Statewide except the water bodies listed below: Redeye (Bartrams) Bass. Caught fish on brush hogs and on jerk baits. The shooting happened onboard a pontoon boat on March 12. Although the fish will attack topwater baits and the action can be outstanding, most bass have moved away from the obvious shallow spots and have begun relating to structural features. You can catch a lot of fish some days by just working back and forth along the Skimmer Wall, Green said. There are numerous different species of fish to find on this body of water. Depths of around 15 feet on the south end of the lake are likely the most productive. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Just being on Lake Keowee, whether you are fishing or not, is a treat. He had drop shot rigs on the deck, and he has also experimented with a Damiki rig. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The Hot Hole, where warmer water gets discharged from the Oconee Nuclear Station, produces such dependable action and has the potential to create so much crowding that it is off limits in many local tournaments. Shop by brand or reel type. Close to the Chattooga River, Walhalla State Fish Hatchery, Oconee State Park, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, and the Foothills Trail. Spots continue spawning way longer because theyre main-lake oriented fish.. Jigs work very well for Spotted Bass in Lake Keowee because a jig resembles a big crawfish. Duke Energy manages the dams, the lake and shoreline around the lake. Lake Keowee. While other spoons will work Charles fishes with Captain Macks spoons the most, opting for different weights in different conditions. Lake Jocassee in South Carolina is above Lake Keowee. There are fish that will stay in creeks through the winter, but since 60-80 feet is a better depth range in the winter it needs to be deep creeks. Rainbow trout. Lake Keowee; Oconee & Pickens counties Source: Patrick Jennings / shutterstock Lake Keowee. The day we fished it was very windy, and he never put it down in favor of a more finesse-oriented bait that would be harder to fish. -- Lake Keowee, SC Kowalski Fishing 351 subscribers Subscribe 9.3K views 3 years ago #Largemouthbass #Springbassfishing We went out on Lake Keowee to do some Spring time Bass Fishing. Keowee is a beautiful, clear-water lake that's filled with spotted bass and home to far more bruiser largemouths than most bass fans probably realize. Along with that point and a couple of others, you have islands and a few different creeks coming together.. There are bream and giant catfish in Lake Keowee, with an 89-pound blue catfish caught in the spring of 2020 and there is little doubt that there are still larger fish swimming. High quality alligator habitat found on the coast was created as a result of wetland alteration during the rice-growing era. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The total surface area is 18,500 acres. Most Alabama Rigs sink at a rate of 2 feet per 1 second count. Results as follows: There were two major tournaments on Lake Keowee this weekend, and on Saturday the BFL Savannah River Division had its first event of the season. Are you in the know? A lot of smallmouths live in Cedar Creek, but you can also catch largemouths by going up it.. Read now. For bass, Green especially likes the area underneath the power lines that cross the creek. Popular freshwater catches throughout South Carolina include crappie, bream, striped bass, large and small mouth bass, catfish and trout. Required fields are marked *. See also Guides and Charters in Classifieds. Bass live on the main lake the year round, and so you can certainly fish there the whole year, but Charles finds that relatively higher numbers of fish seem to be in the creeks in the fall. Fish tend to move up first on the Hot Hole section of the lake, from Mile Creek to Stamp Creek, but I believe the fish are larger and theres better cover at South Cove, so Ive always concentrated there.. The approximately 18,500-acre lake has a full pool elevation of 800 feet, and it is oriented in a north/ south direction. This is because it resembles the smaller baitfish that the Spotted Bass are feeding up on, any of the swimbaits that are 3.3, 2.8, or 2.6 inches are perfect for what anglers are talking about when throwing on the Alabama Rig. Lake Keowee is at 97.5% of full pool and clarity is normal. Also, Keowee was once a burgeoning fishery for largemouth bass, at least as much as a deep clear, infertile lake can be, and then the spotted bass took over. View property records for 23 addresses located on Bass Lake Loop in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, including property ownership, deeds, mortgages, titles & sales history, current & historic tax assessments, legal, parcel & structure description, land use, zoning & more. He prefers a medium heavy rod as some "backbone" is needed when catching fish vertically in deep water. Lake Keowee is partially in the mountains, with the southern end in the foothills ( Google Map ). After earning a degree in biology, he spent several years working as a fishing guide, leading trips and teaching others how to catch everything from trout to salmon. Prepare for success with accurate data about the type of fish that are caugh in Lake Keowee, learn what baits are used, and fish smarter with weather forecasts. Lake Keowee. All watercraft and fishing are prohibited Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 on Cantey Bay, Black Bottom and Savannah Branch in Lake Marion. Lake Keowee covers 18,370 acres and has 300 miles of shoreline. Although best known as a winter spot because of the warmth of the discharge, this areas holds high numbers of fish year round because of the current, and the abundant structure and cover. Bass pro Brian Latimer of Anderson said that Keowee fishes like to different lakes, depending on whether you are targeting largemouths or the more dominant spots. The pattern stays the same in March as it does in January and February, so you can still catch them 30 foot to 40 foot deep. The Massachusetts striper record is held by three different anglers who each caught a 73-pound bass. 89 Spotted bass have been caught near here. Learn more. However, Lake Keowee still has a great population of Largemouth Bass and Spotted Bass and has been home to several national championship tournaments in the past because of its unique size and ability to produce pretty good bags in the springtime for tournaments bass anglers. In fact, it is probably why they have out-competed native species. Located just below Lake Jocasse, the water is surrounded by pristine wilderness and picturesque mountains. 18,500 acres. He casts them to cuts and pockets around boat docks where largemouth are lurking, particularly in the spring when the bigger females come in to bed. There was a time when the spotted bass was not king on Lake Keowee, and perhaps as a result of changes such as the DNR habitat restoration project things could change again. Lake Keowee is at 97.9% of full pool and clarity is high on the main lake with the backs of major creeks stained. Campsites are available through reservation only and the fee is $15 per night. This lake is a mid-sized South Carolina lake and has 300 miles of shoreline. Learn more. If I wanted to catch largemouth this time of year, Id probably run to the backs of pockets and throw jigs around docks, swimbaits, things like that, Latimer said. There are bass suspended in the water column, although the day we fished we did not catch any suspended fish which I understand is not unusual. The approximately 18,500-acre lake has a full pool elevation of 800 feet, and it is oriented in a north/ south direction. However, many years ago, some anglers made an unauthorized introduction of spotted bass, and that upset the ecological balance of the lake. Be sure to tell us what book with the order. Green points toward the large eddy that forms just to the right of the dam (facing the dam) and the cove on the opposite side as good places to look for schooling fish. The name brings joy to the heart of some anglers and tears to the eyes of others. Dude, this might be the lake record. The bass spawn takes place in the spring, and even though Keowee is deep and mountainous the effect of the nuclear plant means that fish actually spawn earlier on Keowee than on neighboring lakes. There is plenty of open, deep water for boating. In the vicinity of the Power Lines, its not uncommon to have fish suspended 20 or 30 feet deep over close to 100 feet of water that will readily attack surface lures. Consult with a physician before use if you have a serious medical condition or use prescription medications. That price increase was powered in part by sales on Lake Keowee, which shattered price records in 2022, and made up for in appreciation what it lacked in volume. Thought we were. Once the lure is on the bottom reel the line till it is taut and shake the rig in place. South Carolina's Lake Keowee offers spots and largemouths for savvy bass fishermen. January 56 Deg water. It also worth noting that because of the temperature variance on Lake Keowee in the spring you can more easily target fish at one stage of the spawn by moving around than on many other lakes. The lake is the cleanest and the coolest in the area. Among the most popular are Lake Jocasee, Lake Murray, Lake Moultrie, Lake Marion, and Lake Strom Thurmond. The source of the lake is the Appalachian mountain rivers which fall from dozens of waterfalls which are only visible by boat. Lake Keowee is a unique reservoir that covers more than 18,000 acres in the Upstate. Fowler operates the Fowler Fishing Guide Service on Lakes Hartwell and Keowee. The lower 50s is about as cold as Lake Keowee gets, again because of the hot hole effect. Before Lake Keowee was impounded all of the trees were cut down, and so there is no standing timber unlike in the lakes to the north and the south. Weight: 2lbs and 9oz., Length: 165in. Largemouth Bass; Spotted Bass; Crappie Join AHQ Premier for unlimited Free Shipping & access to the AHQ Report. While visual scouting for largemouth beds in the spring is common on Keowee, it is more typical to catch spotted bass off of beds that are never seen. Non-native spotted bass predominate, but largemouths are also quite plentiful. GEORGIA'S MCCAY WINS T-H MARINE FLW BFL SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE KEOWEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS . Get Directions. Jocasseeoutdoorcenter.com - Xranks. Average Length: 11.8-24 inches Average Size: 1-3 pounds South Carolina State Record: 8-pounds, 5-ounces (2001) Life Expectancy: Approximately 5 years Preferred Habitat The spotted bass is found in medium to large cool and warm mountain streams and reservoirs. Location and Fishing Information: Lake Keowee has a maximum depth just under 300 feet and has an average depth of 50 feet. The name brings joy to the heart of some anglers and tears to the eyes of others. This dive offers warm water and is performed as a drift dive due to the swift outflow from the waters in the power plant. "It took me a long time to. Green especially likes the deep water along the outside bend for spotted bass and smallmouths. 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