Learn more about Lake Keowee below
March 15
Lake Keowee is at 97.7% of full pool and water clarity is normalizing. Morning surface water temperatures are now in the low-60s over most of the lake with mid-60s around the power plant.
March 8
Lake Keowee is at 98.5% of full pool and water clarity remains high on the main lake with stain in the backs of creeks – but heavy rains predicted over the weekend will like muddy the backs of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures are now in the low-60s over most of the lake.
February 28
Lake Keowee is at 98.0% of full pool and water clarity remains high on the main lake with some light stain in the backs of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures are now in the mid- to upper 50s throughout most of the lake, with low 60s found mid-lake.
February 22
Lake Keowee is at 98.4% of full pool and water clarity remains high on the main lake with some stain in the backs of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures are now mostly in the mid to upper 50s, with lower 60s found north of the Hot Hole to Crowe Creek.
February 17
Lake Keowee is at 98.6% of full pool and water clarity remains good on the main lake while there is some stain in the backs of major creeks. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 60s around the nuclear plant and north for a few miles. On the south end temperatures are in the high 50s, while on the north end they are in the low 50s.
Read more fishing reports from Lake Keowee and other popular places at the AHQ Report!
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Clemson, South Carolina, construction of Lake Keowee was completed in 1973. The lake was created to serve the needs of Duke Energy, and lake water cools three nuclear reactors at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. The northern end of the lake backs up to Lake Jocassee, the power plant is in the mid-lake section, and at the lower end outflows from the two dams (Keowee Dam and Little River Dam) combine to form the Seneca River and feed one of the major arms of Lake Hartwell. A beautiful, generally clear lake, it is about 25 miles long and oriented north/ south, covers approximately 18,500 acres, and has around 300 acres of shoreline. At the widest it is about 3 miles wide, and the lake averages 50 feet deep.
Unlike many South Carolina lakes, Lake Keowee does not have striped bass stocked by the Department of Natural Resources – nor significant numbers of blueback herring – nor does it have stocked trout. It does have largemouth bass, with some large fish caught each year, but the numbers are dwindling and DNR has launched a habitat restoration project aiming to re-grow native vegetation. The lake still has some big white crappie as well as a very few black crappie, but this population has also dwindled. There are bream and giant catfish in Lake Keowee, with an 89-pound blue catfish caught in the spring of 2020 – and there is little doubt that there are still larger fish swimming. But Lake Keowee is best known for its massive population of non-native spotted bass that feast on the main forage base of threadfin shad.
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