Fishing Report (Updated 11.8.2009)

Lake Murray is just below 357. 

Catfish: Excellent.  Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that catfishing has been outstanding and he has been catching a mixed bag of 8-25 pound blue catfish, channel cats, white catfish and flatheads.  His boat is catching fish by drifting cut bait in 20-35 feet of water through large feeder creeks that have healthy populations of baitfish.  Cut herring is hard to beat as a bait choice on Lake Murray.  On one recent trip clients caught 462 pounds of catfish below Dreher Island in seven hours!

Bream: Very good.  Shellcracker are feeding very well and have moved shallow.  They are being caught in 4-10 feet of water over hard bottoms on baby nightcrawlers and red worms. 

Striped Bass: Good.  Lake World (803-957-6548) reports that striped bass are schooling across the lake from the dam to Black’s Bridge; fish have begun their migration up the lake and into the backs of creeks.  Catching keeper sized fish is not as easy as a few weeks ago because fish are scattered across the lake, but most anglers report finding good numbers of fish.  When fish are not showing themselves on the surface and eating topwater lures, free-lining herring is the most effective technique. 

Crappie: Good.  Crappie fishing has improved up the rivers.  Anglers are catching fish by trolling 10-15 feet deep over 15-25 feet of water with live minnows around drop offs and deep brushpiles.  Fish are also being caught around bridges and deep docks.  Minnows, jigs and jigs tipped with minnows are all working.    

Largemouth Bass: Slow.  Captain Doug Lown (803-924-8946) reports that the bass bite has been tough for the past week and most fish caught are in the 1-2 pound range; better fish are hard to come by right now.  This is probably related to the lake turning over which traditionally slows down the fishing for a week or two each fall.  A few fish can be found suspended around points but most catchable fish have moved shallower.  Pockets with wood or other debris are good places to look, and some fish are being caught around docks.  Soft plastics like shakey head worms and Texas rigs are among the best bets right now.  Lots of 3-5 pound fish are probably out in the big water following roaming schools of bait but these fish are very difficult to target.  Look for fishing to get better in the next couple of weeks.

No DHEC fish advisories.

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