It was a nice day outside today and I was tired of self quarantining at home so my son and I decided to try fishing at Lake Thicketty in Gaffney, SC. As soon as we got there we noticed dozens and dozens of dead fish out in the water and along the banks. From what we saw, all of them were catfish. The lake is managed by SC DNR and I tweeted them some photos but as of yet have not received a response.

 

We only fished there for about 45 minutes because the banks were overcrowded. I could not believe how crowded it was for a Wednesday afternoon, but I guess with the virus going around everyone else had the same idea. Not a single bite for us. We did see one guy catch a small bream that he tossed in a bucket to take home. I would not have kept one that small, but I got the feeling he and his wife fish often to put food on their table.

 

I think that Thicketty would be OK if you had a kayak, but there aren't any decent looking bass spots from the bank. But I will be back at my old stomping grounds in teh SC Lowcountry this weekend and it's about this time of year the bass start gorging before the spawn. I can;t wait.

 

 

 

 

That’s crazy about the catfish, those things are tough as nails. As it warms up a lot of fish will have to hit the banks where you are standing, they Won’t lay their eggs where the sun doesn’t hit them. If the water is super clear they can spawn deeper but I’m guessing a large portion of the bass will be in and out of the shallows near the banks in the next month or more in your area