Photo by Ron Sinfelt

With so much bass-fishing pressure on so many lakes and rivers around the state, sometimes it is a wonder the black bass fisheries are able to thrive and produce at a high level. But produce at a high level they do, and the overall forecast for black bass fishing in South Carolina this year is excellent.

Ross Self, Chief of Fisheries for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, has a very good view of the broad picture of the state’s largemouth bass resource. Overall, he said, the lakes and rivers seem to be doing very well in terms of black bass.

“Right now, we’re not seeing any major problems with the black bass fishery,” Self said. “In fact, in many lakes and rivers, the fishing seems to be exceptionally productive. Perhaps one big concern, at least through the summer and fall of 2007, is the extended drought that’s impacting all of South Carolina’s lakes and rivers. But that’s a concern for the overall fishery and water quality of all our lakes and rivers, not specifically with black bass.

“Probably one concern we have and are looking into is the continued expansion of spotted bass into the fisheries at lakes Jocassee and Keowee,” Self said. “We didn’t stock these fish, so we’re not sure how they got there. Right now, they seem to be added black bass species for the fishermen. However, we’re concerned that the spotted bass can become dominant and may eventually have a less than desirable impact on the largemouth population. That’s one of the key areas we’re watching right now.”

One of the reasons the overall health of the black bass fishery is good is that many largemouth fishermen, particularly tournament anglers, enjoy the resource primarily on a catch-and-release basis. Certainly, keeping some fish for the table is fine, but overall, catch-and-release is having a positive effect.

Picking the top spots for bass fishing in 2008 is no small task, primarily because the fishing is excellent. However, there are some lakes and rivers that seem to be at the forefront, based on specific events occurring at those lakes.

A perfect example is Lake Murray. Known for a long time as a quality largemouth producer, this lake is now reaping the rewards of the most recent extended drawdown. That allowed much of the weedy growth to take root along the exposed shoreline and flats, providing great potential for successful spawning and survival.

“I don’t have specifics on the largemouths regarding the Lake Murray drawdown and subsequent re-growth of vegetation in the shallows,” Self said. “But we do on the crappie and the trend is we’re seeing a lot of young crappie that will soon be into the size where they’ll impact the fishing in a positive manner. So, the impact has certainly been positive for that species. We’re not able to target research on all the species at all the lakes, but that’s certainly a good sign.”