skey44

We are fond of our Tigers and our lake around here! We are already gearing up for football season!

Hi I am Scott. I went to school at Clemson University starting in 2001. I have lived in Clemson SC ever since. Only recently have I started to put time and effort into bass fishing.... and boy the bug has bitten me. The first day not really knowing what I was doing (around end of April) I caught 7 small keeper sized LMB! Have not done that well since # wise, but have started to more consistently pick up 3 pounders. Only hooked one so far that was 5+ and it popped the jig right at the boat (rushed her). Gotten all the nice gear head stuff and had fun with it. The most recent addition being a Lowrance HDS 5 with structure scan (only been on the water twice with it, can't wait for tomorrow when I'll be out all day!) I have fished in some way shape or form almost every day this summer since that first day in late April, and boy have I enjoyed it. This site has also given me a lot of insight and am very thankful to have found it. BTW I am looking for some more people to fish with, I don't mind taking someone out, fishing out of the back with someone else, or shore fishing. Just as long as I'm fishing! I just want to get more time on the water and learn from as many sources as I can! I have a few people that go with me from time to time (based on the weather and their schedules), but it seems I am fishing 75% of the time by myself. I am a pretty social person and this doesn't work too well for me, even though as long as I'm fishing I'm not complaining!

Living in Clemson, fishing on Hartwell! Nice to see a familiar area on a national board. I have also been acquiring some "decent" tackle lately before I get into "real" bills! Feel free to message if you'd like to go out sometime and demo a few things I've picked up lately... a few Curado reels, Crucial rods, Revo reel, Gloomis rod, Lowrance HDS with structure scan. I've really put some money into this hobby recently, but still can't seem to stick any of the nice ones around here like in your profile pic.... where'd you catch those beauties? There is only one D1 football team that I know of in the upstate

btw, procraft if you'd like to let go of some of your spots and baits that have been working for you I'd love to hear from you I'd share some Hartwell spots and baits that are fairly productive for me, in exchange for some Keowee knowledge!

Fishing has been good in ponds and reservoirs with this rainy cool front we are having the last two days. I caught a 3# on my second cast yesterday (only fished 10 casts), and me and two others caught seven in three hours of varying sizes up to 2# on keowee this morning All in less than 7 feet of water! better than fishing those 20ft points like I've been doing lately with variable success. Boy does the weather make a difference!

well, The abu was graciously replaced by my local outdoor store, and the replacement was not a floor model. It is a Revo SX in 7:1. It is buttery smooth! After analyzing the grinding Curado I have found that under a 10 foot diver it is okay. I guess it just really doesn't have all the power of the 5:1. I definitely think the Curado needs a good clean out, and think that soon I'm gonna break down and get the local shimano authorized repair shop to give it a teardown and lube lessons learned: 1 no floor model reels 2 5:1 reels may be a little smoother under load than 7:1... this needs further testing!

That really stinks I didnt think of it that wAy they were both out of locked cases. I paid full price so will be returning the revo. As for the curado I would think shimano would still honor warranty bc it was not sold "as is" as far as I know. In both cases I only got the floor model because it was the last of each model available at te time not because of a special price. I'll be talking with the retailers first especially on the new one, but then I guess I'll have to talk to the manufacturers if it can't be fixed.

the Curado that is good was not a floor model and is a 5:1 ratio.

I have a couple of Curado reels and just bought a Revo STX. One of my Curado (bought 5/17) and the Revo (bought today) both feel like there is something inside grinding under the heavy load of a crankbait (not when off load). They were both "floor models". My other Curado is smooth but I use it more for low pressure load type baits (plastics, jigs, etc.) I have a black max Abu from Wal Mart and it is very smooth. Should I be picky and call the companies (or even return the abu? since it is new) or is this normal for a reel under the load of a crankbait? Note: both reels are 7:1 gear ratios. I bought "non Wal Mart" type reels to have a nice smooth ride, and these seem to be under performing IMO. Can it be fixed by me or should I look to the companies for replacement or help? Scott

I don't really have any good spots except trying them all, but I am also thinking of visiting lake Keowee, Russell, and Thurmond. I just try and pattern fish hartwell every time I go out, because yesterdays "spot" seems to be devoid of life today:) I do look for certain things and repeat some spots, but I often find changing things up is more productive for me than trying to find that one spot. I have been having good luck around vertical structure in 10-30 ft though with finesse preaentations.

Hello from Clemson! We catch a few spots in hartwell, I haven't fished Keowee yet but plan to soon!

Hi, Clemson SC here, I'm a younger guy too, well 28 is still young right? and I've been really getting into fishing around here. If u have any questions, tips, or need a fishing buddy sometime let me know.

I am a releative noob too and was having trouble focusing as fish were jumping all around me, this caused me to fish surface baits hurriedly with a few strikes but no hook ups. I was catching nothing but frustration with this method. I have since quit paying too much attention to the surface and am slowly working other baits over structure and through cover. Finally have started to catch more fish and actually getting some nicer ones, 2# 12 oz last night. In what way was your Gf fishing the night crawler? Maybe copy that presentation, in my case I was going way too fast bc of all the excitement!

Caught three decent fish today all on trick worms, one weightless (fished like a senko) and two on shakey head jigs. Color of the day? Watermelon/red. Fish ranged from 13-19"

Been out a lot this week. Found the bite a little hard to come by for me, heard stories at the local stores of people catching limits easily. No bites dragging the old C-rig, or running crankbaits into brushpiles on points. Good hits, lots of followers, top water over 20-30 feet of water on a super spook ( trasparent blue, no hook ups just loud splashes!). Tons of chasers, but few strikers and no hook ups fishing schooling fish chasing baitfish off points (over 8-30' of water). Tried wacky rig, fluke, and hard swimbait (magic swimmer) in a herring look with a touch of green (customer at outdoor shop said he and his son caught a dozen keepers the night before on this exact bait). Had a legitimate 5+ pounder (20" range) to the boat Monday, missed the lip, shook the hook, on a green pumpkin 3/4 oz football jig, with a net bait watermelon colored crawfish plastic trailer. I was fishing a steep point with brushpiles and rip rap around 20', The only problem is losing jigs, and that has been my only brush pile bite in three trips (and of course after a five pounder lost at the boat been fishing lots of brushpiles in 20' of water). The surface temp is 85+degrees, the water is pretty clear, and the weather has been nice. I'll be fishing some more this week. I'll be sure to update you on any progress, or changes to my gameplan. Current game plan... fish the heck out of brush or standing timber (if I can find any I mostly find brush) in 15-25' of water on steep points for bigger fish (though the schools can be found here more towards the surface). Keep playing with rising strikers out of schooling fish

I graduated from Clemson in 2007, and fish Hartwell regularly (not always successful, but getting better). If you want any inside info on the college or the fishing, shoot me a pm and we could meet up. Sounds like a fun trip!

Fish main lake points (don't be afraid to try deeper water in the 20' range) with timber or brush piles near the river channel with jigs, c-rigs, shakey heads, deep cranks, etc. Top water and flukes morning, evening, and cloudy. You got your bait fish right... follow the herring. I have the most luck with "natural" colors (either silver, chrome, white, or blue for hard baits; wm seed, grn pumpkin or wm/red for plastics)

On here I'd say 7# or a fat 24 incher! in Real life I'd call it 10 to sound good to the neighbors, wife, fishing buds etc. They'll never know the difference. I think weights are multiplied by 2 at least in my area (so to stay relative to them I just use the same formula : ). People say they've been catching 5# fish usually you see a picture and it is at best 2-3# and the " 2# " fish are usually under the legal size! Either way, you can call it what you want you will not be lying! I measured a 22" fish for a guy fishing with me and it was 6.5# probably a little fatter than yours as it was during the spawn and the pond produces hefty fish (even the little ones have guts!). Nice fish either way you call it.... I'd love to have something like that under my belt. bet you had a fun time with it! How'd she fight?

Wow, that is quite the trip, is it purely for fishing? What part of the lake do you plan to put in at?

How does a cold front, and storms rolling through the night before fishing usually pan out in the summer? The temps were getting way up there in this early summer heat wave we were into, but last night the temps dropped down to the 60's for the first time in a while, and barely made it to 80 by 2 pm. There was heavy cloud cover all morning... actually until 2:00 and I didn't get hit all morning! Kinda weird. Usually folks seem to be talking about cold fronts in fall, just wandering how it affected summer time bassin?

Found both baits for 6.99 at my local tackle shop.

Agh, well I guess I fished the Ika backwards! Still no luck this morning again, but the weather seemed to effect the bite. Does anyone know what might have happened we had storms roll through last night, the weather was much cooler and cloudy today. I didn't see the normal action I usually see around cover (near bank) most of the top pops were way out in the middle and few and far between. Throwing the senko and ika near surface action, no bites at all. I think some of the surface action were carp? I had confidence At the time, but now looking back it seems like it may have been a hopeless situation.

I got a pack of the strike king from wall e world and cannot stand the way they smell, like yum baits( sassafrass?) I hate it and have no confidence in this smell at all, might be just my reaction to the smell? I have the specified baits now senko by gyb and fat Ila, now the terrible part.... I have to fish all morning again to test this theory proper

trust me if they are that active they will hit something I guess I am just missing something then.

Well, finally got a good hit on the senko around noon (twitching a little more when moving it instead of just a slow movement, also cut down on the splash on entry). Felt good and heavy... but of course the drag was too loose on my reel and didn't get the hook set. I will try again later this evening, need to get the recommended color (right now only have the watermelon w/large black and red, and baby bass colors) can't find the fat ika around locally. I'll ask if they have them next time I guess. Will update on any further developments.