SENECA, S.C. – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Savanah River Division starts the year off on Lake Keowee. A good wintertime lake, Keowee is a pretty dynamic fishery with both spotted bass and largemouth.
What to expect
Marshall Robinson has spent a good bit of time on Keowee and thinks we are in for a good event.
“The guys who have fished in the past, there’s not going to be a lot of change,” Robinson said. “The thing that switches it up is if the water is moving or if the water is high or low.”
Given typical winter conditions, Robinson said there are two main patterns, though there is always more than one way to frost the cake.
“When the water gets cold, they get in the ditches and drains,” he said. “They also get out deep in the middle of nowhere, but you can target them in the ditches and drains, and they get on bait a lot. When it gets real cold, they get on bottom. Guys used to catch them on Blade Runners and small swimbaits, and you can still do that, but now a lot of guys catch them on a minnow or an A-rig. And you can catch them dragging jigs and stuff like that – it doesn’t have to be a shad imitator.”
The other option is to fish a lot shallower.
“There’s also a good dock bite,” he added. “The banks are relatively flat in most cases, so the docks usually have anywhere from 5 to 15 foot under them, so the bass love to use those. You’ll have locals who have little milk runs of docks they love to run, a lot of times throwing a jig or a Neko rig or a shaky head.”
Baits to bring
As far as what to pack, wintertime staples should be good. So, minnows, swimbaits, jerkbaits and jigs are key baits. For docks, and perhaps some ‘Scope fish, a Neko or wacky rig should be on deck as well. Because of how clear Keowee is, finesse and the appropriate colors can go a long way.
What will it take?
On Keowee, the weights can fluctuate depending on the water movement – a day with current running will boost the weights. Regardless, getting over the 15-pound mark is key.
Robinson thinks that the fishing will be good, but that many will need to adapt once their allotted 3 hours of modern sonar usage are up.
“A clear lake like that, where the visibility is 15 feet or more, ‘Scope is going to be dominant,” he said. “So, you take it away, and you’re a lot less efficient. Some lakes, you can just beat the bank with a ChatterBait, but you can’t do that at Keowee. I think it’ll change things; it’ll probably make the weights a little lighter, but there will still be some good quality fish caught. When guys can’t use ‘Scope, I think you’ll see a lot of guys relying on docks.”