Lake Wylie is at 97.1% of full pool, and Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that, despite low water levels which can make for treacherous boating conditions, the catfish bite on Lake Wylie is very strong.  In several hours of fishing catching 20 fish up to about 15 pounds has been typical on his boat, with about 1/3 of the catch blue catfish and about 2/3 channels.

Fish are scattered out and feeding very well, and he has had success drifting a variety of areas including flats, edges of rivers, and even the middle of the river channel.  The shad have not really moved into the creeks yet but at the end of this month and in October that migration should get underway.  The best bait has been cut bluegill, with cut gizzard shad and white perch also working well.

This is an exciting time of year on Lake Wylie, because even though the fishing is strong now it will only get better as the water continues to cool.  The percentage of blue catfish will most likely go up, as will the size of fish brought to the boat.

Bass: Slow to fair.  While the winners in the two-day Thursday Night Tournament Trail Final brought just over 31 pounds to the scales, second and third places averaged less than 15 pounds per day.  It stands to reason, then, that FLW Professional and Guide Matt Arey (704-484-7715) reports that the bite is still pretty tough, but he predicts seasonal improvement as the water temperatures continue to cool in the coming weeks.  While early to mid-September is often a continuation of a later summer pattern, we are approaching a real transition period. While some fish will stay out on the main lake, shad will begin migrating to the backs of creek and the bass will follow them.  Shallow fishing should remain strong until the weather cools significantly, and square-billed crankbaits, jigs, and topwater lures will all catch fish.  Anglers should also be alert for schooling activity all over the lake.