https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQP-gg4KQ8M
Fishing in the shoals is the key
The striped bass bite is heating up on the Wateree River. Guide Jason Wolfe of Wolfe’s Guide Service said the trick to catching them right now is getting upriver into the shoals located just below the tailrace of the Wateree Dam.
“These fish are full of eggs and looking to spawn, but the water is not quite warm enough yet. But they are hungry and biting. The thing about this river is it’s so diverse even in that short stretch that runs from the dam to the Hwy. 1 bridge in Lugoff,” said Wolfe (803-487-3690).
Wolfe launches his G3 aluminum boat at the Hwy. 1 landing where the river has a few rocks, but is mostly made up of dirt bottoms and banks. He motors up within sight of the dam before he really begins fishing for stripers. The river changes to rocks, shoals, and the closest thing to rapids you’ll find in this part of the state.
“These rocks break the current up, which allows the stripers to hide out without having to work quite so hard. And it gives them good spots to ambush bait that’s tumbling in the current. Any kind of break in current is a good spot to fish for stripers. These shoals provide that,” said Wolfe, who uses a Yamaha 90/65 jet drive to run in these treacherous waters.
Specialized gear helps on this river
“You’d never make it up here with a propeller outboard. The jet drive lets you get in really shallow water. It allows you to run in places that would immediately destroy a propeller. Jet drives are really the only powerboats that can reach these fish once they get into these shoals,” he said.
And once in the shoals, Wolfe drops anchor, then begins casting a 4-inch long Cotton Cordell Red Fin, which is a hard plastic lure that dives just slightly below the surface. Then he uses a steady retrieve. The Fort Lawn angler uses Daiwa Luna 300 high-speed baitcasting reels which hold a lot of line and help get these fish out of the current and the rocks quickly. He casts to eddies, slack pools, and any areas that offer a break in the current.
“You can rip it a little, or change up the pace, but a steady retrieve is usually all it takes to draw strikes. And there will be no doubt when a striper hits it,” he said.
Wolfe said patience is always good when fishing, but stressed anglers shouldn’t spend too much time in one spot if it’s not producing any bites.
“This river is really good right now. Earlier this year, water was coming over the dam and the water was out of the banks. It’s at a good level now and the fish are biting. I expect it to stay good through the spring and get even better each day as the weather continues to warm up and stabilize,” said Wolfe.
