Lake Murray is at 350.5.
Striped bass: Fair to good. Lake World (803-957-6548) reports that striper have moved up the lake and are mostly being found above Dreher Island. Fish are not all the way up the rivers yet but they are moving that way. The most productive patterns have been fishing down-lines from the surface down to 30 feet, free-lining herring and trolling bucktails. There has been some schooling activity, and the birds are starting to show up and point the way to the fish.
Catfish: Good. Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the bite has been very consistent on Murray recently. Drifting with cut herring over main lake humps that top out at 30-50 feet has been most productive, but the productive zone will vary from day to day as fish change areas and feeding habits frequently. For the most part the catch has been good numbers of big channel catfish, but there have been bonus blues and flatheads mixed in from time to time.
Crappie: Fair. Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports that fish have settled into a fall pattern where they can be caught around brush and deep docks. With dropping water levels fish are oriented to the 20 foot breaks, and most any type of cover on the breaks will hold fish. The best area is from Dreher Island up where flats come out and then drop off into the channel. Casting small jigs or tight-lining minnows and jigs will catch fish.
Largemouth bass: Inconsistent. Veteran tournament angler Captain Doug Lown reports that the bass bite is somewhat unpredictable from day to day right now, and fish seem to following several different patterns. Some fish still seem to be up in certain shallow areas in less than four feet of water where they may be feeding on crayfish flushed out by the dropping water levels. These fish will take jigs and shaky head worms and are particularly found around rock. While they won’t be in the very backs, and need deeper water close by, they also are holding on some fairly flat areas – not necessarily steep drop offs. There are also some fish being caught up the rivers, and some anglers are already concentrating on deep water in 28-30 feet. Tons of sub-12 inch bass are taking crankbaits, which appears to be a good sign for the future.
