April 23
Lake Wylie is down to 95.2% of full pool and the lake is pretty clear all over. Morning surface water temperatures are 70-71 degrees.
It’s still an excellent bite for Wylie catfish, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that they are feeding up for the spawn in late May and June. You can go up either river, anchor up, and fan cast cut shad or perch around structure like points, rocks, deep holes, or laydowns. If you want to target flatheads then do the same thing but add live bait like bluegill or white perch on a Carolina rig.
You can also drift cut bait on Santee rigs on main lake flats with mussel beds or in the creek channels in 10-25 feet of water.
Meanwhile Captain Chris reports that crappie will be winding up their spawn through the end of April, but the majority are done and moving back to deeper water. You can troll jigs or spider rig minnows in the major creeks in 20-25 feet of water to target post-spawn fish moving back out.
But the white perch spawn is going on right now, and Captain Chris reports they are currently stacked up and spawning on long, main lake clay points in 10-20 feet of water. They are grouped up tightly and so when you find them you should catch a bunch on minnows.
Similarly we are still in the midst of the black bass spawn, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that you can still fish all your favorite shallow water techniques for pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn bass. Just going down the bank and fishing laydowns, docks and points is effective, with soft plastics, buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits all working well.
This is also the very beginning of the shad spawn, especially after temperatures dropped and then rebounded, and around main lake riprap, points, and hard objects you can fish for bass keying on shad early with spinnerbaits, swimbaits, Pop-Rs, or any other bait that imitates a shad.
April 16
Lake Wylie is low at 95.7% of full pool and the lake is pretty clear all over. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 70s.
Black bass are all over beds on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that this is a “fisherman’s time of year” when you can basically fish all your favorite shallow water techniques for pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn bass. Just going down the bank and fishing laydowns, docks and points is effective, with soft plastics, buzzbaits, and spinnerbaits all working well.
This is also the very beginning of the shad spawn, and around main lake riprap, points, and hard objects you can fish for bass keying on shad early with spinnerbaits, swimbaits, Pop-Rs, or any other bait that imitates a shad.
But again the crappie are much further along, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that about 75% of the fish have spawned and started to move back into deeper water in the creek channels. You can troll jigs or spider rig minnows in 20-25 feet of water to catch crappie now, but there are still some fish shallow around the banks if you want to cast jigs (or fish minnows under a float).
Still, the best thing going is the catfish, and Captain Chris reports that the bite is “on fire” right now. You can anchor up in either river and fish cut bait on Carolina rigs in shallow water and/or around structure like points, rocks, and deep holes. To increase your chances of catching a flathead add live bream or white perch to the menu.
If you want to drift for catfish then you can drift main lake flats with mussel beds in 10-20 feet to target pre-spawn fish.
Chris notes that with the lake down a lot of the fish are a little deeper than usual in 20-25 feet of water.
April 3
Lake Wylie is at 96.5% of full pool, and the lake is clear all over. Morning surface water temperatures are 63 degrees.
There’s plenty of fishing action on Lake Wylie with both crappie and catfish doing extremely well.
Captain Jake Futia, withCaptain Jakes Guide Service (704-989-1871), said crappie are transitioning from deep water, staging in mid-depths, then moving into shallow-water spawning areas. They’re in the creeks, with plenty of crappie found in each phase of this spring migration. His recent success has been primarily catching crappie in water 20-25-feet deep, fishing around deep brush or woody cover, vertical fishing with live minnows, or drifting the flats in creeks in the 15-to-25-foot depths with a two-hook rig just off the bottom, again using minnows. Capt. Jake said some fish are beginning to be caught in shallow water by longline trolling with 1/8- and 1/16-ounce jigs tipped with minnows. Also, for Livescope users, he’s finding roaming schools, but they’re skittish, so he’s staying well away and casting a 1/16-ounce jig tipped with a minnow to those targets. He said the crappie will make a mass migration to the shallows soon on Lake Wylie, and some are already spawning. By this weekend, with the warmer weather forecast and rising water temperatures, the fish should be active in the mid-to-upper portions of the creeks.
The Carolina AnglerCaptain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) said he’s seeing lots of crappies in the three-to-six-foot depth range, and by this weekend, targeting shallow water cover along shorelines should produce serious crappie-catching action.
Captain Jake said big white perch are on a strong bite right now. These aggressive, good-eating fish are providing excellent fishing around points in 15-to-30 feet of water, with most of the action in the creeks. Live minnows are his favored bait.
Lake Wylie is producing excellent fishing for both crappie and catfish right now, and Captain Rodger Taylor withCatfish ON! Guide Service (803-517-7828) said his son has been working the typical spring patterns with excellent success. Captain Rodger said it’s the best time of the year for consistent catfish action. Fishing from the first or second week of April through mid-May is the most consistent of the year during this pre-spawn fling. Fish are in shallow coves, usually in skinny water, and are typically active in water three to five feet deep. Capt. Taylor said to anchor in a cove and fancast rigs around the boat. Typically, within a few minutes, chunky catfish are being hooked. Most of these fish are blue catfish, and favored baits are cut shad, cut bream, and shrimp.
Captain Nichols (704-860-7951) said the catfish bite is on fire up the river by fishing from anchored setups and fan casting baits around the boat. Shad and white perch are baits that are working well for him, and he said 200 pounds of total catfish weight is the norm for daily trips right now.
Bass Tournament fisherman Reid McGinn said the bass action is good and about to break wide open. He and his tournament partner both found fish primarily in pre-spawn modes, and not many were on the banks, but that was after the cold Arctic blast last weekend. He said the water temperature, along with the steady warm weather this week, should have a lot of fish in the shallows cruising and/or bedding by late in the week. He said most shallow-water lures and tactics will be productive, with the Shaky Head and Texas Worm rigs producing well, as well as flipping docks. Most shallow water lures that anglers have confidence in should produce this weekend. Despite the lack of rain, the water is still slightly dingy but perfect for shallow-water bass fishing.
March 25
Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool and the lake is pretty clear all over. Morning surface water temperatures are 59-61 degrees.
While tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill has seen some empty beds on Wylie, he thinks that rather than being left by black bass that have completed the spawn they were abandoned when water levels recently dropped. He believes that the vast majority of Wylie bass are still pre-spawn. Locating numbers of fish is pretty easy, and they can be caught on topwater lures fished down the bank and swimbaits and worms around docks and points. However, right now the hard part is locating big fish. Reid thinks that the bigger largemouth are staged somewhere right now, but for almost everyone they are very hard to locate. Fish aren’t as far along as most people want them to be.
But the crappie are a different story, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) summarizes the situation by saying that dogwoods are blooming and the crappie are spawning. Catching fish right now is as simple as fishing down the bank with jigs or minnows in shallow spawning coves, and you can also catch crappie long-lining jigs for both pre- and post-spawn fish. Captain Chris believes that only about 25% of fish have spawned and notes that there are still some big females full of eggs holding in deeper water.
Finally, the catfish are running up both rivers for the spring spawn. Large numbers of fish are staged in the river arms right now, and the easiest way to catch them is anchoring up and fan-casting baits at various depths.
March 18
Lake Wylie is at 97.1% of full pool. Morning surface water temperatures are likely back to the mid- to upper 50s.
Between abysmal weather and getting his boat re-powered The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) hasn’t been on Wylie this week, but he feels pretty sure a lot of the male crappie are still near the banks. However, he would be surprised if any females are up there and expects some have pulled even deeper. Still, by this weekend patterns should be about back to normal and you should be able to catch males (and possibly some early females) casting jigs and minnows around any shallow cover while long-line trolling in 10-15 feet of water also remains very productive.
A few days of cold weather are unlikely to have moved the catfish very much, but in any event Captain Chris reports that by this weekend again one group of fish that has made their way up the rivers will be catchable anchoring at deep holes and fan-cast cut shad to all different depths in and around the holes. Another group of fish will still be in the creeks, and for these fish the best pattern should remain drifting Santee rigs in 15-25 feet of water.
More information to follow once we have it.
March 12
Lake Wylie is at 97.5% of full pool and the lake is generally clear. Morning surface water temperatures have risen into the low to mid-60s.
As temperatures have shot up many of the male crappie have headed to the banks in the creeks, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that the females aren’t too far behind them. For now the females are hanging a little deeper where you can effectively long-line troll for them in 10-15 feet of water, but very soon they will join the males. You can already catch males casting jigs and minnows around any shallow cover.
In catfish news, Captain Chris reports that one group of fish has made their way up the rivers and the best way to catch them is to anchor at deep holes and fan-cast cut shad to all different depths in and around the holes. Another group of fish has gone back into the creeks, and for these fish the best pattern is drifting Santee rigs in 15-25 feet of water.
Meanwhile there are dozens of different ways to catch black bass, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that basically you can employ your favorite shallow-water technique to catch fish. In a tournament this weekend there were two 20-pound bags while Reid finished third with 18, and people caught fish a ton of different ways. Alabama rigging now in 15 or less feet is still productive, there are fish schooling in the pockets of creeks, you can crank secondary points and shallow spots, you can target points in the creeks with a jerkbait, and you can fish docks with a jig or worm. Basically it’s a really good pre-spawn bite right now, although one friend of Reid’s did report seeing a very early bass on a bed.
March 4
Lake Wylie is at 97.5% of full pool and the lake is generally clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 51-54 degrees.
With air temperatures sharply rising crappie are leaving the main lake and headed into the major creeks, as The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that over the next two to three weeks they will make their major spring spawning migrations. Once in the creeks they stage up in 20-25 feet of water until water temperatures in the spawning coves reach about 62 degrees and stay that way for about a week. Then big females will move in to lay their eggs. Males will move up to shallow cover before that, and when water temperatures reach the high 50s they will search out suitable spawning habitat. For now you can still spider-rig minnows in the creek mouths or cast jigs to deeper brush, but once water temperatures hit the mid- to upper 50s and stay there long-line trolling will take off and then very soon you will be able to catch males around the banks.
In catfish news, Captain Chris reports that once again there are two groups of fish. Some are migrating up-river looking for moving water and spawning grounds. These fish can be caught anchoring and fan-casting pieces of cut shad in 5-15 feet of water.
The other half of the fish are making their way into the major creeks and can be caught drifting cut bait on Santee rigs in 20-30 feet of water.
Finally, on the black bass front tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that it’s unlikely that winter patterns are going away anytime soon, and this past weekend two 1-day tournaments were both won with 23 and then 21 pounds fishing deep. Targeting staging areas in 10-20 feet around brush and docks with an Alabama rig was effective, and since all the fish don’t move up to spawn at the same time will continue to be. However, by this weekend for the BFL he expects the heat wave to have progressed things further forward and for there to be more fish in 6-10 feet in secondary areas in the creeks as well as actually cruising the banks. These shallower fish can be caught on spinnerbaits, swimbaits, jigs, soft plastics, and more.
Additionally, on the northern end of the lake there is some stained water and so shallow cranking should be a good pattern especially with rising temperatures.
February 25
Lake Wylie is at 97.2% of full pool and the lake is dirty in places after recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures are about 47-48 degrees.
While the crappie were on the move, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that this cold snap put the brakes on the migration and so still about 75% of the fish are in the deeper channels. The other 25% of the fish have moved into shallower water, generally in the creek mouths in 20-25 feet or on brush in 15-20 feet of water. For all of the open water fish spider-rigging minnows is still very effective, while for the fish that are on brush casting jigs is a good option.
The bite is very good and yesterday they caught three limits and still had time to fish for catfish.
Speaking of catfish, Captain Chris reports there are still smaller catfish in the main channel 40-60 feet deep but the bulk of the larger fish have moved up onto adjacent ridges and main lake flats 25-30 feet deep. When you find schools of shad in these areas the blue cats are right under them or suspended in the middle feeding on them. Drift cut shad around these bait schools in the lower 1/3 of the lake.
It's been a good week for black bass, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that in the CBC this weekend the winning boat had 22 pounds, with 21 pounds in second, but as far down as 60th place bags were still over 14 pounds. With some warming the lake is getting to the point where a bite can be found doing most things, and you can still fish winter patterns but also all the typical pre-spawn patterns are in play. There is a wave of pre-spawn females that has moved up and won’t leave despite a couple of cooler days, and you can fish for them around docks, points, and hard areas including natural rock. A jig, worm and jerkbait are all working for these fish, but then you can also fish an Alabama rig or jighead minnow offshore for fish that are still on bait.
Reid notes that the bass fishing appears to be on the cusp of wide open.
February 19
Lake Wylie is at 97.7% of full pool and the lake is muddy in places after Sunday’s rain. Morning surface water temperatures are up to 47-48 degrees.
Fresh off the water after an outstanding day of targeting catfish, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that warmer temperatures certainly have fish on the move. He is now finding catfish leaving the deeper channel on the main lake and moving up onto adjacent ridges and main lake flats 25-30 feet deep. They are targeting cold, stunted threadfin shad so when you find schools of shad in these areas the blue cats are right under them or suspended in the middle feeding on them. Drift cut shad around these bait schools in the lower 1/3 of the lake.
The crappie are also on the move, and Captain Chris reports they are also leaving the deeper channels and moving into the deeper creek mouths in 25-30 feet of water. They are in big schools and starting to stack up on deeper points and brush. You can cast jigs to the fish using forward-facing sonar or spider rig minnows.
And finally in black bass news, tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that some outstanding-for-Wylie bags in the mid- and low-20s were caught in this weekend’s CATT tournament, but from all accounts these fish were caught LiveScoping offshore. At the same time rising, muddy water as well as the calendar and warmer temperatures are creating the conditions for more shallow action. A crankbait and a Chatterbait are both productive around main lake banks and particular rocky, and more fish are also starting to get into their staging areas in the mouths of creeks and even inside. Especially look at drops where fish can easily move up and down, and there will also be schools around hard spots, piers, dock floats, and other fish magnets. At times the fish will be suspended, and at times they will be more related to the bottom. Alabama rigs and large jigs are good choices, and Reid recommends concentrating on 15 feet of water or less for staging fish.
February 12
Lake Wylie is at 97.2% of full pool and the lake is mostly clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 40s.
Fully back on the water this week after the snow and ice finally dissipated, The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that as expected the crappie are mostly holding close to the bottom in 25 or so feet of water on the main channel. While there are a few giant schools that are on the move and harder to target without forward-facing sonar, most of the fish that are easier to target are no more than 3-5 feet off the bottom.
But that doesn’t mean these patterns are here to stay as it warms, and Captain Chris reports that crappie and white perchwill soon start making their moves into the deeper creeks mouths in the next two weeks as the days get a little longer and the water temperatures start warming up. Like clockwork this pattern repeats every February and early March. The same patterns of spider-rigging minnows or casting jigs will continue to catch fish.
On the catfish front, Captain Chris reports that different sized fish are by-and-large doing different things. A lot of the smaller blue catfish under 10 pounds are schooled up in the main river channel 40-60 feet deep and will bite live minnows or small pieces of cut shad. Meanwhile, the bigger fish are scattered out on deep main lake flats and river channel ledges 20-30 feet deep. If you are looking for numbers of fish drift small pieces of cut shad or perch in the channels, but for a trophy fish anchor near the river channel ledge and fan cast baits along the ledge and flats. White perch heads and big chunks of gizzard shad are the preferred bait for bigger fish.
And finally in black bass news, tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that warmer weather is putting fish on the move out of their winter holes and towards shallower water. Anglers should start looking for fish in staging areas in the mouths of creeks and even inside, particularly at drops where fish can easily move up and down. There will also be schools around hard spots, piers, dock floats, and other fish magnets. At times the fish will be suspended, and at times they will be more related to the bottom. Alabama rigs and large jigs are good choices, and Reid recommends concentrating on 15 feet of water or less.
February 4
Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are estimated at 40-42 degrees.
Like most people The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) won’t be back on Lake Wylie until next weekend, but he expects that the crappie will be in even tighter schools when he can get after them again. The best pattern for catching fish is to idle around using electronics and then hold over big schools either spider-rigging minnows or casting jigs. While many of the schools are in 20-25 feet of water in the creeks, others can be as shallow as about 15 feet on main lake flats. The fish may be there to warm up when the sun is beating down, or heavy wind can push them that direction. Anglers using forward-facing-sonar may prefer to target these schools due to the relative ease of getting a jig down to them.
Another group of fish remains on deep brush in 20-30 feet of water, and the same techniques will work for catching them.
We obviously can’t get fresh news on the black bass or catfish either this week, but as soon as we have it we will pass it along.
January 28
Lake Wylie is at 97.4% of full pool and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-40s.
The cold weather is only making winter crappie patterns more pronounced, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that it is pushing the fish and baitfish into bigger, tighter schools as temperatures drop into the low 40s. The best pattern for catching fish is to idle around using electronics and then hold over big schools either spider-rigging minnows or casting jigs. While many of the schools are in 20-25 feet of water in the creeks, others can be as shallow as about 15 feet on main lake flats. The fish may be there to warm up when the sun is beating down, or heavy wind can push them that direction. Anglers using forward-facing-sonar may prefer to target these schools due to the relative ease of getting a jig down to them.
Another group of fish remains on deep brush in 20-30 feet of water, and they will also get even tighter. The same techniques will work for catching them.
It’s hard to give a precise assessment of the black bass fishing on Lake Wylie, as tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that tournaments were cancelled the last two weekends and are almost certainly headed for a third. He doesn’t know of anyone who has been able to bass fish, but sees that the lake is very clear while driving.
Reid’s best guess is that when the wind is really blowing you can catch them in less than 10 feet cranking, but at other times LiveScoping the channels or casting at targets with an Alabama rig is still the best bet.
We will provide a fresh catfish report here when we are able to get one.
January 22
Lake Wylie is at 97.5% of full pool and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 46-47 degrees.
The consensus of our three Lake Wylie experts is that fish are pretty locked into winter patterns, but with the upcoming weather it could bring a variety of changes. On the black bass front tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that despite the clear conditions he did have one very good day cranking shallow in less than 10 feet, but the catch was that the wind was howling which always activates that bite. In general the better bags seem to be coming LiveScoping with an Alabama rig, and if temperatures drop he expects the fish to get even more concentrated in the creek and river channels around bait.
While The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) isn’t expecting the cold to bring pattern change to what has been a phenomenal crappie bite, he is worried about access if the roads get and stay icy with some type of precipitation and very cold temperatures. That would be particularly unfortunate because the fishing is so good and colder temperatures should group the fish up even more in the two main patterns he is fishing.
First, they are stacked up on deep brush piles in 20-25 feet of water. Cast jigs over top of the brush to catch the more aggressive fish that are suspended above it. Second, crappie are schooled up in the deeper creeks near the bottom in 20-25 feet. In some of the deeper creeks in the lower third of the lake 25 feet is mid-creek, but in the upper two-thirds it puts you at the mouth. Spider rig minnows near the bottom for these fish.
Finally, on the catfish front Captain Rodger Taylor with Catfish ON! Guide Service (803-517-7828) does expect cold weather to slow the action a little. It’s been a good bite for quality fish in the creeks, and they are all over the place in 6-25 feet of water. Fan-casting and anchoring with white perch has been the best way to catch them. If you can use birds to locate bait schools it improves your chances.
January 7
Lake Wylie is at 97.4% of full pool and the lake is gin clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 48-50 degrees.
The black bass bite has been decent recently accordingly to angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill, who reports that in a recent no-LiveScope tournament 16 pounds won while in third he had just under 13 pounds. With the warming trend he expects there to be some more fish around docks, but it seems right now that the majority of the fish are out deep on bait. They did catch some fish shallow (especially early) on a crankbait, but as the day went on the cranking action was better on drops and points. The top bags seem to be coming throwing an Alabama rig in deeper water. There are also still some good catches on the deeper corners of docks with brush throwing an Alabama rig at targets.
The crappie bite is still really good on Lake Wylie, and The Carolina Angler Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that there continue to be two good patterns he is fishing. First, they are stacked up on deep brush piles in 20-25 feet of water. Cast jigs over top of the brush to catch the more aggressive fish that are suspended above it. Second, crappie are schooled up in the deeper creeks near the bottom in 20-25 feet. In some of the deeper creeks in the lower third of the lake 25 feet is mid-creek, but in the upper two-thirds it puts you at the mouth. Spider rig minnows near the bottom for these fish.
Finally, on the catfish front Captain Rodger Taylor with Catfish ON! Guide Service (803-517-7828) reports that they are still catching quality fish in the creeks. They are all over the place in 6-25 feet of water, and fan-casting and anchoring with white perch has been the best way to catch them. If you can use birds to locate bait schools it improves your chances.
Captain Chris is also targeting catfish, and he reports that from what he is seeing fish are about equally split between the creeks and the main lake. His preferred depth range is 25-42 feet in both locations and he is drifting.