Rocky Wells compares the spotted bass at Lake Keowee to “a bunch of lions.””A largemouth will get behind a stump and wait,” Wells said, “but these spotted bass — when they’re schooling like this — they’re going to be hunting something to eat.”
This inclination has played directly into the hands of anglers who have visited the 18,500-acre reservoir in Upstate South Carolina in recent days. The water temperature has dropped several degrees in the past two weeks, and is now hovering around the 70-degree mark, which has caused the spotted bass to “huddle up,” according to Wells.
“They’ve started bunching up and moving back into the creeks,” said Wells, of Gap Hill Landing (864-868-2823).
The key, Wells said, is to find the bait.
“If anglers will hunt the bait instead of the fish, they’ll be fine,” he said. “These spots do not hold, they’re moving wherever the bait is.”
The same fish that can be caught 30 to 50 feet deep also will come up and school on the surface at any time, so Wells advises keeping a topwater plug handy.
A variety of techniques are working for the fish when they’re not on top, including dropshotting with smaller artificials such as Tiny Shads and finesse worms. Jigging spoons also are doing the trick.
These schooling spotted bass tend to be on the smaller side — “mostly 1 1/2 to 2-pound fish,” Wells said — but it’s hard to complain with such a good bite.
“People are catching 20 fish in a day — easy,” Wells said. “And every now and then you’ll get a 3- or 4-pound fish if you’re lucky.”
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