South Carolina fishing reports
301 reports for South Carolina — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fall bass pattern settles in at Lake Murray as water cools
Lake Murray hosted the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship this month, and B.A.S.S. News noted the final day brought a strong wind that forced anglers to change areas. Ewing Minor won with a three-day total of 292.75 inches, a reminder that bass are catchable here as fall settles in. Major League Fishing also covered a Phoenix Bass Fishing League regional on Clarks Hill Lake on October 17. Upstate gauge readings show water temperatures in the upper 50s to upper 60s, with USGS gauge 02156500 at 67°F and 1,920 cfs and gauge 021623975 at 58°F.
Lake Murray fall bite builds as water cools into the 60s
Fall bass are the story this week. B.A.S.S. News covered the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship on Lake Murray, where wind forced anglers to change areas on the final day, a reminder that weather shapes where fish and anglers end up. Our readings from the Upstate gauges show water temperatures of 60 to 68°F, a comfortable range for Largemouth Bass to feed ahead of winter. Per Tactical Bassin (blog), a bladed underspin swimbait is a strong choice when bass chase baitfish in fall, and a separate piece from the same outlet points to jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater in shallow water for October bass.
Santee and Lake Murray fall bass bite follows cooling water
Gauge readings in the upstate feeders show water temperatures from 62°F to 71°F, with gauge 02156500 at 71°F and 2,420 cfs and gauge 02163001 at 69°F and 296 cfs. Per B.A.S.S. News, the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship was held on Lake Murray this week. Day 1 leader Jacob Berryhill weighed a five-bass limit and anchored his bag with a 22-inch largemouth, which suggests fish are catchable there right now. Per Tactical Bassin (blog), bass are chasing baitfish in the fall, and a blade on a swimbait adds flash and vibration when they are on the move.
Charleston Harbor warm water keeps redfish in play
Both harbor tide stations read in the mid-70s this morning, 77.2°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 and 76.6°F at station 8661070. That is warm for mid-October, and it keeps fish comfortable and feeding through the day rather than bunching up in the deepest holes. Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater reports red drum as the main focus in Pamlico/Neuse River this month, with fish spread throughout the river and bait plentiful. Up the coast at Topsail, the same outlet notes slot-sized reds from the surf and piers with some over-slots mixed in. Redfish are the species to plan around in Charleston Harbor this week.
Lake Murray hosts a kayak championship as fall settles in
Gauge readings across the region this morning show water in a narrow band from 67 to 71°F. USGS gauge 02156500 reads 71°F on 2,620 cfs and USGS gauge 02163001 reads 70°F on 299 cfs. The smaller feeder at USGS gauge 021623975 is a cooler 67°F on just 14.5 cfs. That is a classic mid-October spread, with the water cool enough to shift fish toward shallower feeding and warm enough that the bite hasn't slowed. Lake Murray is also in the spotlight. Per B.A.S.S. News, the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship was held there, with Jacob Berryhill taking the Day 1 lead on a five-fish limit measuring 98.5 inches, and Wyatt Hammond reported in command on Day 2.
Redfish season builds as Charleston's water stays warm
Water around Charleston Harbor is still summer-warm, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 reading 78.1°F and station 8661070 at 77.2°F late on the afternoon of October 16. That is well above what most anglers expect in mid-October, and it keeps fish active and feeding through the day. The only species with a direct report in our intel is redfish. Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater says red drum are the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse River in North Carolina, and that surf and pier anglers near Topsail have seen slot-sized fish with some over-slots mixed in. Those reports are from farther north, but they point to the same fall redfish pattern running along the Carolina coast.
Fall transition sets up steady Lake Murray bite
Water in the region is sitting in the upper 60s to low 70s this evening. USGS gauge 02156500 reads 71°F at 2,420 cfs, gauge 02163001 reads 70°F at 299 cfs, and gauge 021623975 reads 68°F at 14.5 cfs. That is mild water for mid-October, so fish have not yet committed to a winter pattern. Per B.A.S.S. News, Lake Murray is hosting the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship. Jacob Berryhill took Day 1 with a five-fish limit measuring 98.5 inches in a field of 154 qualified anglers, and Wyatt Hammond took the Day 2 lead at 196.25 inches over two days. Totals like those suggest the lake is giving up consistent fish to anglers who stay patient and cover water.
Warm harbor water keeps redfish and snook pushing in
Charleston Harbor water is sitting in the high 70s, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 reading 77.2°F and station 8661070 reading 76.5°F at 5:12 UTC. That is warm for mid-October and keeps the inshore bite tied to moving tide rather than to temperature. Fall redfish are the main story along the Southeast coast. Per Salt Strong (articles), big bull redfish are moving into areas most anglers overlook, and the same piece flags tripletail as a fall pattern. Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater reports red drum as the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse River this month, with bait stacked up in the river. Slot-sized fish with some over-slots mixed in are showing in the surf and at piers near Topsail/Sneads Ferry.
Santee and Lake Murray bass bite eases into fall pattern
Water is cooling into the upper 60s across the Upstate gauges, a classic signal that fall feeding is underway. USGS gauge 02156500 reads 71°F with flow near 2,490 cfs, while gauge 021623975 shows 67°F and a gentle 15.1 cfs. Bass anglers got a clear read this week. Per MLF News, the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on Clarks Hill Lake held its Day 1 weigh-in on October 15, a sign the region's reservoirs are fishing well enough to host tournament pressure. B.A.S.S. News reported Jacob Berryhill took the Day 1 lead at the Kayak Championship on Lake Murray with 98.5 inches, so kayak-accessible shoreline and shallow cover are producing.
Warm Charleston water keeps redfish and snook in play
Charleston Harbor water is sitting in the high 70s this week, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 reading 77.9°F and station 8661070 at 77.2°F as of the late-afternoon observation. That is still summer-warm for mid-October, and it keeps fish feeding comfortably through the day rather than bunching up in the deepest holes. Fisherman's Post reports redfish as the main focus up the coast on the Pamlico/Neuse, with fish spread throughout the river and plenty of bait around. Slot-sized red drum, with some over-slot fish mixed in, have also been showing for surf and pier anglers around Topsail and Sneads Ferry per the same publication. Those are North Carolina reports, but the same fall pattern of redfish following bait applies along the South Carolina coast. Salt Strong's fall coverage points to big bull redfish moving into areas many anglers overlook, which fits the season.
Fall bass and crappie patterns set up across the Saluda corridor
Gauge readings across the upstate drainage show water temperatures from 65 to 70 degrees, a comfortable fall range that keeps fish feeding as cooler nights arrive. USGS gauge 02156500 reads 70°F with flow near 2,390 cfs, while gauge 02163001 shows 68°F at 418 cfs. B.A.S.S. News reports giant largemouth wolf packs haunting the shallows on Lake Murray, with practice rumors of 103 to 110 inch kayak totals ahead of the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship, though big bites were described as hard to generate.
Redfish lead the fall bite as Carolina bait stays thick
Water temperature reads 76.8°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 and 76.1°F at station 8661070, still warm for mid-October. Redfish are the story across the Carolinas this week. Per Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater, anglers fishing the surf and piers around Topsail/Sneads Ferry have found a run of slot-sized red drum with some over-slot fish mixed in. Another report from the Pamlico/Neuse River says redfish are the main focus, with fish spread throughout the river and a lot of bait around. Those reports come from North Carolina. They describe the same fall pattern we expect along the South Carolina coast as bait pushes out of the creeks and rivers. Treat them as a regional signal for Charleston Harbor, not a local catch report.