April is fast-forward version of March on Wateree

Chuck Porter of Sumter has fished Lake Wateree for 30 years, with springtime being his favorite for largemouth bass.

“During April, I keep my fishing pretty simple,” Porter said. “I fish mostly cover along the banks: weed beds, docks, stumps, downed trees, logs and anything that is a target. Early in the month, I often fish a bit slower with jigs and grubs, but by mid-April, I am generally using plastic worms — and that includes using floating worms in very shallow water. For fishing this lake in April, you typically only have to take what was successful in March and do it a bit faster and sometimes in shallower water.

“Early in the month, look for fish around areas with bottom-contour changes,” Porter said. “There are several points that I will work two or three time during the course of a day of fishing, whether I catch anything or not. Through the years, I’ve found that bass will tend to orient to these places at some point during the day. Another good bet is a stretch of shoreline that slopes gently, with good woody and rock cover on it, and then abruptly falls into deeper water. Right along that break-line can be a real April hotspot for largemouth bass.

“You can take quality fish during April,” he said. “The lake is loaded with 4- to 6-pound largemouth, and fish much larger are frequently caught during this time of year. I’ll switch things up a bit in terms of lures I use, but Wateree is one lake where you can be very successful in April just beating the banks with worms, buzzbaits and Pop Rs.

“Certainly, there are opportunities to do a lot of other types of bass fishing, but sometimes I enjoy keeping the fishing simple and still catching limits of quality fish.”