It took a while to arrive, but cold weather finally has made its way to South Carolina. The falling temperatures have resulted in 20- and 30-degree nights of late, and that may benefit some anglers, including the 400 bass lovers who are expected to converge on Lake Keowee this weekend for an FLW Bass Fishing League tournament.
“The bass have been good at Keowee recently, with a lot of fish being caught,” said Gerald Foster, who operates The Fishin’ Hole Bait and Tackle Shop between Clemson and Seneca (864-654-9315). “They haven’t been the size most anglers want, but I think the colder weather we’re having now might get some of the bigger spotted bass to bite and group the fish up a bit.”
This could be good news for casual weekend fishermen and tournament anglers alike. Foster expects baitfish to be pushed into deeper water, and the spotted bass will respond by grouping up in ditches in 30 to 50 feet of water.
“That makes them easier to locate,” he said. “When the water temperature was still 62 degrees in December and into January, the bait stayed shallow. This cold snap should change things.”
Water temperatures had fallen to the mid-50s and were continuing to drop by midweek.
These deep-water spotted bass are best caught by drop-shotting or doodling a plastic worm or jigging a spoon. While the vast majority of the fish will weigh in at a little more than a pound, spotted bass in the 3-pound range are fairly common.
Many anglers strive to catch a limit of smaller spotted bass, then go in pursuit of bigger spots or a stringer-anchoring largemouth.
“That’s a strategy that a lot of them use,” Foster said. “But others will work pretty much shallow all the time, using a jerkbait in hopes of landing bigger fish.
“This cold weather may take the jerkbait out of the picture somewhat because you’re banking on getting a fish that’s 15 to 18 feet deep and bringing him up to 5 or 6 feet to hit — and I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
In Foster’s opinion, a jig-n-pig may be a more viable option.
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