February 12
Lake Jocassee is at 98.4% of full pool and most of the lake is clear but there is some dingy water in the very the backs of creeks. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 49 degrees.
It’s an outstanding period for trout fishing right now on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that Nate Leslie won Saturday’s Jocassee Outdoor Center trout tournament with an 8.80 pound fish. There was also a fish in the 10-pound range caught recently, a bunch of fish in the 6-7 pound range have been caught, and a ton of fish over five pounds.
As for patterns the fish are literally all over the lake, and Sam’s biggest came way up a creek recently. At the same time that there have also been giants caught at the dam. The common denominator is that fish are from the surface down to about 30 or 45 feet, and they are mostly being caught on spoons although live bait has also been productive again for some anglers.
There’s not a long of change with the best bass patterns, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that right now he advises concentrating on the lower end and the Bad Creek discharge (where warmer water comes into the lake when power is being generated). Fishing swimbaits around the long points as well as bluff wall ledges has been productive.
February 1
Lake Jocassee is at 98.3% of full pool and the backs of creeks are dirty. Morning surface water temperatures on the main lake are around 52-53 degrees.
With some stained water coming into the lake, veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that one of the best bass patterns going is to head way back and fish a crankbait, flashy spinnerbait or something with rattles in the very backs of creeks. While the water isn’t muddy back there, it has gotten kind of milky.
Chip’s other primary pattern right now is to go to the area where the Bad Creek discharge sends warm water into the lake. Bait goes in there and the bass follow it, and at times the fish are in just a few feet because there is so much shallow rock to hold heat. They can get out as deep as 30 feet, and there are several humps below that area that hold fish. For the shallow fish crankbaits and three-bladed spinnerbaits both work, while for the deeper fish Chip will use a worm or drop shot.
Out on the water after the trout right now and then again tomorrow after a couple of days off, Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) will report back with any changes. However, from everything he has heard fish can still be anywhere in the lake and the best action is coming 30-50 feet down in the big water or the main sections of rivers. Fish are still pretty spread out, and trolling spoons seems to be the most effective technique. They are catching lots of 3-6 plus pound fish right now.
For some reason live bait seems to be mainly catching bass and yellow perch.
January 23
Lake Jocassee is at 98.0% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are down to about 52 degrees.
The trout fishing has been very good recently on Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that even with temperatures cool enough that fish can be anywhere in the lake the best action is coming 30-50 feet down in the big water or the main sections of rivers. Still fish are pretty spread out, and trolling spoons seems to be the most effective technique. They are catching lots of 3-6 plus pound fish right now.
For some reason live bait seems to be mainly catching bass and yellow perch.
While veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs hasn’t been on the water much this cold month, he reports that with the warm raining coming in the second half of the week he would suggest heading to the very backs of creeks where there is freshwater inflow to look for bass. There is likely to be some stain in the backs, and he would throw a half-ounce spinnerbait or bladed jig. Make long casts to avoid spooking fish.
The main point bite should also still produce, as the water never gets dingy in those areas. A swimbait remains a good bet although if there is some wind you can also fish the spinnerbait or bladed jig.
January 4
Lake Jocassee is at 97.9% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s.
It still hasn’t gotten cold on Lake Jocassee, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that temperatures are cool enough where the trout can be about anywhere they want and so fish are scattered literally all over the lake. A decent number of 5- and 6-pound fish are being landed, and they are all coming from different places. The deepest fish seem to be in about 50 feet, and they can be found up to the surface.
The one group of trout that are easy to pattern are the 11-13 inch stocker, which generally race to the waterfalls after they are dumped in the lake!
Up the rivers they are wearing out the bass and yellow perch fishing minnows and trolling small Rapala plugs in 40-50 feet of water around bait schools, but at this time of year veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs actually spends more time fishing the deeper water towards the dam with a drop shot off points. Sometimes he will throw a swimbait when you can see fish up in the water column, and like the river fish they are mostly following the balls of bait.
One other winter pattern can be fishing up towards Bad Creek, and when there is a warmwater discharge you can even get surface action. Slow-rolling a spinnerbait in the rocks can also be very good.
December 21
Lake Jocassee is at 93.6% of full pool and morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 50s.
It’s still an improved bite for trout on Jocassee, and Guide Casey Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that the best news is that the fishing should only get better for the next couple of months. In particular, we are getting into one of the best periods to catch a trophy trout. Most of the fish are still being caught 30-50 feet deep on Sutton spoons and live bait, and both the rivers and the dam are fishing well. The bite at the dam has mostly been early at first light.
Casey notes that they are also still picking up some big yellow perch.
New bass report to follow from veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs in the new year!
December 15
Lake Jocassee is down to 93.4% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 59 degrees.
Whether it’s a causation or mere correlation, the annual DNR trout stocking began last week and, sure enough, as always the trout fishing has dramatically improved. Some people says that’s just because temperatures get right for young trout to survive at the same time that bigger ones feed more, while others insist the presence of so many small trout excites predators.
Either way, Guide Casey Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that in the JOC tournament this past Saturday around 10 trout were weighed including two over 5 pounds. Most of the fish were caught 30-50 feet deep on Sutton spoons and live bait.
Both the rivers and the dam are fishing well, but the bite at the dam has mostly been early at first light.
Casey notes that they are also still picking up some big yellow perch.
At the same time it’s frankly been tough bass fishing lately on Jocassee, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that with water levels up again it’s been really hard to find the fish. He has fished both the dam and the rivers, and in both areas they have only picked up a few bites and fish. He has had to stick with Carolina rigs to get any action.
Apparently there have been some fish caught in the Whitewater River towards Bad Creek, and next time Chip is fishing he will try that area.
November 30
Lake Jocassee is down to 90.0% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 62 degrees.
There are still good numbers of trout in 70-80 feet of water, but Guide Casey Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that even those fish are moving up at times and overall fish are moving shallower. Yesterday they caught a nice rainbow on a spoon trolled about 15 feet deep in open water, and more fish are now in 40 or less feet. We are approaching the period where fish can be at any depth. The best concentrations of fish are in the rivers rather than the main lake, and they are also still picking up some big yellow perch.
While he hasn’t been on the water in the last three days, veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that with this first polar plunge it would not be unusual for the bass to stop biting for a few days but then they should settle down again. He has still been finding everything in about 18-30 feet of water in the river channels, but depending on what the bait does the fish could go shallower. It would not be unusual for the bass to push up on the flats in 5-10 feet of water off the sides of the river and they should certainly start to school up tighter as temperatures drop.
Finally, Casey notes that with the low water levels they are seeing all sorts of wildlife roaming the shores!
November 17
Lake Jocassee is down to 90.7% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 65 degrees.
We wish we could report more change with the bass, but veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs reports that after spending all day on the water yesterday it still seems to him that the bulk of the fish are in the river channel in at least 17-29 feet of water. He did manage one small fish in about 5 feet on a spinnerbait around a downed tree, but everything else came deeper. It may be that very low water levels are keeping the bass from going shallow.
The best way to catch fish yesterday was following the river channel and fishing soft plastics. Fish seem to be related to bait schools, but he also had bites around rock and laydowns in the channel. A green pumpkin worm with chartreuse dye on the tail seemed to get more bites.
He did see some fishing busting on tiny bait but he was unable to get any bites around it.
That’s pretty consistent with the report from Guide Casey Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056), who has been targeting bass on his trips because of the slow trout bite. Yesterday he caught several in the 3-pound range as well as smaller fish trolling spoons in 30-70 feet of water in the Toxaway River channel, and it seems that most of the fish are up the rivers.
As for the trout they are still marking tons of fish and bait is everywhere (there have apparently been several really good years of bait spawns), but they just are not biting well right now. Most of the fish are in 50-80 feet of water but with water temperatures down to 65 it shouldn’t be long until they move up shallower – and feed better.
Guide Sam Jones notes that trout stocking has not started yet and it was smallmouth bass which were recently stocked in the lake, and he also advises that they have started picking up more yellow perch. During the cooler months they always catch yellow perch which run up to 14 or 15 inches or more!
November 9
Lake Jocassee is at 93.1% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Water temperatures are in the middle to upper 60s.
There’s not much change with the trout on Lake Jocassee, and Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that fish are still deep in 80-90 plus feet of water. The fish are still timber-oriented in areas like the mouth of the Whitewater River, and the best pattern is still trolling spoons coated with Pautzke Fire Gel.
There’s also not much change with the bass, and veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs points out that just as soon as temperatures dropped they went right back to the 80s. Maybe the coming cold front will play out differently. For now the fish are still in the 25-35 foot range in the rivers, and soft plastics like Carolina rigs are still working the best.
November 3
Lake Jocassee is at 92.2% of full pool and the lake is extremely clear. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the upper 60s.
His son is out on the water guiding today, but Guide Sam Jones of Jocassee Charters (864-280-9056) reports that they really don’t expect the cold front to have had a massive effect on the trout. Jocassee cools very slowly in the fall, and as a result water temperatures are still warm enough that the fish can’t really leave the deep zone.
At the same time veteran angler Chip Cranford of Boiling Springs is more hopeful for change with the shallower bass, and he is interested to see if the fish have moved out of the 25-35 foot range and gotten onto more of a bait bite. They have pretty much been having to target them with soft plastics.
More information to follow.
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.