October 20

Lake Wylie is at 96.4% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear although the water is stained brown in places. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 70s. 

Even though temperatures are cooling the fall turnover is not especially helpful for bass fishing on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that with the turnover underway that’s just the latest reason why the fishing has been tough. 

The best pattern right now is to look for the cleanest water that is not tannic and try to fish docks in the area. Jigs were fishing pretty well, but shakey heads or something similarly finesse-oriented now seem to be working better. 

After a blip where the bite dropped to merely “good”,  Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the catfish are feeding very well again and he has found lots of nice 12-18 plus pound fish while drifting in 28-34 feet of water on the main river channel or deeper flats just off the channel. The drift bite has consistently been better (and of course easier) when there is some wind blowing, and when conditions are calm anchoring has been working pretty well. Concentrate on ledges and try to stagger baits between about 6 and 25 feet of water. 

Cut shad has been hard to beat. 

For now the creek bite has not been very good, but any time it should come on and so anglers should continue to drift in the creeks as shallow as about 15 feet.

 

October 7

Lake Wylie is at 96.8% of full pool and the lake is still relatively clear. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 79-80 degrees. 

We are getting to the time of year when the bass fishing on Lake Wylie should be improving, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill says that this weekend’s CATT event should be a good test of whether that is actually happening. With water temperatures still-high there are reasons to be pessimistic, but we will see. After an 11-pound daily average took first place in the 2-day BFL last weekend it wouldn’t take much for there to be some improvement. 

For now cranking 8-15 foot mid-depths leading into creeks and fishing a jig around docks have been the most effective ways to catch fish, and earlier this week Reid didn’t see signs of many bass in the creeks. However, that has to change soon and as fish move all the way back into creeks following bait a buzzbait or topwater plug should be productive. There should also be some fish caught fan-casting a Rattle Trap on flats with bait. 

On the other hand, Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the catfish bite is still very good. Catfish are starting to make a move into the creeks to gorge on small shad moving back. They are feeding very aggressively, and the best pattern has been drifting early to mid-morning with fresh gizzard shad. 

Fish sizes are slightly up with many fish in the upper teens and few in the low 20s, and they are also getting a nice mix of blues and channel catfish. 

September 30

Lake Wylie is at 96.7% of full pool and the lake is relatively clear. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 80 degrees.  

It’s been a tough few months of bass fishing on Lake Wylie, and anyone expecting that to change with this past weekend’s two-day BFL on Lake Wylie was sorely disappointed. Tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that 22 pounds over two days took first place, and anyone who cracked a double-digit bag really achieved something.  There are bass to be caught but right now big ones are few and far between. 

It seems that the winning patterns involved a mix of cranking 8-15 foot mid-depths leading into creeks and fishing a jig around docks, but very soon some new patterns should open up. As water temperatures finally cool bass should move all the way back into creeks following bait, and a buzzbait or topwater plug should be productive. There should also be some fish caught fan-casting a Rattle Trap on flats with bait. 

Luckily something is hot, however, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the catfish bite is still very good. Catfish are starting to make a move into the creeks to gorge on small shad. They are feeding very aggressively, and the best pattern has been drifting early to mid-morning with fresh gizzard shad. 

Fish sizes are slightly up with many fish in the upper teens and few in the low 20s, and they are also getting a nice mix of blues and channel catfish.

September 17

Lake Wylie is at 96.9% of full pool and water temperatures have dropped to about 81-83 degrees. 

The bass fishing is still very tough on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that in the big 2-day Thursday Night Tournament Trail Championship only three boats were able to average ten pounds each day. And this was over an eight-hour stretch each night. 

It still seems that you have to be willing to do a little bit of everything to put together a bunch of bites, varying from fishing to offshore with finesse-oriented soft plastics to working the shallows with Pop-Rs, frogs, worms or jigs. 

Hope is on the horizon, however, and when water temperatures drop another five degrees into the mid-70s the shad should start to migrate into the creeks and the bass will follow them. The topwater activity should pick up and there should be a lot more fish caught on buzzbaits. 

Luckily something is biting, however, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the catfish bite is still really good. Fish remain scattered and on the move, and drifting (either aided by the wind or controlled by the trolling motor) is generally the best way to target them. Right now Rodger is really only anchoring at night and in the early morning, although that window will expand as the water cools.  

The best areas to fish are still main channel points in 15-25 feet of water and mid-lake flats in the 15-20 foot range. 

Cut gizzard shad is working very well, but some reports indicate chicken is just as effective.

September 2

Lake Wylie is at 96.9% of full pool and water temperatures are still in the mid-80s. 

The good news is that the catfish bite on Lake Wylie is very good, with Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reporting that they are catching lots of smaller blues in the 6-12 pound range as well as the occasional larger fish in the 20-30 pound range. The best areas to fish are main channel points in 15-25 feet of water and mid-lake flats in the 15-20 foot range. Both drifting and anchoring will work, with the choice of tactic dependent on both time of day and whether the wind is manageable. Cut shad is working the best. 

The bad news is that the bass fishing is brutally tough on Lake Wylie, and in the last two Thursday night events the winning weights were 6.61 pounds and 11.17 pounds. The big fish were 2.33 and 3.86, respectively. 

There’s no consensus on why the fishing is so bad, but tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that there is general agreement that you can’t really put together a limit fishing justshallow or just deep. You have to do both to scratch anything together.

Offshore you can fish soft plastics and hope for bites, and in the shallows you can try to catch fish with Pop-Rs, frogs, worms or jigs. 

The low weights are not the result of a lack of anglers fishing the tournaments, and for now they continue to get plenty of boats despite the conditions. 

August 20

Lake Wylie is at 97.2% of full pool and with a bunch of rain over the weekend the creeks and rivers got really muddy. That water has quickly moved down the lake and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. 

The bass fishing has gotten even tougher on Lake Wylie, and in a recent Thursday night event with 30 boats first place was a very respectable thirteen pounds, while second place dropped to 7 pound and third was in the 4s. Brutal does not even begin to describe the fishing. 

With weights like that tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill points out that obviously nothing is very good, but he slightly favors the shallow bite over the offshore bite right now. The offshore fish are just so beat up by this point in the summer. Targeting bass that are up in the shallows feeding on bream with Pop-Rs and frogs can work, although at times you need to slow down and throw a worm or crawl a jig. Or go to the beach. 

In stark contrast, the catfish bite on Lake Wylie has gotten even better and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are still catching very good numbers of good blues. During the day the fish are holding on deep points close to clam and snail beds in 17-34 feet. 

At night the action has also been strong, with anchoring the best pattern. Anchor in shallow water and fan cast baits from 4 feet out to the drop in around 18 feet.  

Gizzard shad and bream heads are both working well. 

August 6

Lake Wylie is at 96.4% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are around 85-86 degrees. 

If anything the catfish bite on Lake Wylie has gotten even better, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching good numbers of blue catfish ranging from 6 up to 35 pounds. During the day the fish are holding on deep points close to clam and snail beds in 17-34 feet. 

At night the action has also been strong, with anchoring the best pattern. Anchor in shallow water and fan cast baits from 4 feet out to the drop in around 18 feet.  

Gizzard shad and bream heads are both working well. 

It’s still the summer bass fishing doldrums, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that there’s no really hot bite. In the last night tournament only 5 out of 29 boats caught a fish!  However, right now the shallow bite continues to slightly outfish the deep bite. Targeting bass that are up in the shallows feeding on bream with Pop-Rs and frogs can work, although at times you need to slow down and throw a worm or crawl a jig. 

The offshore bite remains slow, with more finesse-oriented presentations more effective right now.

July 30

Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool and after recent rains the lake has sections of stained water. Morning surface water temperatures are around 85-86 degrees. 

We are entering (if we are not already there) the summer bass fishing doldrums, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that pretty soon it’s likely that there won’t be good patterns deep or shallow. However, for now there continue to be some good fish up shallow feeding on bream, and the Pop-R and frog bite has been pretty good. It seems that the July full moon brought a lot of bream to the banks, and the bass followed them. While there was a drop-off below the top, in the last Thursday night tournament the winning team had four fish for 15 pounds, including a 5- and a 6-pounder. 

The offshore bite remains slow, with more finesse-oriented presentations more effective right now. 

The catfish bite on Lake Wylie remains strong, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching good numbers of blue catfish in the 6-16 pound range. During the day the fish are holding on deep points close to clam and snail beds in 17-34 feet. 

At night the action has also been strong, and anchoring has been productive for 8-24 pound fish. Anchor in shallow water and fan cast baits from 4 feet out to the drop in around 18 feet.  

Gizzard shad and bream heads are both working well.

July 21

Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. The rivers became extremely muddy after recent rains but that water has now moved down the lake. 

After a lull, the catfish bite on Lake Wylie has really picked up and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that they are catching good numbers of blue catfish in the 6-16 pound range. During the day the fish are holding on deep points close to clam and snail beds in 17-34 feet. 

At night the action has also been strong, and anchoring has been productive for 8-24 pound fish. Anchor in shallow water and fan cast baits from 4 feet out to the drop in around 18 feet. 

 

It shouldn’t go on for too much longer, but the mayfly hatch is still wide open. If it hangs on for a few more days it will coincide with the bream spawn on this coming full moon Saturday, and so there will be two reasons that the bream are gorging in shallow water. They will eat about anything you put in front of them but worms are working very well.

Of course the shallow bream are a positive for the bass bite, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that there should continue to be above-average fishing for largemouth around the banks with buzzbaits, PopRs, Spooks and the like.  There are other times when the fish would rather eat a worm or swimming jig. You just have to try different baits until you see what they want. It’s not unusual to see small packs of bass around the banks running bream right now and so keep your eyes open while you fish. 

There’s not much change in the offshore bite, and after the initial, early summer feeding spree we have settled into the long grind where fish can be caught on crankbaits but perhaps more often you have to rely on finesse presentations. 

Overall winning weights in night tournaments are still usually in the 12-13 pound range. 

July 9

Lake Wylie is at 96.5% of full pool. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s. 

The most exciting development in the last few days on Lake Wylie has been the mayfly hatch, and as a result of the mayfly hatch the bream fishing has been excellent. There are plenty of good fish around the banks gorging on mayflies, and they will eat about anything that you put in front of them.

Even though no one would characterize the bass fishing as wide open on Lake Wylie, tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that the mayfly hatch has generated a pretty good shallow bite in some areas as more fish are up keying on the abundant bream around the banks. At times they are even eating mayflies. 

A Pop-R or buzzbait can work well in this pattern, but there are other times when the fish would rather eat a worm or swimming jig. You just have to try different baits until you see what they want. It’s not unusual to see small packs of bass around the banks running bream right now and so keep your eyes open while you fish. 

Of course there is also still an offshore bite, and even though it looked a couple of weeks ago like more finesse presentations were going to be needed there have been some fish caught on crankbaits again. 

But even the mayfly hatch has not been enough to kickstart a good catfish bite at this stage of the blue cat spawn on Lake Wylie, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the bite is slow but steady.  The fish they are catching range from about 4 to 14 pounds, and the best patterns have been anchoring in about 3-15 feet of water and then drifting in 32-25 feet.  Between the heat and the boat traffic the best fishing is definitely early in the morning and then at night.

June 24

Lake Wylie is at 96.7% of full pool. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s. 

Early in the season the offshore bass bite can be really good on Lake Wylie, but after the fish have been heavily pressured in well-known community holes the action gets slower, the fish get smaller, and the presentations have to become more finesse-oriented. That’s where we are now.

From what he has seen tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that shallow patterns are now the best, and early in the morning there can be a good bite with Pop-Rs and Spooks off points. When the sun gets up that bite dies off as those fish apparently move out deeper and suspend, but there is another group of fish that can be caught around dock poles flipping monster worms or jigs.

Particularly right now with the full moon there is also an above average bream bed bite, and fish will take topwater baits, Senkos and jigs in the right areas. Look in spawning pockets and between docks. 

Overall there aren’t a lot of big fish being caught but you can still get bit. 

The catfish spawn should still be in full swing on Lake Wylie, and from what he has seen Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the fishing is still a little slow. The best action has been coming in intermediate depths of 7-15 feet. Fish are on drops more out towards the river, and anchoring cut shad has been the best pattern.  

June 10

Lake Wylie is at 97.0% of full pool but lake levels have generally been fluctuating up and down. Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 70s to lower 80s.     

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for bass fishing on Lake Wylie, and tournament angler Reid McGinn of Fort Mill reports that weights in night tournaments have been pretty bad. 

Early in the morning there is some action on points with Spooks and buzzbaits, and at times the offshore bite is good in 15-20 feet at the mouths of creeks and in well-known community holes. Spoons and crankbaits should be working better than they are, and it is starting to become a bit more of a finesse bite with soft plastics. While there are plenty of fish out there you also have to get the timing right to find them feeding. 

Because of fluctuating water levels the bream spawn is not as good as it should be, but fish can still be found in pockets where the bass spawned or around docks. Bass feeding on bream will take Pop-Rs and prop baits as well as shakey head and wacky-rigged worms. 

With the spawn in full swing Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that the blue catfish bite on Lake Wylie is still a little slow. The best action right now seems to be coming in intermediate depths of 7-15 feet. Fish are on drops more out towards the river, and anchoring cut shad has been the best pattern. 

The spawn should last for a little while, but anglers will know when that period is passing when some beat-up males start to show up in the catch again.