Photo by Marc Murrell

According to Gene Hayes, fisheries biologist for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Lake Greenwood should be one of the better lakes in the state for crappie fishing this year. Recruitment seems to have been good and the forage base is excellent, so they have plenty to eat.

The growth rate and catch rate are both high in this lake. Two-pound crappie don’t even raise an eyebrow here. That is not to say that all your crappie will be that size, but that it is not unusual to catch a 2-pound slab while fishing the lake.

In February and March, you will find most crappie located around creek channels as they prepare to move to the shallows to spawn. Pre-spawn crappie are still in cold water and they are not as active as they will be once the water column begins to warm up. The key to catching these lethargic fish is to fish S L O W L Y! They won’t go out of their way to run down a bait, but if you fish slowly, they have more opportunity to catch an easy meal. They use these channels just like motorists use the interstate highway system to drive around the state.

Joey Lindler is the state coordinator for the SCDNR, and a dedicated crappie fisherman. Even though he lives in Chapin, where he has Lake Murray right in his back door, he prefers to fish Lake Greenwood.

“The drive is really not that far and the crappie fishing is fabulous; it’s worth the extra time it takes to get there,” he said. “Lake Greenwood is my favorite lake in the state to fish. I primarily spider rig when I troll using 1/32- and 1/16-ounce jigs tipped with a lip-hooked minnow.”

Lindler likes to “add a little meat” to his offerings to encourage pre-spawn fish to strike. Use light-colored jigs under dark conditions, and dark-colored jigs when conditions are bright. June bug and chartreuse is a dynamite color combination when the water is dark. Blue and white is a better choice when conditions are bright.

Specific creek arms to fish in Lake Greenwood include where the Reedy River joins the Saluda River. The creek channels of both these rivers concentrate pre-spawn crappie, and can easily be accessed from Harris Landing just off Old Laurens Road. (Continued)

Just downstream, where Highway 221 crosses Lake Greenwood, the creek channels on both sides of the bridge can be hot at times, and can be reached by launching at the Palmetto Point Marina just north of the bridge. The fish concentration buoys on both sides of the lake at Puckett’s Ferry Development just above the railroad bridge deserve a look, and are not far upstream from the Cane Creek Marina.

Cane Creek, in fact, is another spot to check the channel when the water begins to warm a bit, as is the next creek arm downstream on the north side of the lake leading to T-Roy’s Landing. Lower lake destinations are easily reached from the Lake Greenwood State Park located at the end of Highway 41. According to weather and rain conditions, the upper end of the lake usually warms up ahead of the lower part.

Lake Murray is a mid-state destination you might want to try. Hal Beard, freshwater fisheries coordinator for Region 3, said that SCDNR biologists trap net every other year on Lake Murray. In the sampling taken in 2005, 82 percent of the crappie trapped were young-of-the-year. These fish will be 3 years old in 2008, so the fishing should be great! Figures from the 2007 sampling were not available at the time this story was written, but it is anticipated that they will be positive.

Lake Murray had a drastic drawdown to build a new dam. The water was back to normal in 2007 for the first time since the drawdown. Patches of grass, small trees and shrubs that grew while the water was down should be a big plus for spawning crappie. Many local fishermen also took advantage of the drawdown to install brushpiles to concentrate crappie. As the rising waters covered these brushpiles, new feeding and resting areas were available for crappie. Most of the lake is void of vegetation and trees in the water, but the upper part of the lake is blessed with this type structure.