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About Lake Wateree

Located downriver from Lake Wylie, and just below the less well-known reservoir Stumpy Pond, Lake Wateree is the southernmost lake on the Catawba River chain.  Below Lake Wateree the river is known as the Wateree River and joins with the Congaree to form the Santee Cooper lakes.  Lake Wateree was created in 1920 with the construction of a 3,380-foot dam and the Wateree Hydroelectric Station, and it is still managed by Duke Energy for hydroelectric power generation.  Slightly larger than Lake Wylie, the lake’s surface area is just less than 14,000 acres and it has around 242 miles of shoreline.  At full pool the lake’s elevation is approximately 225.5 feet, and its deepest point is around 90 feet.

A very fertile lake with a healthy baitfish population and a relative lack of development compared to other, more urban lakes, Lake Wateree is known to anglers as one of the premiere all-around fisheries in South Carolina.  The popular species targeted by fishermen on the lake include largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, white perch, and catfish.  Despite the presence of striper fishermen there is not a dominant population of blueback herring in Lake Wateree, and the main forage base is threadfin and gizzard shad.