SENECA, S.C. – The second event of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Savannah River Division returns to Lake Keowee on March 8. The fishing should be excellent, with fish in all stages of the spawn depending on the area of the lake.
Seneca, South Carolina’s Bo Price, a five-time BFL winner and two-time Savannah River Division Angler of the Year, expects anglers to catch fish just about any way they like and expects limits to be the norm on Keowee for both boaters and co-anglers.
The BFLs offer an expanded slate of Regional events in 2025, which minimizes travel costs and provides anglers more chances to qualify for the 2026 All-American. Anglers are able to fish closer to home on familiar lakes, with a chance to take home a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater, and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler.
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What to expect
Lake Keowee hosted the season kick-off, where boater Brent Willey took the win with 15 pounds, 11 ounces, but things should be even better this time around, according to Price.
“The lake is in great shape right now, and it’s fishing very well,” Price said. “The lake is unique because it’s like three lakes in one, and each section fishes differently. You have the south end, which fishes normally, the middle section with warm water discharge, and the upper end with water coming out of the cold-water mountain lake, Lake Jocassee. Each section fishes differently so the anglers can pick their poison in this one.”
The different water temperatures throughout the lake will give the anglers options, and Price said each can produce a winning stringer.
“There is potential for guys to catch spawning fish near the warm water areas, and other areas of the lake will be dead-set fish in the winter pattern,” he said. “All of the areas of the lake have the winning potential, but for me, the more consistent bite is the deep bite.”
No matter where anglers choose to fish in this one, Price said limits or the plentiful spotted bass will be relatively easy, and anglers must decide on the best approach for bigger fish.
“A limit weighing between nine and 13 pounds of spotted bass shouldn’t be too difficult in this one, but the largemouth will be the ‘X-factor’ because there are some huge ones in there,” he said. “Nobody knows where the big largemouth go the rest of the year, but this is when they start to show up. The largemouth bite around shallow docks is a player, which could be the difference if someone gets one or two big ones.”
Price said recent local team events are taking 17 to 19 pounds to win, and he expects a similar winning total in the March 8 BFL.
“It should be 18 or 19 to win, and that can be with the deep bite with a football jig or drop-shot or someone fishing shallow with Senkos and glide baits,” he said. “The other lure I could see playing in this one is an Alabama rig. The big decision is if someone is going to stay out deep and catch as many as they can to try to cull up by a few ounces at a time or go shallow and try to be a home run hitter and go for bigger fish, but risk the chance of striking out if they don’t get a limit.”