While many fishermen visiting Lake Jocassee of late would perceive the lake’s low water level to be a liability, some anglers see it as an opportunity. “The lake level is down 17 feet right now, so you can wade around in places that you normally can’t get to,” said Ken Sloan, owner of the Lake Jocassee Outdoor Center (www.jocasseeoutdoorcenter.com, 864-944-9016).
Among those who have capitalized on the new-look conditions at the deep, cold-water mountain reservoir is Jason Galloway of nearby Seneca. In the past two weeks, Galloway has caught a 5-pound, 12-ounce brown trout and an 11.79-pound largemouth bass – both while casting from the freshly exposed shoreline.
“It would behoove somebody – if they’re a bass or structure fisherman – to walk the shoreline now and look for the type of structure they like to fish,” Galloway said. “You’ll see treetops, points, humps and rock outcrops that you usually don’t see, and can get a much better feel for the lake. This can be done anywhere on the lake.”
Sloan agreed.
“Typically once you got to the rocky edge, that was it,” he said. “Now you’ve got 20 or 30 feet of sandy beach below that. You can see whole rocks and humps, and can cover a large area by foot.”
Bass fishing at Jocassee can be tough thanks to the clear and deep water in the relatively infertile reservoir, but with a low density of bass per acre, an abundance of baitfish and low fishing pressure, the bass have the potential for tremendous growth.
“Someone commented to me recently that if you come in with a 5-pound bass here people snub their nose at you, and there’s some truth to that,” Sloan said. “The die-hards who come here are looking for monster fish – they’re looking for those 10-, 12-, 14-pound bass. And every year we see at least a couple of fish over 14 pounds.”
Galloway caught his big bass within 15 feet of the “new” shoreline while casting a silver spoon on 10-pound-test line.
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