Learn more about Lake Monticello below
March 14
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures range from about 59-63 degrees. The whole lake is stained while the lower end near the power plant area is dirty. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
March 7
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures range from about 56-62 degrees. The 99 end is clear but the lower end is dirty. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
February 29
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures vary, but on the 99 end they are usually starting about 53 or 54 degrees and the water is stained. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
February 23
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures vary, with low 50s on the 99 end but upper 50s near the power plant. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
February 12
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures vary, with low 50s on the 99 end but upper 50s near the power plant. The whole lake has a slight stain but the closer you get to the power plant the dirtier it is. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
February 1
Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures vary, but the low 50s are a common starting point. The whole lake has a slight stain but the closer you get to the power plant the dirtier it is. Water levels generally fluctuate daily.
Read more fishing reports from Lake Monticello and other popular places at the AHQ Report!
Located in Fairfield County, South Carolina near the town of Winnsboro, Lake Monticello was created in 1979 to cool the South Carolina Electric and Gas (now Dominion Energy South Carolina) nuclear reactor which is beside the lake. The lake is approximately 6 miles long and encompasses 6800 acres of water. There are a few minor creeks that feed it, and there was a small creek that ran through the middle of the valley which is now the lake, but a river that runs parallel to the lake is the main water source. Water is pumped from the Broad River into Lake Monticello and then back out frequently if not regularly, and the lake levels can fluctuate by several feet in only an hour or two. The deepest areas in the lake are around 160 feet.
With no stocked striped bass other species have filled the void, and stocked blue catfish have out-competed most native catfish species and are prolific in the lake. In the summer they are caught at all depths, and in addition to a tremendous number of blue catfish they are also reach 100-plus pound sizes. While the lake once had an abundant crappie fishery those numbers appear to have dwindled, but the lake is still home to a population of trophy black bass including both largemouth and smallmouth bass. There are also abundant bream and white perch in the lake, and the main forage species are threadfin shad and gizzard shad.
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