The opening day of competition for the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division event on Lake Okeechobee is in the books, and after a tough day of fishing Peter Cherkas of Des Moines, Iowa is in the lead out of 250 boats with 20 pounds even.  Zach Crider of Tunnel Hill, Georgia is in second place with […]

It’s finally getting to be winter in the lowcountry, but according to Bay Street Outfitters (843-524-5250) in Beaufort for the last few weeks fishing has been atypical for this time of year.  Unusually warm water temperatures meant that through the beginning of 2016 fish could still be seen tailing in the grass, and bait has been […]

It appears that the long autumn on Lake Murray is finally over, and veteran tournament angler Captain Doug Lown says that a couple of factors are combining to move bass out of their fall habitats and into a winter pattern.  First, water temperatures are finally dropping, and in one week official water temperatures at the […]

It’s been a crazy winter so far this year on Lake Wylie, but bass have continued to feed – albeit not in a traditional winter pattern.  Now that things are starting to normalize fish may start to behave more typically for this time of year. About a week ago rain last fell in the Lake […]

Lake Wateree is at 100.3% of full pool, and there’s no doubt that this is high – about five feet over normal for this time of year.  The amazing thing, however, is that this is the lowest water levels have been since before Christmas, and 100.3 actually represents dropping water!  In fact, December 22 is […]

A few weeks ago Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reported that bass fishing on Lake Russell was very good, but based on historical trends he expected it to soon get even better.  Fish were grouped up in 20-40 feet of water in the middle to backs of the creeks, but as temperatures dropped he expected them […]

Anyone who gets to know Captain Ron Davis, Jr. (803-513-0143) knows that he doesn’t say the fishing is good when it’s not, so around the first of December when Ron said that Edisto Island inshore fishing was at “its absolute peak” it was worth taking note.  Amazingly, a month plus later at the beginning of […]

Lake Greenwood is flooded and muddy, but that doesn’t mean that bass aren’t eating.  Veteran tournament bass angler Stan Gunter reports that even with the crazy water conditions some good fish are still being caught, and in fact the overall bite is pretty good.  Muddy water can often kill a winter bite, but since water […]

While Lake Keowee is one of those lakes where bass can be caught deep the year round, and certainly in December and January, it’s not every winter that around the New Year bass can still be found on the surface.  However, Guide Brad Fowler of Pendleton reports that is exactly what has been going on […]

Around the Christmas holidays it’s a safe bet that big blue catfish are feeding in South Carolina, and even with unseasonably warm weather this year is no exception.  From the North Carolina border to the Midlands to the lower part of the state, South Carolina anglers are putting some big catfish in the boat right […]

Back in November we reported that peak fall fishing for a variety of species was lasting longer than usual, and fish like big red drum were staying in the area due to unseasonably warm weather.  Amazingly, the same is still true only a few days before Christmas.   Captain Tucker Blythe of Grey Ghost Charters (843-670-8629) […]

The tackle store’s weekly deal is 10% off our entire collection of Shane’s Baits.  FLW Tour Pro Matt Arey recently said that at this time of year his top bait choice is an Alabama rig, and Shane’s Baits is his favorite brand of Alabama rigs. He believes that they are the best-priced, highest-quality rigs on the market.  The components […]

On a lot of South Carolina lakes the prolonged warm weather this fall has actually helped the bite – especially for anglers who want to fish shallow.  Instead of starting to move deep bass have continued to hang around only a few feet of water, staying in more of a fall pattern than an early […]

It’s been a crazy fall on Lake Norman, and the combination of hot-then-cold-then-hot air temperatures, unseasonably warm water temperatures, and up-and-down water levels have made for a strange bite.  Instead of fish being in a winter pattern FLW Tour Pro Matt Arey reports that bass are in more of an early- to mid-fall transition period, and […]

The tackle store has two daily deals going right now: 1. Buckeye Lures Double-Bladed Spinnerbaits for $2.99!  This is an amazing deal – our regular price is $5.99, and Tackle Warehouse sells them for $6.49.   Limit 3 per customer, no code need.  Sale price will be reflected when you “update” cart.  Valid until 12/19 at […]

If you guessed that near-80 degree days in the latter part of December would have the Clarks Hill bass wondering which way is up, you would be right!  Buckeye Lures in Augusta reports that the fish don’t know what to make of this weather, and the bass are “so daggone confused” that they are hunkered down […]

Veteran Lake Murray tournament bass angler Captain Doug Lown says that unseasonably warm water temperatures have kept fish shallower than usual so far this December, and temperatures last weekend were in the 58-59 degree range.  With several warm days surface temperatures are now pushing 61 degrees, and bottom temperatures are around 60 degrees.  As a […]

It’s not every December when the inshore fishing in South Carolina is improving!  About a month ago Guide Kevin “Stump” Grant of Pawley’s Island Guide Service (843-833-4477) reported that the bite for the “big four” inshore species – redfish, trout, flounder and black drum – was good in the Georgetown area, although the flounder bite […]

For the early winter Lake Wylie bait guide I interviewed professional bass fisherman Bryan New – an angler who has amassed over $160,000.00 in career winnings.  Bryan has been fishing the FLW Tour as a co-angler for four years, and each year he has qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup.  In 2014 he won the […]

About a month ago Captain Patrick Smiley (843-361-7445) reported that it was the best fishing time of the year in the Little River area.  It was expected that cooling air and in turn water temperatures would soon change the bite and push fish into more of a winter pattern, but because of extremely mild weather […]

The big fish have been eating on the Santee Cooper lakes recently, and last week Captain Jim Glenn (843-825-4239) reported that a nice 43-pound fish had been caught drifting cut mullet in 17 feet on Lake Moultrie.  Then a few days ago Jim sent me a picture of a beautiful 53-pound fish which longtime clients John […]

In his last report tournament angler Bryan New reported that up-and-down water levels were creating some difficult conditions on Lake Wylie, and several weeks later Bryan says that water conditions are still making for unpredictable fishing.  He says the biggest problem on the lake right now is the recurrent rain – while the lake has […]