Fishing in South Carolina upcountry

The northwesternmost portion of South Carolina, a sort of rough triangle formed by the state’s borders with North Carolina and Georgia, is locally known as the Upcountry. It is home to a number of trout streams and three large lakes—Jocassee, Keowee, and Hartwell. Although South Carolina’s stream fishing for trout cannot rival that found in neighboring North Carolina, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does stock large numbers of fish each year; these are raised at a hatchery in Walhalla.

There is limited natural reproduction in several remote streams, most notably those flowing into Lake Jocassee. The best trout streams include the upper reaches of the Chattooga and its East Fork, plus the Chauga, Whitewater, Eastatoe, and Saluda Rivers. For those who enjoy getting back of beyond, some of the feeder streams, along with creeks that can be reached by hiking the Foothills Trail, are inviting destinations.

The tactics that take trout in this area range from dry-fly fishing to the plying the waters with natural baits. For fly anglers, the emphasis is on good presentation rather than selecting the best fly pattern. Streams are relatively low in fertility, so the trout are opportunistic feeders. Among consistently productive dry-fly patterns are the Adams, Royal Wulff, Thunderhead, Elk-Hair Caddis, Adams Variant, and Yellow and Royal Humpies. In late summer, flies that imitate beetles, jassids, and hoppers are productive. The nymph angler will score well with bead-head versions of Tellico, Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, and Prince patterns, whereas favored streamers include Muddler Minnows, Matukas, and Black-Nosed Dace. For those using ultralight spinning gear, the smallest spinners are effective, as are such live baits as crickets, spring lizards, red worms, and nightcrawlers.

For the stillwater angler, all three of the area’s large lakes have much to offer. Keowee, and particularly Jocassee, have good populations of brown trout. These stay mostly quite deep; in warmer weather, trolling with downriggers is effective. Jigging with large spoons, or using threadfin shad or blueback herring, both of which inhabit the reservoirs, are other favored techniques.

Some smallmouth bass live in these lakes, and largemouth bass are plentiful. Panfishing for black crappie and various species of bream is also available, although lakes with warmer water elsewhere in the state are better.

Although located in the Upcountry region, sprawling Lake Hartwell’s 56,000 acres (shared with Georgia) offer fishing similar to that found in the Piedmont. The northernmost impoundment in a chain of dams on the Savannah River, Hartwell is one of the state’s better crappie lakes. It has plenty of largemouth bass as well, although they tend to run smaller on average than those in South Carolina’s favorite bass fishing destinations. Spotted bass are nearly as abundant here as largemouths. Hybrid striped bass, and—to a lesser degree— pure-strain stripers, are Hartwell’s featured species, and the lake is generally lightly fished.