeks and coves. It will be interesting to see what they do as water levels continue to drop and then stabilize. There are now a lot of fish suspended in 12-13 feet of water, but Will has also seen them as deep as 22-24 feet in 30 plus. Before this cool front came they were suspended higher in the water column, but the front seems to have pushed them down a bit.

You can catch fish casting towards shallow cover, long-line trolling, tight-lining or casting at them on LiveScope. The fish are just as open-minded about baits, and they are eating both jigs and minnows very well. 

Dropping water levels have really affected the bass fishing, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that there were some fish on beds just getting ready to spawn but when the water dropped they pulled out. Dearal doesn’t think many of those fish completed the spawn where the females had actually dropped eggs yet.  Even though it’s early unseasonably warm weather pushed fish along, and now Dearal thinks the majority of fish are pre-spawn and close to spawning. 

Getting bites doesn’t seem to be too difficult, and Dearal says the issue most people are having is getting a big bite. There has been the occasional five pounder but they are rare.  It may not have helped that a cold front has come through about every Saturday.  

For now the better action has been in the creeks, but that could change with dropping water levels.

Overall they have had the best success on shakey heads and spinnerbaits, while the jig bite has not really come on yet.  Even when water temperatures were in the mid-60s they have not yet seen topwater activity. 

It’s still a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree, and as on Lake Wylie Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best place to look is shallow on sun-drenched creek banks that have warmed up. Particularly look for the presence of gulls and cormorants. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice. 

February 23

Lake Wateree is at 98.4% of full pool and the lake is still muddy from one end to the other. Morning surface water temperatures are up to about 54 degrees.   

Things are changing fast on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports the crappie are pretty much all over the place right now. While there may be some further back he has found them in the backs of coves and in the front part of creeks, and he isn’t able to rule out that some fish could even be in the backs of the creeks. But there are also fish still closer to the main channel.  

Whether the shallower fish in 6-15 feet of water, or the deeper fish out in 25-31 feet, they are all suspended. Most are suspended 4-15 feet down, and it is only the rare fish that he has seen as deep as 22 feet. Almost none are on the bottom as the surface warms. 

Because of the water color the best action has been coming on darker jigs, like the Fish Stalker black and silver minnow, brown with flakes, and other colors that give a good profile. While Will is casting with LiveScope, long-line trolling is also effective. 

While last weekend a cold front slowed the bass a little, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that it was already clear that a lot of males had moved up. But this weekend temperatures won’t drop as much after a much hotter week, and there should be a massive wave moving up. 

While last weekend they mainly found fish on the main lake, and the furthest back they could find bass was about half-way back, by this weekend that could change. The very backs that did not have fish earlier in the week could be holding some. 

In the dirty conditions Dearal caught all of his fish on a spinnerbait, but there were also some catches on crankbaits. 

It’s still a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree, and as on Lake Wylie Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best place to look is shallow on sun-drenched creek banks that have warmed up. Particularly look for the presence of gulls and cormorants. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice. 

Water levels will be dropping again starting around February 27 and so exercise caution navigating, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points. 

February 15

Lake Wateree is very temporarily up to 98.7% of full pool and the lake is still muddy from one end to the other and full of trash. Water temperatures are around 51 degrees. 

The water is almost over the dam on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that it really hasn’t changed the patterns for crappie very much. However, due to warming temperatures they have started to move back into the coves a little more and so fish can now be found on the main lake, in the front of coves and in deep pockets. They have not moved far into the creeks, and with up-and-down temperatures it’s hard to say how long that progression will take as temperatures is driving movement right now.  

Fish are mostly suspended 12-15 feet down in water as deep as 25-30 plus feet, but on warmer days the crappie and bait will come up as close as within 6 or less feet of the surface. On cooler days they can sink as low as 24 or so feet. 

While Will is casting jigs at fish he is seeing with forward-facing sonar, you can also tight-line with minnows out of the front of the boat. 

Warm weather clearly has the bass fishing improving, and with more than 21 pounds caught in last weekend’s Wateree Open tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden is optimistic about weights in the first CATT this Saturday. While the sharply rising water levels could put other cover in play he is still focusing on rock and other hard bottoms, and crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and jigs are all working. It doesn’t seem that water temperatures have warmed enough for fish to come far off the main lake yet.  

It’s a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree, and as on Lake Wylie Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best place to look is shallow on sun-drenched creek banks that have warmed up. Particularly look for the presence of gulls and cormorants. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice. 

Water levels will be dropping again starting around February 27 and so exercise caution navigating, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points. 

February 2

Lake Wateree is back down to 93.4% of full pool and the lake is still muddy from one end to the other. Water temperatures are around 51 degrees. 

It’s still a really tough crappie bite on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that he is catching some good fish but it is taking all day to get 20. They are not very active, and while sometimes fish will take a bait immediately more often they will just follow or ignore it. 

With temperatures still very cold fish are still in pure winter mode, and with water conditions they are scattered all over the lake. Will is still concentrating on the lower end where it’s a been cleaner. A few smaller male fish have moved shallower into coves in 22 or so feet of water, but most of the better fish are still coming in 25-30 plus feet of water. They are following the bait, and usually they are 18-20 feet down but when the sun is out everything will come within 6-8 feet of the surface. With the main lake muddy the trick is to get just off the main lake into some clearer water but stay deep. Big lower end coves are fishing as well as anything. 

Either casting at fish on LiveScope or tight-lining is the best technique, with minnows still out-fishing jigs. 

While no one seems to be targeting them, Will has seen some good action with striped bass schooling on shad. The fish are in big schools of 100s and he is seeing them on the lower end. 

There’s not much change in the bass fishing patterns right now, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he is still targeting shallow but steep, main lake rock with deep water nearby. There are also some fish hanging around docks that have water, and the brush in front of docks is also holding bass. 

Shallow-running crankbaits, jigs and shakey heads are all decent options but nothing is hot right now. 

It’s a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree when the water is rising, while Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) points out that fish don’t seem to be bite as well when the water is receding. This is especially true for shallow patterns, and they are still finding the best action in the backs of creeks and shallow flats which have been warmed by the sun. Anchoring baits in 6-15 feet is the best pattern, and gizzard shad is hard to beat. Gizzards are more difficult to catch in winter but they can be found near the state park deep in 23-26 feet of water.

The best place to drift for catfish on the main lake right now is on the 20-foot flats at the mouth of June Creek.

With low water levels exercise caution on Wateree, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points. 

January 26

Lake Wateree is at 94.7% of full pool and the entire lake is still muddy. Water temperatures are around 50 degrees. 

The crappie on Lake Wateree are still out in open water not really related to anything, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that he is still fishing the lower end mostly. The biggest change is that fish are starting to get into deeper creeks and stage in the very fronts of them. Whether on the main lake or in creek he is finding fish in 18-30 feet of water, from 10-19 feet down. On sunny days they are more likely to be higher in the water column. 

If you are fishing the upper end there are still crappie up there, but they are still tucking out of the worst current in areas like the mouth of Taylors Creek where the river channel swings in but they can also escape the worst current. 

The fish are not active right now, and while they will occasionally take a jig dangled in front of them the best way to catch them has been with an extremely slow-moving minnow. Tight-lining or casting with LiveScope are the preferred methods. 

Will has heard that around February 6 they are going to bring the lake up for a couple of weeks then bring it back down again, which could have interesting effects on the fish. 

There’s not much change in the bass fishing patterns right now, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he is still targeting shallow but steep, main lake rock with deep water nearby. There are also some fish hanging around docks that have water, and the brush in front of docks is also holding bass. 

Shallow-running crankbaits, jigs and shakey heads are all decent options but nothing is hot right now. 

It’s a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree when the water is rising, while Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) points out that fish don’t seem to be bite as well when the water is receding. This is especially true for shallow patterns, and they are still finding the best action in the backs of creeks and shallow flats which have been warmed by the sun. The occasional striped bass is also showing up. Anchoring baits in 6-15 feet is the best pattern, and gizzard shad is hard to beat. Gizzards are more difficult to catch in winter but they can be found near the state park deep in 23-26 feet of water.

The best place to drift for catfish on the main lake right now is on the 20-foot flats at the mouth of June Creek

With low water levels exercise caution on Wateree, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points. 

January 19

Lake Wateree is at 93.5% of full pool and most of the lake is still muddy, nasty and trashy. Water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

The crappie have not moved this week on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that water conditions still have fish very scattered. 

Will is still spending the most time fishing on the lower end of the of the lake in the mouths of coves from 18 feet to the bottom in 30-35 feet of water. There are still fish on the upper end, but they are trying to find ways to tuck in out of the current such as going into the mouth of Taylors Creek, where the river channel swings in but they can also escape the worst current. Again they will be suspended from about 18 feet to the bottom in 27-28 feet of water. 

The fish are not active right now, and while they will occasionally take a jig dangled in front of them the best way to catch them has been with an extremely slow-moving minnow. 

It’s a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree right now, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are still catching 6-24 pound fish in the backs of creeks and shallow flats which have been warmed by the sun. The occasional striped bass is also showing up. Anchoring baits in 6-15 feet is the best pattern, and gizzard shad is hard to beat. They are more difficult to catch in winter but can be found near the state park deep in 23-26 feet of water.

The best place to drift for catfish on the main lake right now is on the 20-foot flats at the mouth of June Creek

With low water levels exercise caution on Wateree, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points.

Bass report to follow.  

January 13

Lake Wateree is up to 93.8% of full pool and the whole lake is muddy from end to end, although some of the creeks are a bit clearer. Water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

It’s a pretty good catfish bite on Lake Wateree right now, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching 6-24 pound fish in the backs of creeks and shallow flats which have been warmed by the sun. The occasional striped bass is also showing up. Anchoring baits in 6-15 feet is the best pattern, and gizzard shad is hard to beat. They are more difficult to catch in winter but can be found near the state park deep in 23-26 feet of water.

The best place to drift for catfish on the main lake right now is on the 20-foot flats at the mouth of June Creek

With low water levels exercise caution on Wateree, especially in the creeks, and be alert for stumps and long shallow points. 

January 12

Lake Wateree is down to 93.3% of full pool and the whole lake is muddy from end to end, although some of the creeks are a bit clearer. Water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

The main lake is so muddy that it looks like you could walk on it, and so it’s unsurprising that the best bass fishing is coming shallow right now – where Wateree fish often feed the best in the winter regardless of water conditions. Tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the best action is on the main lake around rock, and with low water levels there’s little to no grass in the water right now. There are also some fish hanging around docks that have water, and the brush in front of docks is also holding bass. The best areas continue to have deep water nearby, and steep rocky points or humps are particularly good.  

In calmer conditions Dearal’s go-to bait right now is a Buckeye Lures Ballin’ Out Jig, either in black and blue or PB&J colors. He pairs it with a green pumpkin Speed Craw. In windier conditions Dearal is throwing a Buckeye spinnerbait with double willow blades in chartreuse and white or plain white. In addition to offering flash the willow blades keep the bait down where the fish are feeding. 

Finally, a #5, #7, or #8 Shad Rap in crawdad or shad colors is another good option. 

It’s continues to be tough conditions for crappie fishing on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that water conditions and weather have fish very scattered. The lake is as muddy as he’s ever seen it, and even though the backs of some creeks are clearer that’s not where the fish are right now. 

Will is still spending the most time fishing on the lower end of the of the lake in the mouths of coves from 18 feet to the bottom in 30-35 feet of water. Even while winter usually groups the fish up the lake he hasn’t been up there much with all the current, but there are still fish on the upper end. They are trying to find ways to tuck in out of the current such as going into the mouth of Taylors Creek, where the river channel swings in but they can also escape the worst current. Again they will be suspended from about 18 feet to the bottom in 27-28 feet of water. 

The fish are not active right now, and while they will occasionally take a jig dangled in front of them the best way to catch them has been with an extremely slow-moving minnow. 

January 5

Lake Wateree is at 94.8% of full pool and the whole lake is muddy from end to end. Water temperatures were in the 40s but are now back up to about 54 degrees. 

It’s honestly been some tough conditions for crappie fishing on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that water conditions and weather have fish very scattered. 

Will has been spending the most time fishing on the lower end of the of the lake in the mouths of coves from 18 feet to the bottom in 30-35 feet of water. Even while winter usually groups the fish up the lake he hasn’t been up there much with all the current, but there are still fish on the upper end. They are trying to find ways to tuck in out of the current such as going into the mouth of Taylors Creek, where the river channel swings in but they can also escape the worst current. Again they will be suspended from about 18 feet to the bottom in 27-28 feet of water. 

The fish are not active right now, and while they will occasionally take a jig dangled in front of them the best way to catch them has been with an extremely slow-moving minnow. 

From what tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden has seen there has been very little bass fishing activity on Lake Wateree, but unlike on some area lakes a warming trend on Wateree in January is almost always a good thing. It will usually activate the fish to bite better, and more will be found shallow. 

The most catchable fish are still in 10 feet of water or less, and they will still have deeper water nearby. Look for fish on main lake rock near steep drop offs – 45 degree banks are ideal. They could also be around brush, but not many docks have much water. Shakey head worms, jigs and even jerkbaits could work if the water is clear enough. 

Striped bass and catfish report to follow.