February 25

Lake Wateree is at 97.5% of full pool and up the river is muddy while the mid-lake down is fairly clear.  Morning surface water temperatures are about 50-51 degrees. 

Despite still-cool temperatures black bass fishing is picking up as spring approaches, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that there were four 19 pound bags in Saturday’s Wateree Open tournament and they had 16 pounds which was only good enough for 10^th place. There are lots of shad on the main lake that have gulls and white pelicans feeding on them and bass underneath, but they only caught one of these fish on a spinnerbait and never really figured out how to target them. All of their weight came on a jig fished around rock at a range of depths, from just a few feet of water out to 18 feet. Still, despite some fish very shallow everything came on the main lake. 

But it remains a very tough crappiebite on Lake Wateree according to tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt, and Will believes it will take some improvement in the weather before the fish commit to moving shallower. From about Wateree Creek down to Dutchman Creek you can mark a few fish in the channel with most suspended 18-20 feet down and some a bit shallower, and these crappie will sometimes take jigs thrown to them or you can troll. However, in the lower lake it’s almost impossible to locate fish and they all seem to be flat on the bottom. About the only way to approach them would be spider-rigging right on the bottom and hoping to get on the fish. 

February 18

Lake Wateree is at 97.5% of full pool and up the river is muddy while the mid-lake down is clear.  There is some debris floating in the lake.  Morning surface water temperatures are up to 53 degrees. 

It’s a very tough crappiebite on Lake Wateree according to tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt, who jokes that you need “dynamite” to catch them. They did scratch out a decent number of quality crappie fishing yesterday, but had to work extremely hard to get there. Right now it’s very hard to mark fish on electronics which causes Will to speculate that most of them are lying flat on the bottom.  They did see more singles and pairs higher in the water column above Wateree Creek in the dirtier water, and there were a very few fish 6-7 feet down in shallower water 10 or so feet deep.  They also found some fish in front of Taylor Creek and some in front of Singleton Creek, with everything on the main lake.

Overall Will believes that fish are lying on the bottom but coming up at different times to look for food, and that’s when you have to pick them off when you can spot them.   

Everything they caught was on chartreuse jigs and without sophisticated electronics it would not be an easy time to catch fish. 

Luckily the black bass are a little further along than the crappie, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that this warm spell will only accelerate the number of fish moving up into 5 feet of water or less. There are still plenty of fish on rock in 10-15 feet of water, and the offshore LiveScopers are certainly catching fish, but more bass each day are getting around shallower rock and into staging areas preparing for a hard pre-spawn feed. For now Dearal advises sticking to the main lake, but that will change before too long. His preferred baits for targeting fish moving shallower are crankbaits, jigs, shaky heads, and Carolina rigs. 

February 11

Lake Wateree is at 96.5% of full pool.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 40s. 

Unsurprisingly considering water temperatures got into the upper 30s during the last cold snap and have only slightly rebounded, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he is finding the best action on deeper, main lake rock. Fish will move onto shallower rock as temperatures climb, but for now he has been finding the best action on rock in 10-15 feet of water. Other baits will work but a shaky head has been hard to beat. 

The other major way that anglers are catching fish is with forward-facing sonar, generally fishing jighead minnows for bass that are related to bait. 

Unusually for him tournament crappieangler Will Hinson of Cassatt still hasn’t been back on the water since the snow, but reliable sources tell him that a few fish are starting to move into the mouths of creeks. Additionally, they are not as stuck to the bottom as they previously were and fish are starting to “float” more again. Still, the best place to look for fish is on the main lake, and tight-lining up the rivers with minnows is working well. Of course plenty of anglers are also casting at fish they see on forward-facing-sonar. 

February 4

Lake Wateree is at 95.4% of full pool and the river run has some color to it.  Morning surface water temperatures should be in the low 40s.

Since returning from the St. John’s River in Florida (where he finished in sixth place in a major event with his tournament partner Tommy Slice of Chapin), tournament crappieangler Will Hinson of Cassatt hasn’t been back on Wateree but he still believes virtually all the fish will be on the bottom. The lower lake fish were already in big schools very close to the lake floor before the first storm, and now the fish that were suspended up the lake are probably also there. Tight-lining the main channel near the bottom is the best way to catch these fish.

Expect fish to stay on the bottom and be lethargic until we have some warming. 

On the black bass front, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden also hasn’t fished since the snow, but he expects winter patterns have only hardened. The best conventional pattern should remain fishing a jig or crankbait slowly around rock, while other anglers are fishing with LiveScope and throwing a minnow-type swimbait on a jighead at fish following bait in open water. 

January 29

Lake Wateree is at 94.9% of full pool and the river run has some color to it.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 40s before this weekend’s predicted snow. 

While tournament crappieangler Will Hinson of Cassatt hasn’t been on Wateree this week, and is in fact fishing the St. John’s River in Florida in much more pleasant conditions, by now he is almost certain virtually all the fish have headed to the bottom. The lower lake fish were already in big schools very close to the lake floor before the ice storm, but now the fish that were suspended up the lake are probably also there. Tight-lining in the river channel near the bottom is the best way to catch these fish.

Expect fish to stay on the bottom and get more lethargic as temperatures drop further.  

On the black bass front, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden hasn’t fished since the ice, and probably won’t get a chance to fish before the snow, but he expects winter patterns have only hardened. Additionally, there may be some good fishing as the snow arrives but the bite will probably get tougher in the days following. 

The best conventional patterns remain fishing a jig or crankbait slowly around rock, while other anglers are fishing with LiveScope and throwing a minnow-type swimbait on a jighead at fish following bait in open water. 

January 21

Lake Wateree is at 94.8% of full pool and the river run now has some color to it.  Morning surface water temperatures are 48-50 degrees down the lake but cooler on the upper end. 

For now the crappie bite remains strong on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that from the mid-lake down to the lower end many fish are still in giant schools sitting flat on the bottom often near structure but not on it. Some are still as shallow as about 12 feet on humps with others out to the 20s. Lower numbers of fish are suspended.

At the same time up the lake fish are generally just “floating”, with most suspended about 8-12 feet down in 25 feet of water in the river run. In both areas you can either cast using LiveScope or tight-line for the fish. 

But Will suspects things are about to change, and if temperatures drop as much as some predictions indicate he expects it to drive almost all the fish to bottom and for them to essentially stop feeding for several days. If there is a lot of cold, muddy inflow that will be another, likely unfavorable, factor. 

On the black bass front, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden has temporarily escaped to a warmer climate but reports that just before he left he did manage to catch a couple of big ones fishing the way he likes to fish with a jig and crankbait around shallow main lake rock that had warmed up in the sun. However, the predominant tournament pattern right now seems to be fishing with LiveScope and throwing a minnow-type swimbait at fish in open water. 

January 8

Lake Wateree is at 94.8% of full pool and the whole lake is very clear for Wateree.  Morning surface water temperatures are 48-50 degrees down the lake but cooler on the upper end. 

The crappie bite is pretty phenomenal right now on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that it’s a tale of two lakes. From the mid-lake down to the lower end fish are in giant schools of up to 800-900 fish just sitting flat on the bottom. They are often near structure but not on it, with some schools to be found in the mouths of all the zone’s creeks and others near the river channel. Will has seen fish on the bottom as shallow as about 12 feet deep (on a hump) down to about 22 feet.

When you locate these schools of fish you can cast jigs to them and limit out pretty quickly as they are feeding well. 

The second pattern is for fish that are just “floating”, mostly 8-12 feet down in 25 feet of water. While Will has seen a few fish on the lower end swimming around and following this pattern, almost all of the fish he has seen doing this are up the river. Depending on whether anglers have forward-facing sonar they are either tight-lining minnows or using LiveScope to cast jigs (or minnows) for them. 

On the black bass front, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that this warm weather could be a boon for this weekend, as it should really get the fish relating to shallow rocks that heat up quickly. His go-to bait will be a crankbait. There should be some grass in the water and he will also be targeting that on the warming trend. He plans to stick to the main lake.

Overall, however, the fishing has been a little slow recently. The few big bags seem to have come fishing a minnow-type swimbait and looking at fish on LiveScope. 

December 23

Lake Wateree is at 95.1% of full pool and water clarity is slightly stained up the river from the last rain.  Morning surface water temperatures are 48-49 degrees down the lake but about 5 degrees colder on the upper end.     

The crappie are doing some different things this week on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the most fishing activity is taking place up the river where there are large numbers of fish but they are highly suspended in open water.  Many of these boats are using traditional tight-lining techniques but there are also people using LiveScope and casting jigs to the fish.  Fish are at a variety of different depths, usually well off the bottom, and so you just have to keep looking until you locate them. 

But there are also good fish to be caught down the lake, and some of these fish are actually surprisingly shallow.  One hump in Colonel Creek is only 12-15 feet deep but loaded with fish, and Will has also found shallow humps on the main lake with fish. There is not bait sitting on these humps, but perhaps at times bait is swimming by. Other fish are still roaming in deep water, but unlike up the lake down-lake fish are all generally close to the bottom. 

On the black bass front, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish are concentrated on shad right now. With low water levels they are mostly on the main lake, and the best place to look for bait and fish is around rock. Steep banks with rock are ideal. Of course, there are also always some fish on docks. Shad Raps and jigs are probably the best two baits right now. 

December 17

Lake Wateree is down to 95.0% of full pool and water clarity is above average.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 40s. 

The crappie are starting to get in a single pattern on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that all over the lake they have mostly moved off of brush and suspended. Depths are very unpredictable, though, but most of the fish are 8-18 feet down, often over deeper water. Up the lake they are mostly related to the channel edges, while down the lake they can be channel-related or hanging in some of the deeper coves with 30 or more feet of water. 

The bite from about Dutchman’s Creek to Cedar Creek is very good, and both tight-lining with minnows and casting jigs using LiveScope are working very well. Overall Will reminds anglers that they need to fish “low and slow” this time of year as fish are in relatively deep water and somewhat lethargic. 

Black bass report to follow. 

December 3

Lake Wateree is at 95.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures have dropped to 52-53 degrees.  Without significant rainfall the lake is very clear for Wateree. 

With the water fairly low – and cold – on Lake Wateree tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the best action for black bass is on the main lake. Fish are heavily point-related right now, and baits like jigs and shaky head worms that can be worked slowly are catching fish. There is also a decent bite with a crankbait like a Shad Rap. Main lake docks are also fishing pretty well, especially those close to points. A jig is the best way to target them. 

The crappie are doing different things on different parts of Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that up the lake in the river fish are suspended pretty high in the water column at all different depths. They are scattered from about 12-30 feet deep, but they are no deeper than about 15-16 feet. You can either cast for them or tight-line with minnows well off the bottom.

Down the lake the patterns have not changed at all, and for now fish continue to relate to brush in 13-26 feet of water on the main lake. They are closer to the bottom and Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color have been working the best. 

November 19

Lake Wateree is down to 95.3% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures have dropped to 55-56 degrees.  At least up to mid-lake is clear.

While they are catching plenty of black bass on Lake Wateree, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that right now they are having trouble finding big fish. Before the weekend better fish were in front of grass-lines taking lipless crankbaits, and they managed a 4-pounder there in the tournament Saturday, but with dropping water levels most of those fish seem to be pulling out. 

Overall it seems as if fish are moving into their winter patterns, heading back to the main lake.  They will be around rock, docks, and steep banks, and Dearal is not seeing fish breaking the surface any longer. Jigs and crankbaits should be hard to beat going forward. 

The crappie patterns have changed less than the bass ones, although veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that there are now more and more “floaters” just swimming slowly around in open water. Still the most stable, catchable fish are often on brush, and he is finding them on the main lake from about 13-26 feet of water. Most of them are near the bottom and they are finding good numbers and some big fish in this zone. Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew color have been working the best. 

There is also some good action tight-lining with minnows up the river. 

November 5

Lake Wateree is at 96.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are down to about 60-61 degrees.  The water is very clear for Wateree.

All the rain last week essentially did nothing to give Lake Wateree a healthy stain, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that may be part of the problem with the black bass. They did have big fish in Saturday’s tournament, but overall the fish were finicky. They won’t take a spinnerbait anymore, and they weren’t on rock near docks. The only way they could catch fish was with a jig fished early around docks with brush, and then that bite totally died. They also still can’t catch fish off points, although they note that bass do seem to be mostly related to the bottom. 

The crappie patterns on Lake Wateree are starting to change, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that more and more fish are starting to just “float” in open water instead of relating to brush. They are still on the main lake at all different depths, and now schools are mixed between holding on brush in 10-30 feet and just swimming around. It doesn’t seem likely that fish will go into the creeks until after the new year. 

Fish Stalker jigs in chartreuse colors are still working well. 

October 29

Lake Wateree is at 97.2% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are estimated to be in the mid-60s.   

Before the rain there was still no change with the crappie patterns on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish continued to spread out more on the main lake. They were catching fish on brush from 10 feet out to 30 feet, and the creeks were still holding mostly smaller fish. The upper lake was out-fishing the lower lake.

Will has not been on the water since the rains started on Sunday, but it could change things. Dirtying up the water could activate the bite, but if there is current the fish will try to avoid it. It’s also possible this could accelerate the later fall move where fish pull off of brush and start to “float” more in open water. Especially if there is current, expect fish to continue to relate to the bottom. 

As of Saturday the black bass fishing was still similar, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he and his daughter Sara caught fish but not the big ones and finished in fifth place in the CATT with 12.68. Fish are still concentrated in areas with shad, and they caught the most fish on shaky heads fished around docks. Dearal does wonder if points might have been the better pattern. 

October 22

Lake Wateree is at 96.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees.  The lake is clear for Wateree. 

There’s no change with the crappie patterns on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that better fish are still on main lake structure from about 12-30 feet. 

But the black bass fishing has gotten a little better, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he and his son Fisher had third place with 15.5 pounds in Saturday CATT. Fish are still concentrated in areas with shad, and it’s basically worth hitting any shoreline structure and even blank banks where fish could be suspended in the coves or creeks. They had their biggest fish on a buzzbait but caught their other fish on spinnerbaits around the banks. 

October 16

Lake Wateree is down to 96.3% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 71 degrees.  The upper end is dingy while the mid-lake down to the dam is clear. 

Coming off a third-place finish with seven fish for an impressive 11.11 pounds in a crappie tournament this weekend on Lake Wateree, veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that fish continue to spread out more on the main lake. They caught fish around cover in 25-30 feet, but their biggest fish came from 15 feet and there are quality fish as shallow as 10 feet or even less. Again, the main lake is where the better fish are and the creeks are mainly filled with smaller fish. Jigs are working better than minnows right now, and the middle lake was the best section. The upper lake seems better than the lower lake. 

Fish Stalker Slab Tail Jigs in chartreuse colors are working very well. 

The black bass fishing continues to be a little tough, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish are still highly related to shad which means they are hard to pinpoint and moving around a lot. It’s not unusual for the fishing to get better once fish are more spot-oriented. Dearal is finding the best action in the first third of creeks but fish are all over the lake. 

They are still not taking topwater baits as well as a week or two ago and he has caught most fish on a shaky head or spinnerbait fished around bait. 

October 8

Lake Wateree is down to 96.5% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 75 degrees.  The upper end is dingy while the mid-lake down to the dam is clear. 

The crappie continue to move on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that this week he caught his biggest fish (1.71 pounds) in just 9 feet of water. The better fish are still on the main lake around structure, and they can be found from 9-10 feet of water out to 30 or more feet. Will has fished from Wateree Creek to the dam this week and found fish everywhere on the main lake. Again, mainly smaller fish have moved into the creeks.

As a general rule on the main lake smaller fish are suspended higher in the water column, while bigger fish are on the bottom below them. Often there is significant separation between the two groups.

Fish Stalker Slab Tail Jigs in chartreuse colors are working very well. 

The black bass fishing has gotten a little tougher, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden actually wonders if a fall turnover is taking place. The fish are still highly related to shad, which means they are hard to pinpoint and moving around a lot. It’s not unusual for the fishing to get better once fish are more spot-oriented. Dearal is finding the best action in the first third of creeks but fish are all over the lake. 

Perhaps because of water conditions, they are not taking topwater baits as well this week and he has caught most fish on a shaky head or spinnerbait. 

October 2

Lake Wateree is down to 96.6% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees. 

With some slightly cooler water the crappie are beginning to make a little move on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournamentangler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that some better fish are starting to move onto main lake structure (brush piles, stumps, downed trees, sunken boats, etc.) in 14-18 feet of water.  They are still related to the bottom, and there are also still good numbers of fish on main lake structure in 16-25 feet.

There are also a decent number of fish moving into the creeks. Some of them are related to bridges, some are on brush, but they are still mostly smaller fish. 

Fish Stalker Jigs in Ugly Green are working as well as anything.  

In black bass news, coming off a third-place finish in Saturday’s CATT tournament, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the fish are definitely following the shad. Dearal fished in the creeks, and there were certainly fish there, but he thinks a substantial percentage of bait and fish are still on the main lake.  Overall fish are pretty spread out right now.

A lot of pine straw on the water made it hard to throw a buzzbait, but they did weigh a couple of fish on the bait. Another one came on a spinnerbait, and then they caught five or six fish (two weighed) on a shaky head fished around docks. All the fish they caught were shallow and the other commonality was that bait pods were usually visible nearby.