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 September 17, 2007, follows.

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, Carolina rigging with plastic worms from 25 to 35 feet deep.
  Trout: Good, from 50 to 70 feet deep trolling with Doctor and Sutton spoons.
• Crappie: Fair, using small minnows around brush. 
• Catfish: Fair, try cut bait or worms.
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets around the banks. 

Lake Keowee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using topwater lures like the Sammy 100’s, Zara Spooks, buzzbaits and floating worms early in the morning.
• Crappie: Fair, using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 20 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings. Also night fishing around bridge pilings using lanterns.
• Catfish: Good, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using redworms and crickets around brush piles, stumps and bridge pilings         

Lake Hartwell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using 5 to 6-inch lizards, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures, and Trick worms fishing off points.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, try live herring with down-rods in deep water around the dam in 24 to 60 feet deep. Also try night fishing for stripers. 
• Crappie: Fair, using small minnows, grubs and small jigs. Fish are moving into deeper water around brush piles. 
• Catfish: Excellent, using cut herring, nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using redworms and crickets around brush piles.     

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms and lizards along rocky points and deep humps Also try buzzbaits around bush. 
• 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: Fair, using bucktails, spinners and live bait below dam. 
• Crappie: Good, using minnows and around brush piles and bridges. 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, Little Cleos and spinnerbaits. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, using Cleos, Berry Spoons and KastMasters. Also try live and cut herring. 
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and chartreuse jigs around rip-rap and brush tops.
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers around bridges and rocky points. 
• Shellcracker: Good, try jumbo redworms on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using pink worms, crickets and jumbo redworms around the banks.             

Lake Wylie:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic lizards, floating worms and topwater lures in the back of creeks. 
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using Spoons and Bucktails. 
• White Bass: Good, fish are schooling in the afternoon. 
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and chartreuse jigs around rip-rap and brush tops.
• Catfish: Excellent, using nightcrawlers on the bottom. 
• Shellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using earthworms, redworms and crickets around the banks.     

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting floating worms, topwater plugs. Plastic worms in around docks and structure in 12 to 15 feet of water during the day. 
• Stripers: Fair, behind the dam using Bombers, Charlie plugs and bucktails.
• White Bass: Good, fish are schooling around Goat Island and around the dam area. The most productive way to catch these fish is casting a popping cork , trailing it with 18 inches of leader with a medium-size popping bug or spinnerbait. 
• Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and mini jigs over brush in 12 to 15 feet of water. Night fishing is the most productive time to catch crappie. 
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers on the bottom. 
• Bream: Fair, using redworms and crickets 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. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, using live shad with down-rods in 15 to 25 feet of water. Catches reported with top water plugs. Stripers also suspended in 15 to 22 feet of water around the lake. 
• Crappie: Good, try Wow grubs and Slider worms using 1/8 ounce heads in neutral colors, casting and jigging along old river beds in 12 to 15 feet of water. 
• 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 and off points. 
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets and redworms. Fish during the early morning and late evening. Also try river drops.  

Lake Murray:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using topwater lures early in the morning. Also try floating worms, jerkbaits and buzzbaits along the banks. Try fishing Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged worms midday around stumps and rocky points in 8 to 20.
• Striped Bass: Fair, using live bait and down-rods in 60 to 80 feet of water.
• Crappie: Good, using jigs and minnows 10 feet and deeper around bridge pilings, brush piles and in creek runs. 
• Catfish: good, using cut live herring, cut bait and nightcrawlers 8 to 25 feet deep. 
• Bream: Good, using crickets and worms next to docks, structure and brush in 5 to 20 feet of water.                 

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using artificial worms, topwater lures, crankbaits and spinnerbaits fishing along banks and points. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, using shad and live or cut herring with down rod in about 20 feet of water. Free-lining live shiners has also been productive. Trolling has produced some stripers also.
• White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. 
• Crappie: Good, Crappie are starting to bite, using small and medium minnows around deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Also, try fishing at night.
• Catfish: Good, fishing with live-herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water.
• Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, using crickets, redworms, wigglers and nightcrawlers in 5 to 10 feet of water.         

Lake Moultrie:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure. 
• Striped Bass: Fair, fishing live herring 30 to 40 feet deep with down-rods. Night fishing the most productive. 
• Crappie: Fair. Try small to medium sized minnows around fish attraction areas and brush piles. 
• Catfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 40 to 50 feet deep. Night fishing the most productive. 
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets, green worm and redworms around public fish attractors. Fish are in 8 to 25 feet of water on beds. 
• Shellcrackers: Fair, 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.

For South Carolina freshwater fish regulations: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/pdf/freshfishing.pdf