Photo by Michael Skinner

Of all the species of fish in South Carolina, the bream is the one that anglers can most easily find in abundant numbers in just about every lake, pond or river. From the big bull bream of Lake Moultrie to the scads of bream found at Lake Wylie, South Carolina is a bream fisherman's paradise.

Before we talk about what parts of paradise have the best bream fishing, though, a quick definition of exactly what we're talking about when we use the term "bream." For matters regarding this story on bream fishing in the Palmetto State, bream serves as the collective name given to a wide variety of sunfish species. The list is long, even complicated, if you get technical. While this list is not intended to be a complete overview of the myriad of species, by referencing bream we're collectively discussing bluegills, shellcrackers (redear sunfish), pumpkinseeds, long-eared sunfish, redbreast sunfish and a host of others. We're not including crappie, white bass or white perch for the purposes of this article.

Different species will be more prevalent in different lakes, but the collective species of bream are well represented in the big lakes, little lakes, rivers, streams and ponds throughout the state. In many smaller waters, if the bream are not fished reasonably hard, the fish species can most definitely overpopulate and their growth rate can be diminished. There's a limit of 30 bream per person in most lakes in the state, and on the bigger lakes, such as Wylie, Keowee and Moultrie, keeping your limit can actually be good for the lake.

The other good news is that on the lakes, rivers and other waters we'll discuss, it's quite common to catch limits of these hard-fighting, great-tasting fish. We'll look at lakes where big fish are the rule, and we'll look at some lakes where "head count" is the major factor (but good fish can be caught as well) and some that have an excellent mix of both numbers and size of fish.

Lake Wylie is an excellent bream lake and is loaded with these fish. While the average size may not be as large as on some lakes that we'll discuss, such as Lake Moultrie, the sheer numbers of good-sized fish present more than compensate. But don't underestimate the size potential on this lake merely because its reputation rests on its ability to produce limits. I've caught some really big bream on this lake and you, too, can catch them with some consistency. However, you'll typically have to be willing to cull out a lot of otherwise "decent-sized" fish or you'll have your legal limit and only a handful of bull bream in the cooler.

The major creeks, such as Big Allison and Little Allison, as well as the myriad coves and pockets along the main river, offer more fishing possibilities than you could fish in an entire weekend. However, during May, the creeks are prime places to seek fish on the beds and around the shoreline. Plus, the lake is loaded with coves and pockets that offer ideal spawning and shallow-water fishing habitat.

Occasionally I'll motor to a known hotspot only to find someone else working the area. Rather than crowd up the place, I'll simply motor to another nearby cove or pocket, and most of the time, I'll end up learning some new bed fishing hotspots that no one has yet touched. The sandy/gravel bottomed pockets and coves are ideal spawning places.

May is typically the prime month on this, and most lakes in the state, for bream spawning. However, on the full moon cycle, you'll enjoy good bedding action throughout the summer.