Fast-paced action is the rule for Monticello’s cats in June
Lake Monticello is a unique lake near the middle of the state with a strong reputation for producing catfish of all sizes. It’s unique in that it’s a ‘pump back’ reservoir where water is pumped in from the nearby Broad River, then returned later to produce power. The reason this information is in a fishing story is simple: the movement of water flowing in or out creates a noticeable current in the lake, and current is key to most any type of fishing success.
And it’s certainly essential for good catfishing.
When Capt. Jay Bruce and his wife, Jill, pulled their rig over the causeway leading to the Hwy. 99 launching ramp at Lake Monticello, the water level appeared full, not the lower level they’d expected. Bruce said that normally the lake is lower in the morning, then gradually fills during the day, creating a current. But on some days, it’s the opposite.
“We’ll deal with what the lake gives us, but as long as they’re pulling some water out today, we’ll have the current we need to catch fish,” he said. “It may be a day when the fishing starts okay, but gradually improves.”
Capt. Jay (Carolina Fishing Adventures with Jay Bruce; 864-420-8512) had checked the catfish action recently and knew the bite had perked up. As usual for catfish, the success of the trip would depend on his ability to find and graph plenty of forage. And his plan was for his electronics to depict fish arches indicative of larger fish in and around that forage. Typically, in this scenario, those near the bottom would be catfish.
What he found via his electronics early-on was even better. He was marking a thick, continuous layer of forage right on the bottom, and found a single spot in that mass of forage with a ‘hole’ in the forage fish pattern.
He pointed to that specific spot and said that hole in the forage is where one, or several, catfish just ripped into those shad.
He targeted that spot using the ‘spot-lock’ mode on his electric motor. Once in position, we dropped the rigs, and within a couple of minutes, the rod tips began horseshoeing into the water. This action was productive, but not as fast-paced as he hoped.
As he’d predicted, the action improved during the course of the morning’s fishing.
The first spot we targeted was forage and fish on a flat in 35 feet of water, adjacent to a deep drop-off into much deeper water. He used 71/2- foot rods with spinning reels that also serve as his striper rods when he’s guiding for stripers on Lake Hartwell.
Variety of bait
Our bait consisted of large, live shiners, chunks of chicken breast marinated in garlic, grape, and strawberry flavors, and unflavored chicken breast. We set lines with a variety of bait choices, and within minutes, the fish started biting.
For most of the day, the action was consistent, and we fished the bait about two handle cranks off the bottom. Every time the action slowed, Bruce would move the boat 20-40 yards with the electric motor, spot-lock over a different bait pod with additional feeding catfish, and the bite would ramp up again. Eventually, we’d run out of forage, and he’d crank the big motor and move to another flat.
It’s a relatively simple process, but one that does require an angler’s due diligence to find the right locations. Most of the fish we caught were in the 1- to 5-pound class, but he’ll typically hook several large fish along the way. This type of fishing exploits the huge population of ‘eater-sized’ catfish available in Lake Monticello.
But targeting the big fish that this lake is famous for can also be enjoyed. On this day, we targeted catfish by the numbers and were not disappointed.
We caught catfish every place we fished, and the final target was the true hotspot. As predicted by Bruce, the current had initiated, and the bite was improving. The flat where he found these fish was deeper, 50 feet deep, but again close to a deep drop.
Constant action
For the next 30 minutes, Jay, Jill, and I were almost constantly fighting catfish, and doubles were common, and on a couple of occasions, we were all hooked up with catfish.
This specific bite pattern is just beginning, and as we get deeper into summer and hot weather, Bruce said the fish action should improve. We only fished in the morning and caught well over 60 catfish.
And on this day, the bait flavor of the day was strawberry chicken by a wide margin, probably 4-1, over all other baits combined. Naturally, at the end of the trip, we were all using strawberry-flavored chicken.
But he said that on the next trip, the best bait may be a different flavor, or the live shiners, so be prepared with different bait options.
Lake Monticello is an excellent summertime choice for quality catfish action. And the time is now ideal because, throughout the Carolinas, the dreaded catfish spawn is about to occur, creating a finicky big-fish bite.
But these smaller catfish offer the opportunity to overcome that issue, providing fast-paced action because they’re not involved in that process. As the water warms, these ‘eaters’ just want to eat. That makes Lake Monticello a prime target for catfishing success for the next several weeks and through the summer. ■
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