Anglers can catch a mess of spots on Keowee all winter
When your fishing guide keeps a hand clicker counter on the boat to keep count of the fish, you know that you are going to catch a mess. It is not unusual for Capt. Rusty Griffin’s fishing parties to catch between 30-50 plus spotted bass in a single trip on Lake Keowee. And that’s true even during the winter months.
“The bite for fishing the full moon during the frigid winter months can sometimes be tough. But it is better at mid-day between 1-4 pm,” stated Griffin.
The spots will be located deeper in the winter. The fish will be usually be suspended anywhere between 55-70 feet deep.
“The brighter the light, the deeper the fish will be,” said Griffin.
In the winter months Griffin likes fishing deep coves on the southern part of Lake Keowee. Generally, he will still fish big coves with long ditches off main river channels like Cane Creek, Crooked Creek, Big Creek, Von Hollen, and South Cove areas.
When Griffin pulls into one of these coves, he uses his depth finder and trolling motor to locate schooling fish that are suspended off the bottom. He looks for brush, stumps, trees, and rocks that hold fish in these coves.
It’s tough to beat live bait for Keowee winter spots
Most winter bass anglers usually try fishing a jigging spoon or a drop-shot rig when fishing deep water. But Griffin prefers using live bait. After locating a promising area, Griffin will fish four rods using 3-inch blueback herring that he hooks through the nose. He has a large aerated bait tank to keep the herring alive. He usually takes out 3-5 dozen herring per trip.
After locating an area that is holding fish, Griffin drops the bait down to the bottom and then cranks up a couple of turns of the reel. The bait will be suspended about 1½-2 feet above the bottom. Griffin frequently changes out the bait with fresh ones to keep the bite going.
Keeping the rods in rod holders, Griffin waits for the rod to make a slow bend down. Then he lifts the rod out of the rod holder, jerks the rod up, and hist the fish hard. When fishing in deep water, Griffin said, “You have to hit the fish hard to set the hook or they will get off.”
Wintertime is a numbers game on this upstate lake
Griffin likes using Shakespeare Ugly Stick Striper rods matched with Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500 reels spooled with 15-pound Berkley Trilene Big Game fishing line. The main line has a sliding 1 1/2-ounce barrel sinker, and the line is tied to a barrel swivel. The other end of the barrel swivel is tied to an 18-24-inch leader of 15-pound fluorocarbon line. A 1/0 Kahle hook is tied to the end of the leader.
Griffin generally fishes an area for 15-20 minutes, and if the fish are biting, he will stay until the fishing slacks off. It is not unusual for his parties to catch two to 12 spots out of an area before he moves on to another spot. These fish generally weigh between 1½ and 2½ pounds on average, with an occasional catfish or two thrown in the catch.
If you are wanting to catch a mess of deep water spotted bass this winter, call Capt. Griffin of Hooked on Hartwell Fishing Charters at 864-328-4899 or contact him at rustygriffin87@gmail.com.
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