February 1
Lake Wateree is down to 94.6% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the mid-40s.
Warm weather predicted for later this week could get the fish moving around a little more, but for now veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that Lake Wateree crappie are almost all still concentrated in the river run from the State Park to Wateree Creek. They are flat on the bottom in 25-28 feet of water out in the river channel, and the best way to target them is tight-lining just off the bottom in 25-30 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows. You can also cast at individual fish if you have LiveScope or otherwise know where to look.
Later this week and by this weekend it is possible that some fish should start to move into the creeks, and Beaver Creek is usually the first creek that crappie head into when there is a warming trend. They can get very shallow behind the bridge looking for warmer water.
It’s still pretty tough bass fishing on Lake Wateree, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that we are in the time of year when because of the calendar and basically regardless of weather fish will be starting to think about moving up. By later this week fish could already be starting to think about moving towards points and other staging areas.
The best places to fish are still steep areas where fish can move up from deep water to easily feed are the best spots. Points, rocks and creek channel swings should all hold some fish. The main lake and front of creeks is the best zone.
Fish should still take a crankbait worked slowly, but a bait like a jig or shakey head that you can work very slowly may be even better.
In catfish news, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that there is still good fishing for blue catfish and channel cats on the drift from the state park to Clearwater Cove. Some large blues are also being taken between the islands just south of Colonel Creek in 25 to 44 feet of water. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice if you can get it.
January 20
Lake Wateree is at 95.7% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the upper 40s. Up the lake has gotten dirty.
Weather has made conditions difficult for getting around Lake Wateree recently, but from everything veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt has seen the Lake Wateree crappie are almost all concentrated in the river run from the State Park to Wateree Creek. They are flat on the bottom in 25-28 feet of water out in the river channel, and the best way to target them is tight-lining just off the bottom in 25-30 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows. You can also cast at individual fish if you have LiveScope or otherwise know where to look.
Even before the cold front the bass fishing was getting tough on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that after the lake got walloped by the latest cold snap it’s only gotten tougher. Cold, muddy water is particularly bad for bass fishing, and so Dearal advises concentrating on the lower end of the lake where the water is cleaner.
As temperatures drop fish have moved almost completely off the flatter stuff, and 45-degree banks where fish can move up from deep water to easily feed are the best spots. Points, rocks and creek channel swings should all hold some fish. The main lake and front of creeks is the best zone.
Fish should still take a crankbait worked slowly, but a bait like a jig or shakey head that you can work very slowly may be even better.
In catfish news, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that there is still good fishing for blue catfish and channel cats on the drift from the state park to Clearwater Cove. Some large blues are also being taken between the islands just south of Colonel Creek in 25 to 44 feet of water. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice if you can get it.
January 6
Lake Wateree is at 95.4% of full pool and from Beaver Creek down the lake is relatively clear while up the lake is getting dirty. Morning surface water temperatures are about 54 degrees.
Even before the cold front it was a little tough to find better bass on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that the last few times he has been out they caught a bunch of small fish and fewer big ones. The cold front may make finding a good bite even tougher. Right now it has been hard to get them to bite on a crankbait, and Dearal has had the best luck with a shakey head around rocks, docks and brush. A jig would probably also have worked.
As temperatures drop he will start to look more for 45-degree banks where fish can move up from deep water to easily feed. Points, rocks and creek channel swings should all hold some fish. With water levels low there is not very much fishable grass right now, but there are plenty of fish relating to the front of docks. If they are in calm areas then the sun will allow the water to warm up and hold fish.
While veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt had been finding a ton of crappie on the lower end, yesterday the wind forced him to stay down that way and in a full day of exploring he saw almost nothing in the creeks or on the main lake. Crappie (and other species) seemed to be all gone from staring at his electronics and fishing.
The vast majority of the crappie are now up the river run from the State Park to Wateree Creek. The best way to target them is tight-lining just off the bottom in 25-30 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows, although you can also cast at individual fish if you have LiveScope or otherwise know where to look.
In catfish news, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that there is still good fishing for blue catfish and channel cats on the drift from the state park to Clearwater Cove. Some large blues are also being taken between the islands just south of Colonel Creek in 25 to 44 feet of water. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice if you can get it.
December 22
Lake Wateree is at 95.5% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear despite recent rains. Up the lake around Wateree Creek does have a lot of color. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
While the best pattern for catching big crappie on Lake Wateree has not changed, veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt did some exploring this week and he confirmed his suspicion that there were still plenty of fish on the lower end. He found a pile of fish in 13-17 feet schooled up on the bottom, and they weren’t related to anything at all. The bait was deeper and so maybe they were there because of warmer water. While there weren’t any giants, the fish did reach about 1 pound 2 ounces.
Still, the dominant pattern remains looking for fish that are following bait from the State Park up to Wateree Creek where they are holding on the river channel. The best way to target them is tight-lining in 18-25 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows about 15-20 feet down.
None of this is to say that some brush piles won’t hold crappie, but it’s a lot less than a few months ago.
There’s not much change in the bass patterns this week, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that when he is out there fishing right now he is looking for 45-degree banks where fish can move up from deep water to easily feed. Points, rocks and creek channel swings should all hold some fish. With water levels low there is not very much fishable grass right now, but there are plenty of fish relating to the front of docks. If they are in calm areas then the sun will allow the water to warm up and hold fish.
Jigs are a good bet right now as are shakey heads, but crankbaits such as Shad Raps in shad or crawdad colors will also work.
In catfish news, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that there is still good fishing for blue catfish and channel cats on the drift from the state park to Clearwater Cove. Some large blues are also being taken between the islands just south of Colonel Creek in 25 to 44 feet of water. Gizzard shad is the bait of choice if you can get it.
Also, look for striped bass action in the same areas as the blue cats. Down-lining live shad or bass minnows 15 to 18 feet down should bring them to the boat. When there is surface activity then you can cast bucktails at the fish.
December 16
Lake Wateree is at 95.5% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear despite recent rains. Up the lake around Wateree Creek does have a lot of color. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
There has not been a ton of bass fishing activity on Lake Wateree recently, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that when he is out there fishing right now he is looking for 45-degree banks where fish can move up from deep water to easily feed. Points, rocks and creek channel swings should all hold some fish. With water levels low there is not very much fishable grass right now, but there are plenty of fish relating to the front of docks. If they are in calm areas then the sun will allow the water to warm up and hold fish.
Jigs are a good bet right now as are shakey heads, but crankbaits such as Shad Raps in shad or crawdad colors will also work.
There are still minimal numbers of crappie related to brush piles on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the vast majority of the fish are still “floating around” following bait. Most of them have have moved from the State Park up to Wateree Creek where they are holding on the river channel, although there are some fish scattered on the lower end. The best way to target them is tight-lining in 18-25 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows about 15-20 feet down.
The fishing for catfish is getting into cold-weather patterns on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that with less rain than last year it has kept fish deep. Drifting is the best way to target them right now. Watch for birds like gulls and cormorants to locate an active bite.
December 2
Lake Wateree is at 95.9% of full pool and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid to upper 50s.
There are still a few crappie on brush piles on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the vast majority of the fish are now “floating around” following bait. Most of them have have moved from the State Park up to Wateree Creek where they are holding on the river channel, although there are some fish scattered on the lower end. The best way to target them is tight-lining in 18-25 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows about 15-20 feet down.
The fishing for catfish is very close to moving into the cold-weather period on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that with less rain than last year it has kept fish deep. Drifting is the best way to target them right now. Watch for birds like gulls and cormorants to locate an active bite.
More information to follow.
November 19
Lake Wateree is at 95.7% of full pool and the lake is pretty clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 50s.
This week it’s even more clear to veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt that the crappie on Lake Wateree are moving off of brush piles to roam, and they are starting to suspend 8-22 feet down over deeper water on the main lake or in the mouths of creeks. You can long-line or tight-line troll for them.
However, there are still plenty of catchable fish on brush from about 14 to 26 feet. Will is still catching fish on brush from Clearwater Cove to Wateree Creek on both sides of the main lake, in the river channel and at the mouth of creeks. There aren’t very many good fish on brush in the creeks, with one exception being just behind the bridge in Dutchman’s.
While minnows will still work, Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color remain hard to beat.
The bass fishing has picked up this week on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that docks and grass continue to be the best patterns. Fish are in both the main lake and the creeks. Swim jigs are working around the grass, and anglers are flipping jigs at docks. However, with the cold front Dearal expects fish to want a bit more finesse-oriented presentation and that you may need to, for example, throw a shakey head instead of a jig. However, they should continue to feed with winter on the horizon as they need to eat before it gets very cold.
Pretty soon there should be more fish that start relating to rock as they look for heat or try to find late season crayfish.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best fishing is still coming drifting open areas in the mid to lower third of the lake, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel can be productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
November 11
Lake Wateree is at 95.9% of full pool and the lake is pretty clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 63-66 degrees.
It’s apparent to veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt that the crappie on Lake Wateree are just starting to move off of brush piles and roam, and he can already tell that the concentrations of fish are getting lighter in some of the places he is fishing. When water temperatures drop just a few more degrees he expects there to be some significant change in the patterns as they start to migrate.
At the same time, for now the most catchable fish are still on brush from about 14 to 26 feet. He is still catching fish from Clearwater Cove to Wateree Creek on both sides of the main lake, in the river channel and at the mouth of creeks. There aren’t very many good fish in the creeks, with one exception being just behind the bridge in Dutchman’s.
While minnows will still work, Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color remain hard to beat.
The bass remain in a similar pattern on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish are chasing bait in both the main lake and the creeks. There has been some pretty good shallow fishing in the grass, and on sunnier days docks are also producing. Pretty much everybody is throwing a swim jig in the grass right now, but spinnerbaits and swimbaits will also work. Jigs and shakey heads will work around docks.
Pretty soon there should be more fish that start relating to rock as they look for heat or try to find late season crayfish.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best fishing is still coming drifting open areas in the mid to lower third of the lake, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel can be productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
November 4
Lake Wateree is at 97.2% of full pool and dirtier water is making its way down the lake. Morning surface water temperatures are around 65 degrees.
The bass fishing has picked up on Lake Wateree, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that fish are chasing bait in both the main lake and the creeks. There has been some pretty good shallow fishing in the grass, and on sunnier days docks are also producing. Pretty much everybody is throwing a swim jig in the grass right now, but spinnerbaits and swimbaits will also work. For now a buzzbait is also producing but at least for a few days the cold front should kill that bite. When water temperatures are below about 63 degrees Dearal doesn’t throw much topwater. Jigs and shakey heads will work around docks.
Pretty soon there should be more fish that start relating to rock as they look for heat or try to find late season crayfish.
Water temperatures haven’t dropped quite enough to really move the crappie on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that the fish are still on brush from about 14 to 26 feet. In the last two weeks he has caught fish from Clearwater Cove to Wateree Creek on both sides of the main lake, in the river channel and at the mouth of creeks. The better fish have still not gone very far into the creeks.
While minnows will still work, Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color remain hard to beat.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best fishing is still coming drifting open areas in the mid to lower third of the lake, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel can be productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
October 20
Lake Wateree is at 96.4% of full pool and the lake has some color to it and can best be described as dingy but not muddy. Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees.
The crappie are starting to spread out for the fall on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that he has caught fish from Clearwater Cove to Wateree Creek on both sides of the main lake, in the river channel and up the creeks. The fish are still on brush, but they are on more different depths of brush as some stay deep and others move shallower and into the creeks. He is finding them from about 14 to 26 feet. While minnows will still work, Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color remain hard to beat.
Based on tournament results it appears that Lake Wateree is still fishing tough for bass, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that it has only taken about 10 pounds to win recent tournaments. However, the dock bite has been picking up and Dearal has found that docks leading back into coves are holding some fish. Jigs, shakey heads and crankbaits will all work around docks.
Besides a dock pattern, the other best way to catch fish is around points with a crankbait, Carolina rig or shakey head.
As water temperatures drop there is also getting to be a better topwater bite in the morning. Look for the bait because fish will be in areas where there are shad.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best fishing is still coming drifting open areas in the mid to lower third of the lake, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present and frequently where striped bass are feeding on top. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel are often productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
October 7
Lake Wateree is at 96.6% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are still in the upper 70s. Even before the rains the water above the state park had some color, and now it is filtering down the lake.
We are getting close but there’s still not much change in the crappie pattern on Lake Wateree, and veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that even though some of the brush piles are starting to holding less fish than a few weeks ago the better ones are still on deep brush along the main river channel. 15-22 feet of water is still the target depth range. They are holding tight to brush and they will eat minnows as well as Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color.
Some of the smaller fish are already moving into creeks, and when water temperatures actually fall that move will speed up.
Even though he is on Murray more for the next couple of weeks, tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that from what he has heard the bass fishing on Lake Wateree is still very tough.
Right now and in the fall generally the key to finding bass on Wateree is locating the bait, and shad should be getting very close to moving back into the creeks. Often the best fishing is in the creeks wind is blowing into.
If you can’t get bites with a crankbaits or buzzbait in the creeks for now the best option may be targeting docks with a jig or shakey head, as these almost always hold some fish.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the best fishing is still coming drifting open areas in the mid to lower lake areas, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present and frequently where striped bass are feeding on top. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel are often productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
September 30
Lake Wateree is at 96.4% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 78 degrees. Clarity is above normal.
It’s unclear why, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that right now the bass fishing on Lake Wateree is brutally tough. A recent high school tournament was won with just 4 pounds, and it also only took single digits to win the last CATT! It’s not unusual to see 12- and 13-pound bags winning close to the fall turnover, but these weights are extremely low. Still it appears to be related to temporary issues and not the health of the fishery.
Right now and in the fall generally the key to finding bass on Wateree is locating the bait, and shad should be getting very close to moving back into the creeks. Often the best fishing is in the creeks wind is blowing into.
If you can’t get bites with a crankbaits or buzzbait in the creeks for now the best option may be targeting docks with a jig or shakey head, as these almost always hold some fish.
There’s not much change in the crappie pattern on Lake Wateree, but veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that some of the brush piles are starting to holding less fish than a few weeks ago. Some of the smaller fish are also starting to move into the creeks.
Still, the best fish are still on deep brush along the main river channel with 15-22 feet of water the target depth range. They are holding tight to brush and they will eat minnows as well as Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, but Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the pattern is starting to change. The best fishing is starting to come drifting open areas in the mid to lower lake areas, particularly from June Creek to around Clearwater Cove. Drifting in 15-25 feet of water is the most productive pattern, and the best areas to look are areas with a lot of bait present and frequently where striped bass are feeding on top. The main channel, the mouths of creeks, and the open creek channel are often productive.
Cut shad is probably the best bait followed by white perch, and there are lots of juvenile blue cats from 3-6 pounds being caught as well some fish in the mid-teens to 20 plus.
September 16
Lake Wateree is at 96.3% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees. Clarity is above normal.
The shad should be on the verge of moving back into the creeks on Lake Wateree, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that he isn’t seeing any signs of it yet. For now the better bass fishing is still out on the main lake, where even though there are still deep fish around ledges and points the shallow bite has been picking up.
The grass is very healthy right now and is holding a lot of fish, and they can be caught on a frog or buzzbait in the morning and during the day you can flip them with a crawfish or beaver. Grass points are especially good.
Docks are also holding fish and a jig or shakey head is a good option.
It’s still a little hard to catch big crappie on Lake Wateree, but catching numbers of ½ to ¾ pound fish is pretty easy right now if you know the location of deep brush. Fish are still stacked up along the main river channel, with 15-22 feet of water the best depth range. They are holding tight to brush and they will eat minnows as well as Fish Stalker Jigs in Mountain Dew color.
There are also still a good number of fish holding around natural wood, be it stumps or downed trees.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, with Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reporting that the bite is especially productive between Taylor and June Creeks with fresh cut shad. The most productive depth is 15-20 feet. Most of the time the best action is found drifting, but early in the morning they are having success anchoring around areas of known Asian clam beds.
September 1
Lake Wateree is down to 96.5% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. Clarity is above normal.
There’s not a lot of change in the crappie patterns on Lake Wateree, but tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt reports that most every brush pile in the lake is still loaded up with crappie. Shallower brush generally only has very small crappie, while the closer you get to the main river channel the bigger the crappie you encounter. The best man-made brush is in 12-25 feet of water along the main channel where you can catch a ton of 8-10 inch crappie.
The biggest fish continue to come on the upper end of the lake around stumps and sunken trees in 12-22 feet of water. Will has still been catching fish on Fish Stalker jigs in Mountain Dew and Glimmer Blue colors, including the big ones, but minnows will also work and may be better for some anglers.
Note that there is still very little action inside the creeks except for around bridges which continue to hold some fish. However, this summer they seem to have more bream than crappie.
Extremely hot, very clear (for Wateree) water is making for some very difficult bass fishing on the lake, and tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that both the deep and shallow patterns are pretty slow. That can be seen in the weights from this Saturday’s CATT event where only 10.64 pounds took first place. Of course, that was with a three-fish limit – because the fishing had gotten so tough!
There are still a few fish being caught off grass in the morning with frogs and other topwater lures, and there have also been a few fish caught on worms around creek channel ledges, humps, and main lake points in areas with 15-25 feet of water.
The one positive development is that there has been a little bit more schooling activity, usually in the morning or evening, around those some ledges and points. You will be fishing structure and then fish will come up on one side or the other where they have followed bait.
The fishing for catfish continues to be very good on Lake Wateree, with Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reporting that the bite is especially productive between Taylor and June Creeks with fresh cut shad. The most productive depth is 15-20 feet. Most of the time the best action is found drifting, but early in the morning they are having success anchoring around areas of known Asian clam beds.