SENECA, S.C. – Wintertime is a great time to be there, and the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Savannah River Division is headed to Lake Keowee on Jan. 25 to start the season.

New for 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win 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, plus qualification into the BFL All-American.

What to expect

Keowee is a good wintertime fishery with great mountain scenery. Photo by Matt Pace

One of many lakes in the region with blueback herring as a primary forage and a healthy mix of largemouth and spotted bass, Keowee has notably clear water, which can make the fishing tricky at times.

According to Mitchell Robinson, the event should be solid.

“Recently, it’s been pretty good,” Robinson said. “A lot of the fish are making their way back into the ditches. As far as I can remember, ditches have been one of the main players at Keowee.”

Most of the bass in ditches are spotted bass, and chasing largemouth needs a bit of a gameplan adjustment according to Robinson.

“Keowee has some of the some of the biggest largemouth we have around here,” he said. “They’re just some of the hardest to catch with the 10-foot water visibility there. A lot of the big largemouth live in laydowns – I’ve seen them on the ‘Scope. They’re just so hard to get to eat. But if you get one of them suckers to eat, they’re big.”

For baits, Robinson recommends a jig or an underspin for fish sitting on the bottom, and a Damiki rig for fish up chasing bait. And, there’s one bait that is a non-negotiable in the winter in the Carolinas.

“You want a regular 1/4-ounce shaky head with a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in green pumpkin,” Robinson said. “Whether you’re fishing that around docks or throwing that in laydowns or the ditches, I think that’s probably one of my top three spotted bass baits for any Savannah River lake, and even Lanier and Murray. That’s just a really big player for this time of the year. For some reason, herring fish love a Senko and a shaky head.”

To win the event, Robinson reckons that 15 to 17 pounds could get it done, with a mixed bag likely.