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Learn more about Lake Murray below
April 9
Lake Murray water levels jumped to 358.64 after Monday’s rain (full pool is 360.00) and clarity dropped. Morning surface water temperatures are around 68 degrees.
April 3
Lake Murray water levels are at 358.10 (full pool is 360.00) and there is still some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 65 degrees in most places.
March 26
Lake Murray water levels are at 357.99 (full pool is 360.00) and there is some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees in most places but as high as 62 up the rivers.
March 20
Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.08 (full pool is 360.00) and there is some slight stain up the rivers but most of the lake is at or above normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are around 60 degrees.
March 12
Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.46 (full pool is 360.00) and the lake is not muddy – yet – after Monday’s rain. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-50s, typically a bit warmer up the rivers unless a lot of cold freshwater is coming in.
March 5
Lake Murray water levels are up to 358.12 (full pool is 360.00) and water clarity is high (before today’s rain). Morning surface water temperatures range from about 53-56 degrees.
Read more fishing reports from Lake Murray and other popular places at the AHQ Report!
Now owned and operated by Dominion Energy South Carolina, Lake Murray was built in the 1920s and 30s to provide hydroelectric power for Midlands residents. The approximately 48,000-acre lake with roughly 650 miles of shoreline lies just to the northwest of South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia in the four counties of Richland, Lexington, Saluda and Newberry. Today it is difficult to imagine the area without this important source of recreation for a region known as “Lake Murray Country.” The lake is oriented in an east-west direction, with the town of Lexington on the southern side of the lake and the town of Chapin on the northern side. To the west the lake is fed by the Big and Little Saluda Rivers, and on the east side of the lake is the Lake Murray Dam. Below the dam the Lower Saluda River is formed from the depths of Lake Murray and flows into the city of Columbia. The full-pool elevation of Lake Murray is 360 feet above sea level, and at the deepest points near the iconic intake towers the lake is approximately 190 feet deep at full pool.
Fishermen target Lake Murray’s populations of striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bream, catfish, and more. Unlike the other species, striped bass cannot reproduce naturally in Lake Murray and so they are entirely stocked (at fingerling size) by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. In terms of its forage base, Lake Murray has both gizzard and threadfin shad, but the baitfish that may have the most effect on large predator species are non-native blueback herring. Lake Murray is a popular fishing destination 365 days per year.
