Freshwater fishing trends are provided by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations visit the SCDNR website. Freshwater fishing trends for the week of December 10, 2007, follows.

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, slow retrieves with plastic worms, casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs. Good catches in the early morning. 
  Trout: Good, trolling with Apex lures, Sutton spoons and Yozuri baits from surface to 30 feet deep. Also good catches reported with crippled herring jigs in shallow water and with live minnows. 
  Smallmouth Bass: Slow, drifting large minnows and brown hair jigs around rocky points and rocky banks. 
  Crappie: Slow, Try small minnows and jigs around brush piles. 
  Catfish: Fair, using nightcrawlers or cut bait on bottom. 
  Bream: Good, using popping bugs and red worms around banks and brush. 

Lake Keowee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, Try doodling and drop shotting Carolina-rigged worms in green or red colors and jigging spoons in 30 to 50 feet of water in the mouths of creeks and off rocky points after mid-morning.
  Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. 
  Catfish: Good, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom.
  Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try fishing around bridge pilings. 

Lake Hartwell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using 5 to 6-inch lizards, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, and Trick worms fishing off points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk. Also try fishing in coves. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using umbrella rigs also live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep. Trolling activity has increased, try depths of 15 to 25 feet of water. Schooling activity on the lake has increased. 
• Crappie: Fair, using medium minnows, grubs and small jigs. Fish are moving into deeper water around brush piles. 
• Catfish: Fair, using cut herring, nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom. 
• Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and cover. 

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, try spinner baits around bush in creeks and shallow running crankbaits. 
• Yellow Perch: Good, fishing medium minnows deep and jigging spoons. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, night fishing and early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam.
• White Bass: Poor, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. 
• Crappie: Good, using minnows around brush piles and bridge pilings. Also try fishing jigs along banks with cover. 
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using red wigglers, pinks, crickets and nightcrawlers.             

Lake Thurmond:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms. Also, try Little Cleos and spinnerbaits. Also, try casting shallow running baits. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Also, try large minnows and live herring. 
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops. Some limits being caught. 
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers fishing on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using Louisiana pink worms and jumbo redworms around the banks. 

Lake Wylie:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium-running crankbaits. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Spoons and Bucktails. 
• White Bass: Good, fish are schooling in the afternoon. 
• Crappie: Excellent, using small minnows and chartreuse jigs around rip-rap and brush tops. Some crappie has been reported caught in the 1 pound and over category. 
• Catfish: Good, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. 
• Shellcracker: Fair, using redworms and crickets on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using earthworms, redworms and crickets around the banks.       

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting topwater plugs and crank bait. Plastic worms in around docks and structure in 5 to 10 feet of water during the day. Some larger fish are being caught on crank baits off points. 
• Stripers: Good, behind the dam and fair in the lake using live bait. Try fishing small spinners and jigging Berry Spoons in 12 to 15 feet of water. 
• White Bass and White Perch: Good, fish are schooling in the upper part of the lake. Try using small spinners and jigging spoons. 
• Crappie: Good, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 12 to 15 feet of water. Drift fishing in 12 feet of water using minnows or jigs has also been productive during daylight hours. 
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and blood bait off points in 8 to 15 feet of water on the bottom. 
• Bream: Slow, using redworms along shore and docks.

Lake Wateree:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using, crankbaits and Carolina rigged worms. Fish have moved into deep water along drops around brush. Look for water currents and schooling fish. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, using live shad with down-rods in 15 to 25 feet of water. Stripers are starting to school early morning and late during the day. Stripers are schooling at the mouth of Beaver Creek. Good catches reported with top water plugs. Stripers also suspended in 15 to 22 feet of water all over the lake. 
• Crappie: Good, try minnows Wow grubs and Slider worms using 1/8 ounce heads in neutral colors, casting and jigging along old river beds in 11 to 13 feet of water. Fish are being caught in Wateree, Singleton and Beaver creek areas. 
• Catfish: Good, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in 10 to 20 feet of water and deeper down the lake. Also, try Cedar Creek dam area. Night fishing has been productive along underwater bars off points. 
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets and redworms. Fish during the early morning and late evening for bream during mayfly hatches near deep water. Also, try river drops around brush.

  *** Beaver Creek Public Landing on Lake Wateree, Kershaw County will be closed Monday, Dec. 17 through Wednesday, Dec. 19 to make repairs on the existing boat ramp. Beaver Creek Landing is northeast of Camden at the end of County Road 543 off SC Highway 97.

Lake Murray:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using topwater lures early in the morning. Use lite, short Carolina rigged finesse worms with a short leader around rocks and gravel bottom. Try shaky head rigged finesse worms with 6- to 8-pound test line. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, try live herring on down-rods off the bottom in 30 feet of water. Bump buck tails off bottom. 
• Crappie: Fair, using jigs and small tuffy minnows trolling in creek runs and fishing over brush piles and deep water docks.
• White Perch: Good, try jigging spoons and tuffies or worms. 
• Catfish: Fair, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom.
• Bream: Slow. Try fishing redworms and crickets around flooded grass wall and docks with brush.
• Shellcrackers: Good, using redworms and baby nightcrawlers in 15 to 20 feet of water off points.   

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms, topwater rebel lures, fishing along the banks and point. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, schooling around the Dam, flat line blue back herring or trolling stretch 25's.
• White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. 
• Crappie: Good, they are taking on more of a spring like attitude with the low water and sunshine warming the areas. Try using minnows and jigs around brush piles in 15-20 foot of water. Reports of 3 lb crappie are being caught. 
• Catfish: Good, especially in the dead forest area using cut bait and minnows. Drifting deep drop offs in the day time and flat lining seem to be more effective.
• Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, biting on crickets and worms over deep brush piles in 15-20 foot of water.

Lake Moultrie:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure around Hog Swamp in shallow water.
• Striped Bass: Good, schooling around the Dam, flat line blue back herring or trolling stretch 25's. 
• Crappie: Good, they are taking on more of a spring like attitude with the low water and sunshine warming the areas. Try using minnows and jigs around brush piles in 15-20 foot of water.
• Catfish: Good, large schools of menhaden are in the Lake around the Bonneau and Short Stay area, try using cut bait, shad seems to be the best. Drifting is more productive.
• Bream: Good, biting on crickets and worms over deep brush piles in 15-20 foot of water.
• Shellcrackers: Slow, try redworms and green worms along the banks along river runs and points.

REPORTERS: The S.C. Department of Natural Resources appreciates the cooperation of fishing trend reporters for South Carolina's major lakes: Jocassee - Jocassee Outdoor Center; Keowee - Fishing Hole; Hartwell - Lake Hartwell Fishing and Marine; Russell - Tony's Bait and Tackle; Thurmond - Bladon's; Wylie - Catawba Tackle; Greenwood - Sportsman's Friend; Wateree - Wateree Marina; Murray - Dooley's Sport Shop, Lake World; Marion - Randolph's Landing; and Moultrie - Atkins Boat Landing - Mr. David Sweat

South Carolina freshwater fish regulations