Striper guides contend with certainly that striped bass prefer blueback herring to threadfin shad. Most guides use bluebacks exclusively for bait, having observed a very strong preference in the fish. In addition, Savannah River lakes anglers have witnessed a big decline in striper schooling activity over the past two decades. Herring tend to stay deep and are far less subject to being pushed to the surface than are threadfin shad, and the stripers often seem content to stay down among the herring instead of chasing shad all over the top.

In recent samples, SCDNR biologists also have found hickory shad in Lake Hartwell, which previously had not been documented to survive and reproduce in a land-locked reservoir habitat, Rankin said. This causes concern to biologists because the hickory shad they have captured have been large and they appear to be very predatory.

"One hundred percent of all hickory shad collected in last year's fall-winter net sampling contained threadfin shad in their guts," Rankin said.

Virtually all serious striper fishermen on the Savannah River lakes use live bait most of the time during the winter. A few fish are caught on jigging spoons, bucktails or other artificial offerings, but most anglers use live bait. Herring are the baitfish of choice; however, anglers who don't have the capacity to keep herring alive (which pretty much requires a large round tank with a good filtering and aeration system) will use bait shop shiners as a substitute.

Fishing locations vary enormously, based on wind direction, water temperature, power-generation patterns and a host of other variables that affect baitfish movements. Many stripers are caught near the dams in the lower main bodies of Hartwell and Thurmond during the winter. However, many others are caught well up creek arms, especially during strings of sunny days that draw schools of baitfish shallow. Bait dealers know the general areas the stripers have been using. Seagulls and other boats also offer good clues.

Stripers also will use a broad range of depths during late winter, so what an angler sees on his graph dictates much about specific setups. Generally speaking, however, the baitfish and stripers will be fairly high in the water column. Therefore, flat lines, float lines and planer board lines will account for the most stripers. Planers are commonly used both to run baits over very shallow water and to spread baits out and get them away from the boat in open water.

A reciprocal licensing agreement between South Carolina and Georgia allows anglers properly licensed by either state to fish anywhere on the Savannah River lakes. The lakes fall under statewide striped bass regulations. The combined striper/hybrid limit is 10 fish, with no minimum size. Access to Hartwell and Thurmond is outstanding, with dozens of state and county parks and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas providing access to all parts of the lakes.

LAKE MURRAY
Lake Murray fishermen were glad to get their whole lake back last year, after two years of the water having been drawn down for dam repairs. With the lake back at full pool, the SCDNR resumed full-scale striper stockings, after having reduced the stocking rate by one-third during the two years the lake was down.

Last year, the SCDNR stocked Lake Murray with slightly more than one million striped bass. Along with stocking the lake, biologists are studying stocking success and how it varies from site to site. The research, which will continue for at least five years, will track fish that have been stocked in various parts of the lake to identify areas that offer optimal habitat for maximum survival.

The SCDNR also resumed sampling last year, having stopped during the drawdown years because of logistical considerations and because the sample would not have been comparable to other years' samples and thus would not have been very useful.