October 27

Lake Jocassee is at 92.3% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are still in the lower 70s.

We were promised that there would be some good trout caught in the fall on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that his son Casey had a banner day for browns this week topped off with a 6 plus pound fish! Water temperatures are dropping slowly on Jocassee and so the fish are still deep, and they are having the best luck in 90-105 feet. The only place they can catch them is in the tree tops, typical for the fall, and their best area has been at the mouth of the Whitewater River. They used to think it was because the bait became structure-oriented, but modern electronics have shown there is still plenty of bait in the open water so it must be something else.  The best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel. 

The final night bass tournament of the year on Jocassee was won last night with about 16 pounds, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that one of his buddies took first with all largemouth. Not wanting to run too far in the dark, he won it fishing lower lake humps close to the landing with a trick worm on a shaky head. 

There are also still plenty of fish in 25-35 feet of water in the rivers. A Carolina rig has still been working the best for these fish, and they are related to laydowns and the main channel. 

Overall the fish are still a little more scattered than is normal, but some cooler weather next week may bunch them up. As a deep lake, Jocassee water temperatures always drop slowly, but with persistent high temperatures this week, and a lack of rain to cool the water, temperatures have stayed in the 70s a little longer than normal.

October 19

Lake Jocassee is way down to 90.9% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are still in the low to mid-70s on the main lake.

It’s still fall trout fishing on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that he did pick up a really nice 4-pound rainbow on his last trip.  That fish was in 85 feet, and it’s clear that the trout are starting to move up in the water column a little. Still, he puts the most productive depth range at 80-100 plus feet. While many of the fish they are marking are still in the big water, others are at the mouths of rivers over timber. 

The best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel. 

While there are a few spotted bass out there in the really deep water, on days when the trout aren’t biting they are salvaging the day by trolling spoons through shallow holes in 30-40 feet that they know hold bass. 

That’s consistent with the report from veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs, who notes that the best action for largemouth is still in 25-35 feet of water in the rivers. In fact, while the fish have not gone deeper they have pulled even further out as water levels have dropped. A Carolina rig has still been working the best for these fish, and they are related to laydowns and the main channel. 

However, there is one exciting change with the bass and Chip reports that there are reports of fish schooling all over the place. The only catch is that they are on little bait, but if you throw a very small swimbait you can do really well. One angler caught over 30 schooling fish on a little Keitech bait.

October 5

Lake Jocassee is at 96.0% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 76 or 77 degrees on the main lake.

There’s very little change with the bass on Lake Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that from what he is seeing some cooling is needed to change the patterns. Some rain would probably also help, and with no rain in 17 or 18 days there is no inflow coming out of the North Carolina mountains and even in the backs of the creeks the water is crystal clear. 

The best action is still in about 25-35 feet of water up the rivers, and Chip is still concentrating on the Toxaway. Everything he is catching is now coming on a Carolina rig, with the fish generally in 25-35 feet of water. They are related to laydowns and the main channel. This week he has not seen any fish on the surface and the sizes have been down a little – although one big one did pull off. 

With the full moon the trout fishing has been even slower on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are only picking up one or two here-and-there. It’s normal for this part of the fall to be slow, and even when they do catch fish (and they do get some good ones) they seem skinnier than usual in the fall – as if they aren’t eating as much. 

The best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel in 90-130 feet, and the most fish are on the big water within sight of the dam. 

While there are some spotted bass out there in the really deep water, on days when the trout aren’t biting they salvaging the day by trolling spoons through shallow holes in 30-40 feet that they know hold bass. There are certainly some spots on the main lake even as largemouth are more likely to be up the rivers. 

September 28

Lake Jocassee is at 95.62% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 77 or 78 degrees on the main lake, but around 74 degrees up the rivers. 

The first thing veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs noticed on the water this week was that it had dropped several feet since the last time he was out there, and there was very little fresh water coming into the lake.  He ran way up the Toxaway River looking for bass and didn’t get any bites, and it wasn’t until he came back down into about 25 feet that he started to find feeding fish. They seem to have dropped back into deeper sections of the river.

Everything he caught this week has come in 25-45 feet in the rivers, with the best fish on a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin trick worm fished around laydowns. He also saw some fish blowing up on top, and managed to pick up a couple on a Gunfish. The fish showed no interest in a fluke, which is unusual. And even though they were feeding on very small bait he did not seem to need to down-size his lures. 

It seems like water levels will affect whether the fish move shallower up the rivers again, as they usually do in the fall. 

True to form for the season the trout fishing is slow on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they have been lucky to pick up the occasional rainbow recently. It’s normal for this part of the fall to be slow, and even when they do catch fish (and they do get some good ones) they seem skinnier than usual in the fall – as if they aren’t eating as much. 

The best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel in 90-130 feet, and the most fish are on the big water within sight of the dam. 

While there are some spotted bass out there in the really deep water, on days when the trout aren’t biting they salvaging the day by trolling spoons through shallow holes in 30-40 feet that they know hold bass. Casey Jones hooked (and landed) four bass at one time in one of these holes on a trip this week!

September 21

Lake Jocassee is at 97.2% of full pool and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 79 on the main lake. 

It’s the time of year when the trout fishing always slows down on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that all they can figure out is that in September and October the fish just aren’t eating as much. They still mark just as many, and catch a few big ones, but pound-for-inch the fish this time of year just don’t weigh as much and are skinnier than normal. 

The best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel in 90-130 feet, and the best fishing is on the big water within sight of the dam. They are also picking up a few catfish and bass in the deep water. They may give live bait another try but expectations aren’t high. 

The river pattern for bass is still about the same, and you can catch some fish dragging Carolina rigs in the channel, but veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that it should get better as temperatures cool. For right now the most productive pattern seems to be fishing the main lake humps, particularly up towards the Toxaway. Dragging worms over 15-25 feet has been the best pattern, catching a mix of spotted bass and largemouth. 

September 6

Lake Jocassee is at 97.8% of full pool and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 79 on the main lake and 72 or 73 degrees up the rivers. 

The bass fishing seems to have slowed down on Lake Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that at least this morning it was very tough to get bites up the rivers – where he prefers to focus at this time of year. They didn’t get any action on a fluke early, perhaps because there was no water moving, but they did manage a good 4-pound fish on a spinnerbait in just two feet of water. He likes a triple-bladed spinnerbait with a glimmer blue skirt on Jocassee. 

They hoped for more fish on that pattern, but it wasn’t until they dropped back into the river channel int the 10-20 foot range and started pulling a Carolina rig that they found a more reliable bite. Eventually the most fish seemed to be concentrated on the deeper end out to about 25-30 feet. 

While the bass fishing in the rivers seems to have slowed up a little, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that on his charters they have all of a sudden gone from catching almost no bass to getting lots. It has not been unusual to catch a half-dozen bass on spoons this week, and since they are exclusively fishing for trout in over 90 feet of water they are very deep!

As far as the trout they haven’t moved much, still in the 90-120 foot range in the big water of the rivers and in front of the dam, but it’s getting to be what Sam calls that “up-and-down time.”  They will have a couple of trips where the trout won’t bite very well, then they will be more cooperative for a day or two. It’s been a nice bonus to have the bass feeding so well. 

Sam is still trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel, but he can see on his electronics that the fish are chasing so little that it might be time to try some live bait and fish it very slowly. 

August 24

Lake Jocassee is at 98.8% of full pool and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees on the main lake. 

The bass fishing is still pretty good on Lake Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that for him at this time of year it’s all about fishing in the rivers. The combination of cooler and more oxygenated water flowing into the lake draws in the baitfish and particularly largemouth bass. The best action this week has come fishing Carolina rigs in 10-20 feet of water. The bass will sometimes run bait up on the flats in 10-12 feet of water, and at other times they will be along the edge of the channel in 18-19 feet. This week more fish have been on the deeper side. 

Topwater lures and unweighted flukes can also work, especially if you let the flukes sink a little and then twitch them. Fish them around tree tops and around the channel.

While the most active fish are often found feeding in the rivers, that’s not to say you can’t catch fish on the main lake as well. In fact a good late summer pattern can be to fish a buzzbait on some of the long points that run way out into the lake, and fish will come up 15-20 feet in the clear water to hit it. There should also be some spotted bass off the deep points in the main lake, but Chip has not been targeting them.  

The trout have moved even deeper on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they are still putting all their lines in the 100-125 foot range and mainly sticking to the big water near the dam. It’s impossible to keep bait alive for very long at those depths and so pretty much everyone is pulling hardware. Trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel has been their best pattern.

Right now it’s certainly not a fast bite, and there are some days where the fish don’t cooperate well. But there’s usually some action. 

August 18

Lake Jocassee is at 98.2% of full pool and the water is gin clear. Last night they found about 84 degrees up the rivers.

It’s also all about the rivers for tournament bass angler Joe Anders of Easley and his partner Greg Glouse, and last night they won a night tournament with 18 pounds. They were fishing in the Toxaway River, and they caught everything on jerkbaits and glide baits. The key was targeting big boulder rocks. 

August 16

Lake Jocassee is at 98.9% of full pool and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees, although in the very backs of the rivers you can find much cooler water.

The bass fishing has been pretty good on Lake Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that for him at this time of year it’s all about fishing in the rivers. The combination of cooler and more oxygenated water flowing into the lake draws in the baitfish and the bass, and this week he has seen mostly largemouth up there chasing 3-4 inch shad. Topwater lures and unweighted flukes have been working well, and they have had a better catch ratio letting the flukes sink a little and then twitching them. They are fishing around tree tops and in the channel.

A Carolina rig has also been very good, concentrating on about 10-20 feet. The bass will sometimes run bait up on the flats in 10-12 feet of water, and at other times they will be along the edge of the channel in 18-19 feet. 

While the most active fish are often found feeding in the rivers, that’s not to say you can’t catch fish on the main lake as well. In fact a good late summer pattern can be to fish a buzzbait on some of the long points that run way out into the lake, and fish will come up 15-20 feet in the clear water to hit it. There should also be some spotted bass off the deep points in the main lake, but Chip has not been targeting them.  

The trout have moved even deeper on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that yesterday they caught their best fish – a 4-pound rainbow – in 125 feet of water. They are putting all the lines in the 100-125 foot range, and mainly sticking to the big water – although they have lost some lures trolling around the trees in the front of the rivers. It’s impossible to keep bait alive for very long at those depths and so pretty much everyone is pulling hardware. Trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel has been their best pattern.

Right now it’s certainly not a fast bite, and there are some days where the fish don’t cooperate well. But there’s usually some action, like yesterday when they managed three nice keepers. 

August 3

Lake Jocassee is at 97.2% of full pool and clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are 78 or more at the dam, although the weather today will temporarily cool the surface temps.     

The trout have gone super deep on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the thermocline is over 100 feet deep and the most productive band for fishing has been in 100-110 feet of water. Occasionally things are slower but most trips they are picking up at least a fish or two, and the best action is coming at the dam and in the main channel of the Toxaway and Whitewater rivers. It’s impossible to keep bait alive for very long at those depths and so pretty much everyone is pulling hardware. Trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel has been their best pattern.

There certainly should be some bass that have made their way out deep, and last year by now tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley had noticed that most of the fish had transitioned out to main lake points and humps in 30 or more feet of water. However, perhaps because it got warm so late in the season for now Joe and his tournament partner Greg Glouse are still finding more fish shallow. Fishing a buzzbait and spybait up the rivers is still their most productive pattern.   

July 27

Lake Jocassee is at 98.6% of full pool and clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are 78 or more at the dam.    

With surface water temperatures at the dam reaching 84 degrees during the day, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that this is about as hot as Jocassee typically gets. As a result it’s no surprise that the trout have gone deep, and from dropping a sensor down Sam knows that you have to get to 95 feet to hit 65 degrees!  The thermocline is about 100 feet deep and the most productive band seems to be right around that. Their biggest fish this week came at 105, but they are putting baits out from 65-75 feet all the way down to 120. There hasn’t been a lot of action at either extreme except nuisance very small catfish. 

Most trips they are picking up a fish or two, and the best action is coming at the dam and in the main channel of the Toxaway and Whitewater rivers. It’s impossible to keep bait alive for very long and so pretty much everyone is pulling hardware. Trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel has been their best pattern.

There certainly should be some bass that have made their way out deep, and last year by now tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley had noticed that most of the fish had transitioned out to main lake points and humps in 30 or more feet of water. However, perhaps because it got warm so late in the season for now Joe and his tournament partner Greg Glouse are still finding more fish shallow. Fishing a buzzbait and spybait up the rivers is still their most productive pattern.   

July 14

Lake Jocassee is at 98.3% of full pool and clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures have moved up to 75-76 degrees.  

Surface temperatures in the morning are in the mid-70s, but during the day it’s not uncommon to see 80 degrees, and so Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) isn’t surprised that fish are getting down 70-100 feet. Most trips they are picking up two or three fish, and the best action is coming at the dam and in the main channel of the Toxaway and Whitewater rivers. It’s impossible to keep bait alive for very long and so pretty much everyone is pulling hardware. Trolling Apex and Sutton spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel has been their best pattern.

They have also caught catfish up to about ten pounds, and they are also picking up occasional spotted bass. 

There are certainly some bass that have made their way out deep, and last year at this time tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley had noticed that that most of the fish had transitioned out to main lake points and humps in 30 or more feet of water. However, perhaps because it got warm so late in the season for now Joe and his tournament partner Greg Glouse are still finding more fish shallow. They won the last Thursday night tournament with 17 pounds and caught all their fish on a buzzbait and spybait up the rivers.