Another technique that Garner uses is his bait and lure selection.

Early in the season, when the fish are still holding deep on the drops, he fishes mostly live minnows, or jigs tipped with minnows. He will use 1/2- and 3/4-ounce sinkers with swivels to keep the bait near vertical under the boat.

"That helps me see those light bites better, by keeping the bait nearly vertical under the boat as I move along. I usually don't get more than a 10- to 15-degree angle from vertical in the lines as I motor along. That also helps keep me at the right speed by watching the angle where my line enters the water."

While he admits that jigs alone are great on Wateree, with an assortment of colors producing really well, he also points out that jigs produce best right at the pre-spawn and spawn. During the early season, he's found that it's best to use live bait for more bites and bigger crappie.

"Once the fish begin to move more shallow and into the many coves and creeks for spawning, then jigs work much better," he said. "Plus, you can somewhat speed up your pace then as well."

While the fish patterns will vary during the spring, Garner said that a great place to begin any trip on Lake Wateree, before the spawn, is to start fishing 13 to 15 feet deep in water depths ranging from 18 to 22 feet deep. If the water temperature is on the rise, then he'll begin to check shallower water if this doesn't produce. If a cold front has blown through the area, he'll gradually work deeper until he patterns the fish on that day.

"As we approach the spawn, the general pattern will be for the fish to move more shallow on the ledges and then move to the shallows to spawn," he said. "However, I have found that not all the fish will spawn at once. You can generally catch a lot of fish in the 10- to 20-foot depths right on through the spawn. However, the action in the shallows on this lake can be great, so when it happens a lot of fishermen will go shallow with the fish and make outstanding catches."

Garner noted the entire lake is productive, with the upper end of the lake, in the Wateree Creek area, usually getting good first. Garner primarily fishes the mid-lake sector from the Beaver Creek area down to the Clearwater Marina area. Other prime areas include the Dutchman and Singleton creek areas slightly farther up the lake.

There are numerous launching ramps throughout the lake and the Lake Wateree State Park, adjacent to Dutchman's Creek, has excellent facilities for launching, picnic and camping.

LAKE GREENWOOD
Lake Greenwood has long been one of the premier crappie fishing lakes in South Carolina. The lake appears to have had an outstanding season in 2006, and according to local experts, there is no reason to expect the lake will be anything short of phenomenal again in 2007.

Ray McGowan, owner of McGowan's Marina on Lake Greenwood, noted that this lake produces crappie on a year-round basis.

"The fishing on Lake Greenwood is great for crappie almost anytime; however, as we get into the spring season and the water begins to rise, the fishing gets absolutely sensational," McGowan said. "Not only do the fish bite well during the day, they are caught in equally or even better numbers at night. It's almost 24- hour, 'round the clock, crappie catching, during the spring season."

During the early portion of the year before the lake gets into the pre-spawn and spawn mode, many of the crappie will still be orienting to deeper water, such as along the ledges, points and creek channel drops. McGowan noted that it's best to look for cover, such as brush, logs, stumps and fish hides placed by anglers for best results.

"Another good bet is the docks around the lake that have deep water near them. Early in the season, these places can be dynamite, especially here in the upper end of the lake. Find a dock with good water depth around it and you might find a crappie-fishing honeyhole," he said.