Zurg

Good striper fishing next to the dam and a good white bass bite if you find them. Caught some good largemouth in the tree tops on deep crankbait in summer. I have not fished it this year

A truer statement has never been made:) lol

Great fish! Soak that jig just a little bit longer each time and see what happens. Slow is a good thing when it comes to jigs:) Good start to your fishing year and I am sure it will keep getting better with all that practice.

Mike, The photo makes her look bigger than she actually is. She was really fat so I am guessing between 6 and 7lbs. The water has been really muddy here. She hit a mop jig in some timber laydowns

Spring is getting closer in the south. Starting to see some good fish the past couple of weekends

If you want an experience unique to this area, I would suggest taking a smallmouth trip on the Broad River. Many people don't realize that South Carolina has some world class smallmouth. An average trip would be about 30 fish with at least a 3-5lb smallmouth. I use a guide who knows the river better than anyone in SC and he is very reasonable. I am not sure if it is appropriate to put links on here for guide services. You can send me a message if interested and I would be happy to give you his contact details.

Nothing wrong with THAT fish AT all:)

I use to live in Tennessee and would catch great fish early in the year on buzz baits. The great thing was, no one else was throwing them! In South Carolina, I have not had the same success. So far this year, I have not had a fish pay any attention to one. I need to keep tossing them! Sounds like you had a great day of fishing!

Sounds like a great way to start the year off!

Chris, From Columbia north, the Broad River is FULL of smallmouth. It is rarely fished because access isnt that great. You really have to work to get out there where the fish are. Kayaks or a canoe is about the only way to fish it. 4-6lb smallies are very common on the broad.

VERY nice video! I caught my first one on the Broad River a few weeks ago. I had no idea what it was! They do put up a good fight and are fun to catch.

The largemouth have all come from Private lakes. One is in Ridgeville and the other is close to Camden. Unfortunately, I can't find anything really close to Columbia. I try to look for hunting leases with ponds and see if they allow fishing only members. I don't have a boat so I have to find lakes that are bank accessible. Tomorrows trip to Santee Cooper will be with a friend who has a boat. We use a canoe in the broad river. It can be tough fishing but you rarely see anyone else out there. The Broad is really hard to get into and the current can be difficult if you don't know what you are doing. However, the fishing is amazing. You just don't have any competition. We have caught some really nice largemouth in Broad also.

Thanks guys! Headed to Santee Cooper tomorrow to see how things are going there. The smallmouth are all coming from the Broad River. I fish with a guide who knows that river better than anyone. I am not sure if it is allowed to post that information but would be happy to give anyone his website if they want to send me a message. I have added a couple of pics of the smallies. Nothing fights like a big river smallmouth!

This year is getting off to a great start so far! I have caught a 7lb, 8lb, and one just shy of 10. Also some great smallmouth fishing in the river! We have been getting some monster 4-5lb smallies. The largemouth have been tearing up large spinnerbaits. The smallmouth have been hitting large Mepps.

I usually fish Santee in March and try to time it with spawning activity. Senkos seem to work really well that time of year. Last year, we took some big fish on topwater baits in the grass.

If I could add a question please. A lot of people talk about rod, reel, jig, etc. Since line watching is so important, is their a specific color or type that is easier to see when jig fishing? I will admit the jig is perplexing me as well.

I think the new Powell Diesel Series is worth looking at. I am a huge fan of Powell Rods and they fit neatly in that price range.

I like FLW the best. I am not really into a lot of the tournament coverage of some magazines. I also really like the local, more regional magazines. They usually have information on the lakes that are close and what is happening in my area.

I will also cast my vote for Santee-Cooper. The Cypress trees hold some huge bass. Mid to late March should see some huge 10+ pound fish as the bass enter the spawn. I already have three days I am planning to fish at the end of the month depending on the moon phase. As for accomodations, Blacks is about as good as it gets. Lake Murray still host a lot of bass tournaments. However, you have to be good at fishing high pressure, clear water lakes. A VERY under rated but good lake is Lake Wateree. There is a decent camp at Lake Wateree State Park in Winnsboro. Wateree has tons of docks to skip in the spring and lots of alligator grass. Once you decide, if you want specific information about the lake and possible areas to fish, hit us up and we will share what we can.