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 October 8, 2007, follows.

Mountains Area
Lake Jocassee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, and topwater plugs with slow retrieve. Also in early morning drifting minnows off shallow points.
• Trout: Slow, trolling early in the day in 70 to 90 feet water with Sutton, Doctor and Apex spoons. Also try drifting large minnows and nightcrawlers early in the morning in 75 to 100 feet of water.
• Smallmouth Bass: Fair. Try 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 crickets and redworms around banks and brush.

Lake Keowee:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting Carolina-rigged worms, crankbaits and jerk baits to the banks around brush and using top-water plugs. Most productive time to catch fish is early morning and throughout daylight hours.
• Crappie: Fair, using small minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water around brush piles and bridge pilings.
• Catfish: Excellent, using jumbo minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and around stumps. Also, try fishing around bridge pilings.     

Lake Hartwell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, crankbaits, topwater lures and flukes fishing off points. Best catches reported at dawn and dusk.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using live herring with down-rods in deep water around river channels 15 to 30 feet deep. Good catches with top water plugs, spoons and cleos when in schools. Also trolling RoadRunners with bucktail jigs.
• Crappie: Fair, using small and medium minnows along with small crappie jigs. Fish are being caught in 15 to 30 feet of water over structure.
• Catfish: Excellent, using cut herring, nightcrawlers, shrimp and chicken livers on the bottom. 
• Bream: Good, using redworms and crickets around brush piles and cover.     

Piedmont Area
Lake Russell:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting plastic worms and lizards along rocky points and deep humps Also try buzzbaits around bush.  Yellow Perch: Fair, fishing medium minnows deep and jigging spoons.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Good, early morning with bucktails, cut and live herring and jigs especially when water is running below dam. Night fishing has been the most productive.
• Crappie: Very Good, using minnows around brush piles and bridge pilings in 14 to 15 feet of water. 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, spinnerbaits and top water plugs. Good catches with deep-running Rebels and ShadRaps. Yozuri plugs and Challenger plugs.
• Striped and Hybrid Bass: Fair, using Cleos, Berry Spoons, 1/2 ounce yellow and white RoadRunners with bucktails and KastMasters. Good catches around the dam in 30 to 50 feet of water. Also, try large minnows and live herring.
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around deep brush tops.
• Catfish: Good, using cut bait and nightcrawlers fishing on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using Louisiana pink worms, crickets and jumbo redworms around the banks.                 

Lake Wylie:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting bass jigs and medium-running crankbaits along points close to the bottom.
• Striped Bass: Good, using spoons and bucktails behind Lake Wylie dam.
• Crappie: Good, using small minnows and jigs around brush tops in 20 to 25 feet of water. Best time to catch crappies is at night.
• Catfish: Good, using various baits on the bottom. Excellent night fishing results.
• Shellcracker: Good, using redworms and crickets on the bottom.
• Bream: Good, using earthworms and crickets around the banks. 

Midlands Area
Lake Greenwood:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, using plastic worms and lizards around points and in brush piles in 8 to 12 feet of water. Floating worms and topwater lures early in the morning are producing some fish along banks.
• Stripers: Good, behind the dam using Bombers, Charlie plugs, and Flukes.
• 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, casting to deep banks with deep-running crankbaits and plastic worms.
• Striped Bass: Fair, using cut bait in the lower end of the lake, 40 to 50 feet of water, near the dam. Some fish being caught below Wateree Dam with topwater lures.
• Crappie: Fair, try trolling with Wow grubs or Slider grubs. Fish are at the mouths of major feeder creeks suspended in the water column 12 feet deep.
• Catfish: Good, live redworms, nightcrawlers, using live shad, small pieces of shrimp and cut bait close to bottom in major feeder creeks.
• Bream: Good, using crickets and redworms. Also, try river drops around brush.

Lake Murray:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting to submerged grass along banks up to 8 foot of water with Texas-rigged and Carolina rigged worms.
• Striped Bass: Fair, using down-rod with live herring, 20 to 60 feet deep, in up to 100 feet of water; also free-lining herring. 
• Crappie: Good, using jigs and minnows around bridge pilings, brush piles in 10 to 20 feet of water.
• Catfish: Good, using cut live herring, cut bait and nightcrawlers in 8 to 25 feet.
• Bream and Shellcracker: Fair, using crickets and worms next to docks, structure and brush in 5 to 20 feet of water.

Santee Cooper System            
Lake Marion:

• Largemouth Bass: Fair, using artificial worms, and topwater Rebels fishing along the banks and point early in the morning.
• Striped Bass: Fair, using shad and live herring with down rods in 25 feet of water.
• White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons.
• Crappie: Fair, Try using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers.
• Catfish: Excellent, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water. 
• Bream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using redworms and crickets in 4 to 8 feet of water.          

Lake Moultrie:

• Largemouth Bass: Good, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure.
• Striped Bass: Good, Jigging and with down-rods in 30 feet of water with live herring near the powerhouse and also trolling stretch 25's when live bait does not produce fish in 30 feet of water. Night fishing has been the most productive.
• Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles.
• Catfish: Excellent, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 30 to 35 feet deep.
• Bream: Excellent, using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors and around the dam.
• 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