South Carolina Anglers 2024

Felixone reply :

I have a bit of a poll for all of you South Carolina Anglers (specifically in the Midlands area) if you are interested. I would appreciate it if some of you can answer the following questions:

What percentage of fishing outings to you get skunked (Zero Bass)?
Do you primarily fish public or private water?
Do you fish from a boat or from the bank?
What is your favorite/most productive body of water (optional)?

The reason I am asking this is because lately I have been getting skunked more often than not. Sure I catch lots of bream, crappie, and pickerel, but I am just not catching bass like I want to. I know this is probably due to the primary body of water I fish. I typically fish a HIGHLY pressured local pond so not catching bass is somewhat expected. However, I still believe that I am catching far fewer than I “should” be. I am trying to determine whether or not it is the water, or my technique. Even when I find a technique that works one day it never seems to work again. It is almost like the fish are having a nightly meeting where they warn each other about the lures that fooled them, ensuring no other fish will hit that same lure again.

I have been looking for new water, but reading the fishing reports for other large lakes in the area, it doesn’t sound like many people are catching bass there. This just makes me less interested spending the time traveling to these areas when chances are I will still get skunked when I can just travel 5 minutes for the same result.

I do want to point out that I am not looking for a specific spot, but more an idea of whether or not a lake/river is truly viable. My goal is to find water that I should be able to catch bass regularly so I am better able to work on my technique. After all, how am I supposed to improve my technique if I am not receiving positive repeatable feedback on when I do something right.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you all provide.

bassinbrady03 reply :

1. I just started tournament fishing last August and I usually get skunked 40% of the time.

2. I fish all public water.

3. Its about 60% boat 40% land.

4. Lake Wylie (Its my home lake)

Felixone reply :

Thanks for the reply bassinbrady03. Other than a slightly better catch rate than me it looks like we are in similar situations. Overtime I am probably getting skunked 60% or more of the time. I am about the same for boat/bank except I fish from a kayak so my range for traveling is much lower than if I was in a powered boat, but at the same time I also can go places boats can't.

So how do you like Lake Wylie? I have a friend who lives nearby that lake and thought about making a trip up there. Are there any good areas that are within a mile of a public boat ramp? One of the issues with some of the larger lakes I have been on is that all the good areas I have been told about are usually too far from a ramp for me to paddle all that way safely in a reasonable amount of time.

bassinbrady03 reply :

I like Lake Wylie a lot. It is very polluted and can get very dirty a times, but their are a good percentage of big fish in their. As a rule the upper end of the lake is usually dirty and the lower end clear. If you put in at the Allison Creek ramp their are some great places in that area. I would fish around the Crowders Creek area. I would stay away from the Buster Boyd boat launch unless you are in a engine powered boat.

Felixone reply :

Awesome! Thanks again, I will look into those spots and see if I can't make a trip up there in a few weeks. I was actually hoping to get to Marion this weekend but they are calling for thunderstorms so that is a no go in a kayak for me. Weather permitting I might head down the first weekend in May. I might try to hit Wylie the weekend after.

Again, thanks for the input.

bassinbrady03 reply :

I am pre-fishing Marion this weekend for the High School state championship May 3rd. I hope it does not storm to bad down there. I will send you message about how I do. If you decide to go to Wylie shoot me a message and hopefully I can give some info about the bite.

Felixone reply :

Bassin, that would be great. Weather permitting it sounds like we might be there around the same time as I am planning to head down there the weekend after next if it isn't storming. I don't mind rain, but I try to stay off the water during thunderstorms. Good luck this weekend. I hope you figure the fish out and kick butt in the tournament next weekend.

bassinbrady03 reply :

Thanks Felix. Maybe we will see each other.

retiredbosn reply :

If you go to Marion, launch near the canal, fish the back waters, bays and coves. There are tournaments there every weekend and the release area is normally near the canal.

Murray fish near Dreher island, same reason. Murray is a herring lake, bass are thru spawning and are hanging off of points, suspended typical SC herring lake behavior. Stupid things are a mystery, except when stripers are around. Then the largemouth hang under the school and eat leftovers.

I fish primarily during the week, allot of time the back seat is empty. You're welcome to tag along, hopefully teach me something.

blackmax135 reply :

On 4/22/2015 at 10:56 PM, Felixone said:

I have a bit of a poll for all of you South Carolina Anglers (specifically in the Midlands area) if you are interested. I would appreciate it if some of you can answer the following questions:

What percentage of fishing outings to you get skunked (Zero Bass)?

Do you primarily fish public or private water?

Do you fish from a boat or from the bank?

What is your favorite/most productive body of water (optional)?

The reason I am asking this is because lately I have been getting skunked more often than not. Sure I catch lots of bream, crappie, and pickerel, but I am just not catching bass like I want to. I know this is probably due to the primary body of water I fish. I typically fish a HIGHLY pressured local pond so not catching bass is somewhat expected. However, I still believe that I am catching far fewer than I “should” be. I am trying to determine whether or not it is the water, or my technique. Even when I find a technique that works one day it never seems to work again. It is almost like the fish are having a nightly meeting where they warn each other about the lures that fooled them, ensuring no other fish will hit that same lure again.

I have been looking for new water, but reading the fishing reports for other large lakes in the area, it doesn’t sound like many people are catching bass there. This just makes me less interested spending the time traveling to these areas when chances are I will still get skunked when I can just travel 5 minutes for the same result.

I do want to point out that I am not looking for a specific spot, but more an idea of whether or not a lake/river is truly viable. My goal is to find water that I should be able to catch bass regularly so I am better able to work on my technique. After all, how am I supposed to improve my technique if I am not receiving positive repeatable feedback on when I do something right.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you all provide.

What do you considered skunked?

I normally fish public waters.

I fish 85% of the time in a boat.

I like anywere on the savannah river.

Felixone reply :

Retiredbosn - Thanks for the input. I have fished Murray a lot but for the most part I put in at Hilton Recreation Area and work that whole cove. I have been wanting to try out the Dreher Island area, and will definitely have to fit it into the schedule.

blackmax135 - Skunked, at least in this case means no bass, even if I have caught other species.

For those that are interested I took a trip to Lake Wateree this past weekend. It wasn't overly successful in regards to landing bass, but I did manage to bring one in. I lost and missed quite a few though. It was the most action I have seen in weeks, and was definitely a confidence boost. It also gave me a few things to work on. Primarily being improving my hook-ups when using heavy hooks (chatterbaits in this case), as well as staying more focused so I don't miss strikes. At this point I am still contemplating whether to go back to Wateree or heading down to Marion this coming weekend. Since this was my first trip to Wateree it was more of a getting a feel for the water. I am thinking if I go back I will be even more productive as I have a better understanding what to expect.

bassinbrady03 reply :

I went to Marion Saturday and I did pretty awful it rained pretty much the whole time. My partner and I fished above the I-95 bridge in creeks that went way back into the swamp. The main lake was so dirty it looked orange. That morning the shad spawn was on and bass were blowing up everywhere. I had a good one on a frog but it came off. My partner caught one on a white super fluke. They next action wasn't until later in the day. I caught a 1 pounder on a bluegill chatterbait and my partner caught maybe a 2 pounder on a black and blue lizard texas rigged up in some cyprus trees. That was it for the day.

Felixone I would go to Wateree. If you decide to go to Marion a couple guys told us that the fishing was great at the lower end of the lake. Unfortunately we didnt have time to fish it. They said to fish Taw-Caw Creek and Goat Island. These are both close to John C boat launch.

Felixone reply :

Bassin, thanks for the follow up. Definitely sounds like I need to go back to Wateree for a bit. This is especially true as I was planning to hit the very upper part of the lake as it is the closest to me. Going down to the bottom of the lake almost doubles travel time, and getting there on the water would be completely out of the question in kayak. I will definitely looking into that area though. Maybe I will hit it in a couple weeks. Regardless, good luck on your tournament this weekend. Here's to a 25+ lb bag!

bassinbrady03 reply :

Thanks Felixone. I will be sure to let you know how I do. Please let me know how you do on Wateree.

blackmax135 reply :

On 4/27/2015 at 11:24 PM, Felixone said:

Retiredbosn - Thanks for the input. I have fished Murray a lot but for the most part I put in at Hilton Recreation Area and work that whole cove. I have been wanting to try out the Dreher Island area, and will definitely have to fit it into the schedule.

blackmax135 - Skunked, at least in this case means no bass, even if I have caught other species.

For those that are interested I took a trip to Lake Wateree this past weekend. It wasn't overly successful in regards to landing bass, but I did manage to bring one in. I lost and missed quite a few though. It was the most action I have seen in weeks, and was definitely a confidence boost. It also gave me a few things to work on. Primarily being improving my hook-ups when using heavy hooks (chatterbaits in this case), as well as staying more focused so I don't miss strikes. At this point I am still contemplating whether to go back to Wateree or heading down to Marion this coming weekend. Since this was my first trip to Wateree it was more of a getting a feel for the water. I am thinking if I go back I will be even more productive as I have a better understanding what to expect.

Well then its rare for me to get skunked. But this year in the past month I have been getting skunked. I can normally get at least one bass in the boat but haven't been able to lately. Don't feel bad because you aren't' the only one in this situation. The way I see it is that it happens to everyone even some of the greats, even though you never see them not catching fish, thats because they don't show that part and they don't talk about it. They also get to fish the best fishing waters in the world. Our luck will pick up soon!!!!

retiredbosn reply :

On 4/28/2015 at 8:21 AM, blackmax135 said:
Well then its rare for me to get skunked. But this year in the past month I have been getting skunked. I can normally get at least one bass in the boat but haven't been able to lately. Don't feel bad because you aren't' the only one in this situation. The way I see it is that it happens to everyone even some of the greats, even though you never see them not catching fish, thats because they don't show that part and they don't talk about it. They also get to fish the best fishing waters in the world. Our luck will pick up soon!!!!

Even KVD has had a rough couple of years, he didn't qualify for the classic at Hartwell this year. I get skunked especially at Murray. My goal this year is to learn off shore fishing for the suspended bass there. I have often said fishing there is more like offshore salt water fishing

blackmax135 reply :

On 4/28/2015 at 8:28 AM, retiredbosn said:
Even KVD has had a rough couple of years, he didn't qualify for the classic at Hartwell this year. I get skunked especially at Murray. My goal this year is to learn off shore fishing for the suspended bass there. I have often said fishing there is more like offshore salt water fishing

I have heard murray is a tough place. I have never been there except to see the forrest wood cup last year. I would have to say my goal is the same because when I go out and I see that fish are out deep I get a bad feeling going down my arms and a lot of discouragement. Its time to move away from the bank and pull up my big boy panties and learn.

Matthew2000 reply :

Well the last 5 times I've been out I have managed atleast one bass. Try a fluke it's working like a charm for me this time of year.

GoTakeANap reply :

On 4/27/2015 at 11:55 PM, bassinbrady03 said:

I went to Marion Saturday and I did pretty awful it rained pretty much the whole time. My partner and I fished above the I-95 bridge in creeks that went way back into the swamp. The main lake was so dirty it looked orange. That morning the shad spawn was on and bass were blowing up everywhere. I had a good one on a frog but it came off. My partner caught one on a white super fluke. They next action wasn't until later in the day. I caught a 1 pounder on a bluegill chatterbait and my partner caught maybe a 2 pounder on a black and blue lizard texas rigged up in some cyprus trees. That was it for the day.

Felixone I would go to Wateree. If you decide to go to Marion a couple guys told us that the fishing was great at the lower end of the lake. Unfortunately we didnt have time to fish it. They said to fish Taw-Caw Creek and Goat Island. These are both close to John C boat launch.

You can catch a bunch a decent bass around the blowout. Its where the Conagree river flows into Lake Marion. If you put in at Stumphole landing the blowout is right across the lake from the landing. Nothing but pads and cypress trees everywhere. Alot of bass are holding to the trees in the shallows this time of the year. A big bass producer on this lake this time of year is a 3/8 oz brown jig with a brown craw tralior or throwing dark color senkos at the base of the trees.. Hope this helps.

GoTakeANap reply :

This is why they call it stumphole. Pic off the net that was posted when the lake was low.

Map of the landing.

Felixone reply :

So last night I happened to be channel surfing and caught a bit of an episode of River Monsters. Although I like this show just to see the giant fish he catches this episode had a nice encouraging message for me in a roundabout way. I can't remember what type of fish he was going for, but I had to laugh when he caught a little one and then said that he was happy because he had been fishing for an hour and caught nothing. What he said next is what shocked me. He talked about how when you go for a little while without catching fish you tend to zone out and not pay close enough attention. As a result when the big one comes along you will screw it up because you weren't expecting it.

The funny thing was after I came home on Saturday I was telling my wife about how it went. One of the things I told her is that because I am so unaccustomed to actually catching fish right now that when I did get hits my reaction time was way off and I ended up missing them. It was nice to hear that even "pros" can experience the same thing I am going through (or was going through).

Now as far as Murray goes, I might have to put that lake on hold for a bit, unless I poke around Dreher Island. As I don't have a boat getting to the deeper fish on a kayak can be a little stressful with all the boat traffic. Lake Marion/Stumphole is a definite in the very near future. That place looks like a dream for a kayak. All those little pockets that regular boats can't reach make me drool. I had originally planned to put in a bit further north, but based on what I have just seen I think the extra drive will be worth it.

Thanks again to everyone for the great information!

scfox11 reply :

What percentage of fishing outings to you get skunked (Zero Bass)?- Usually never, but sometimes it is just 1 or 2 fish.
Do you primarily fish public or private water?- Both, I fish big lakes, Murray and Wateree, and simi private reservoirs/ponds, and private ponds
Do you fish from a boat or from the bank?- Both, but usually I prefer the boat. I have a 17’ cc that I use on the big lakes and a 14’ jon boat I use on the smaller bodies of water.
What is your favorite/most productive body of water (optional)? Depends on how I’m feeling. There is a private pond I fish where I will catch 15-20 fish 2lbs and up every time. Max depth of 7’ and lots of timber. I also like Lake Murray a lot because within the last year I really learned how to fish it. I can also take a break and fish for stripers as well.

Usually on the big lakes I don’t catch as much either but I will catch fish and I like being on the water as well so that’s why I enjoy the big lakes. On the smaller waters fronts really affect the fish a lot, at least that is what I have encountered. I have fished a 6 acre pond and caught 40 fish in one outing with good low pressure. I went out to the same pond with high pressure and caught 3. When things are tough I usually go to the senko, either weightless or texas rigged. I have found what works on the waters I fish though. I will pm you some possible spots to try out in the midlands.

GoTakeANap reply :

On 4/28/2015 at 9:13 PM, Felixone said:

So last night I happened to be channel surfing and caught a bit of an episode of River Monsters. Although I like this show just to see the giant fish he catches this episode had a nice encouraging message for me in a roundabout way. I can't remember what type of fish he was going for, but I had to laugh when he caught a little one and then said that he was happy because he had been fishing for an hour and caught nothing. What he said next is what shocked me. He talked about how when you go for a little while without catching fish you tend to zone out and not pay close enough attention. As a result when the big one comes along you will screw it up because you weren't expecting it.

The funny thing was after I came home on Saturday I was telling my wife about how it went. One of the things I told her is that because I am so unaccustomed to actually catching fish right now that when I did get hits my reaction time was way off and I ended up missing them. It was nice to hear that even "pros" can experience the same thing I am going through (or was going through).

Now as far as Murray goes, I might have to put that lake on hold for a bit, unless I poke around Dreher Island. As I don't have a boat getting to the deeper fish on a kayak can be a little stressful with all the boat traffic. Lake Marion/Stumphole is a definite in the very near future. That place looks like a dream for a kayak. All those little pockets that regular boats can't reach make me drool. I had originally planned to put in a bit further north, but based on what I have just seen I think the extra drive will be worth it.

Thanks again to everyone for the great information!

There are alot of places in between stumphole and low falls landing boats cant get. Lilly pads everywhere. Avg depth is 3-6 all of through the cypress trees. When you see it in person, your mouth will drop. Its just breath taking.

Talked to my cousin today. They have been burning the bass up on spinnerbaits all around packs landing.

GoTakeANap reply :

I thought about this last night after I got off. Be careful when you go out in these areas at Lake Marion if you aren't familiar with them. Monster gators all throughout the swamp in those areas.

blackmax135 reply :

On 5/3/2015 at 10:32 AM, GoTakeANap said:
I thought about this last night after I got off. Be careful when you go out in these areas at Lake Marion if you aren't familiar with them. Monster gators all throughout the swamp in those areas.

There are some monster gators out there but I would be more worried about hitting a stump

Matthew2000 reply :

Caught two on a horny toad and one on a senko. One of the horny toads had a belly weighted underspin as the hook that helped in the muddy water I think.

GaterB reply :

Felixone, What boat landing on Lake Wateree did you use? That's home water for me 7 months out of the year

Felixone reply :

On 5/5/2015 at 10:28 AM, GaterB said:
Felixone, What boat landing on Lake Wateree did you use? That's home water for me 7 months out of the year

Gater, I went to Clearwater Cove. I spent most of the time working the cove to the left of the launch when looking at the lake.

the reel ess reply :

1. I almost always catch SOMETHING. Last time I got skunked was winter (this year). And I messed a big'un on a spinnerbait with Colorado blades.

My wife bought me a fishing journal for Christmas and I finally started using it. I'm surprised how much it helps to write it all down and relive it in your mind.

2. Almost entirely private. But the best one has several people that fish it for bream, bass and crappie. A few of us share knowledge of what's going on at any given time. I got tired of fishing places where people with $50-60K boats managed to always get to my favorite spot before me even if I slept in the boat. So I decided I'd simplify and got the kayak. It was a really good move. If I hadn't I might have stopped bass fishing altogether.

3. At the larger places, all by kayak, back of my buddy's boat or occasionally my own boat.

4. The local reservoir (one of the backup water sources).

Felixone reply :

On 5/7/2015 at 9:37 AM, the reel ess said:

1. I almost always catch SOMETHING. Last time I got skunked was winter (this year). And I messed a big'un on a spinnerbait with Colorado blades.

My wife bought me a fishing journal for Christmas and I finally started using it. I'm surprised how much it helps to write it all down and relive it in your mind.

2. Almost entirely private. But the best one has several people that fish it for bream, bass and crappie. A few of us share knowledge of what's going on at any given time. I got tired of fishing places where people with $50-60K boats managed to always get to my favorite spot before me even if I slept in the boat. So I decided I'd simplify and got the kayak. It was a really good move. If I hadn't I might have stopped bass fishing altogether.

3. At the larger places, all by kayak, back of my buddy's boat or occasionally my own boat.

4. The local reservoir (one of the backup water sources).

I like the fishing journal idea. I have also thought about making my own maps of lakes that I fish that don't already have them available. I know some apps like Fishidy let you do something like this, but I haven't used it much. Although, I think Fishidy fails in that most anglers don't like sharing details, they just want to share pics of the fish they catch. One of these days I will do some research and find the perfect app, or just make my own.

I am actually a bit opposite from you in regards to the kayak. I started with Kayak fishing, and now I want a proper boat. Although, I still might stick with the kayak. There are only two or three lakes that I fish regularly that I could even use the boat on. Add in a couple rivers and that is it. On the other hand, I fish 6-8 lakes/ponds that you can't use a boat on. Granted, it isn't like getting a boat prevents me from still using the kayak, but I am concerned that one or other will just sit. This isn't such a big deal for the kayak, but if the boat sits then it is wasting money.

the reel ess reply :

On 5/7/2015 at 11:19 PM, Felixone said:

I like the fishing journal idea. I have also thought about making my own maps of lakes that I fish that don't already have them available. I know some apps like Fishidy let you do something like this, but I haven't used it much. Although, I think Fishidy fails in that most anglers don't like sharing details, they just want to share pics of the fish they catch. One of these days I will do some research and find the perfect app, or just make my own.

I am actually a bit opposite from you in regards to the kayak. I started with Kayak fishing, and now I want a proper boat. Although, I still might stick with the kayak. There are only two or three lakes that I fish regularly that I could even use the boat on. Add in a couple rivers and that is it. On the other hand, I fish 6-8 lakes/ponds that you can't use a boat on. Granted, it isn't like getting a boat prevents me from still using the kayak, but I am concerned that one or other will just sit. This isn't such a big deal for the kayak, but if the boat sits then it is wasting money.

My boat sits. Even when I use it, it's to go to a place I can't run a motor. I have to crank the motor every so often to be sure it'll run. I'm trying to decide whether to take it tomorrow morning or the yak. I think probably the yak.

A fisher reply :

Anyone fish forest lake

the reel ess reply :

grampa1114 reply :

So I have a question.....as it turns out.....I'll probably settle just south of Ridgeland and am wondering if there are any Bass in the West branch of Harbor River?

Taylor0208 reply :

Just seen this thread and not sure if you got your answer or not but lake wateree is a good lake. We are still fishing tournaments at lake robinson in hartsville. If you have a boat and willing to travel the CATT trail has tournament series all over the state. We are finishing up robinson then we will start back on wateree end of February. Check out the website and see the schedule and all

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