Upcountry Kayak and Wading Excursion

Asher and I had a big time exploring waters in the South Carolina's Upcountry not too long ago. We fished mostly from the kayaks, but also spent part of a day wading the Chattooga National Wild & Scenic River.

The kayak element was extra fun because it represented somewhat of a test run. It was the first time I had loaded up both Vapor 10 Anglers for an outing to nearby waters since I brought the second one home from Old Town. We hit three different lakes by kayak, meaning 13-year-old Asher and I loaded and unloaded both boats multiple times in a couple of days, and doing so was every bit as quick and simple as I had hoped. Of course, I knew both kayaks would suit my needs well on the water because the new one is the same model as the I already had -- just a different color.

We spent time in the kayaks fishing Tugaloo Lake, Lake Jocassee and Lake Oolenoy, all tucked in the mountains and beautiful, but each distinctive in character. All three yielded some fish to go along with great paddling opportunities. 

We began on Tugaloo, which straddles the South Carolina/Georgia border and is fed by the Chattooga River and by the Tallulah River at the extreme lower end of Tallulah Gorge. We launched on the South Carolina side and spent the morning hitting pockets off the Chattooga River arm. We didn't end up traveling far because we began catching bass and bluegills almost immediately and never had need to do much searching. That said, I want to return some time soon with a whole day available to paddle down Chattooga and all the way up the Tallulah arm to fish inside the gorge section.

Next we visited Lake Jocassee, which is arguably the most scenic lake in the Southern Appalachia. Located at the edge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, Jocassee is crazily rugged, steep, clear and deep. Most tributaries enter the lake as waterfalls, and it's nothing to be sitting over 200 feet with the boat a cast's distance from the shore. 

Our Jocassee exploration was greatly aided by Jocassee Lake Tours. Owner Brooks Wade welcomed kayaks, Asher and me onto one of the company's pontoons and took us to a few select areas of the lake that he knew would be extra cool to explore, would lend themselves to great photo opportunities and might produce a few fish. Jocassee Lake Tours

doesn't do guided fishing trips, and ultra-clear lakes can be challenging in mid-summer, so he made no promises on the fishing part. That said, we managed to catch several bluegills while paddling in some seriously beautiful areas. 

The third kayaks stop, Lake Oolenoy, is in Table Rock State Park, and the park's namesake rocky-faced mountain provides a spectacular backdrop to many parts of the lake. Only electric motors are permitted on Lake Oolenoy, and the lake is a nice size for a day of kayak fishing. It's small enough to fish your way around in a modest day, but large enough that there is room to explore and for several anglers to fish it at the same times. The bass bite was good at Oolenoy. We didn't catch big fish, but we caught quite a few bass. Making a good thing even better, the bass were coming up and blasting Pop-Rs on the surface!

We capped off our summer Upcountry tour by wading the Chattooga in a few different areas and catching both redeye bass and trout. Little is more fun in my mind than wet wading a cool mountain stream on a hot day and throwing little lures like Rebel Crawfish on ultralight gear for a mixed catch, so doing just that made for a fine trip finale.

Favorite Fishing Destinations Countdown: No. 7 - Lake Jocassee, South Carolina

I'll just warn you up front that if someone who has visited Lake Jocassee tries to tell you about the lake, it's going to sound like hyperbole. You'll surely hear a few terms like "gem" or "crown jewel," and adjectives will likely include "beautiful" and "spectacular." It's tough to not sound trite with words that often get tossed around so freely, but in Jocassee's case, they all fit, and in all honesty, no words do the scenery justice.

Straddling the Blue Ridge Escarpment and fed by mountain rivers, 7,500-acre Lake Jocassee is steep sided and crazily clear. Maximum depth is 350 feet, and it's nothing on this lake to be within easy casting distance for the bank and sitting over triple-digit depths. Jocassee's rocky shores are mostly forested, with minimal development, and virtually all major tributaries enter the lake over waterfalls or big, crashing rapids.

Lake Jocassee isn't just a pretty face, though. Despite its relatively small size, this lake holds claim to more state record fish than any other South Carolina waterway. South Carolina's state record smallmouth bass, spotted bass, redeye bass, brown trout and rainbow trout all came from Lake Jocassee. Beyond the cool-water species it's most famous for, Jocassee holds a small number of big
largemouths.

I won't claim Lake Jocassee is easy. Because of its extreme depth and clarity, it can be a tough nut to crack, and some of the best fishing calls for specialized approaches like deep-water trolling and night-fishing. I've been fortunate to have gotten to spend time on this lake with some very good anglers, and I'd definitely suggest hiring a guide if you're able to do so.

That said, Lake Jocassee is one of those places that warrants a visit whether or not you can get the fish to cooperate. Of course, once you've seen it for yourself, you'll be stuck with the dilemma of trying to describe Lake Jocassee to friends without sounding cliché, and my guess is that you wont' find words to it justice!

Devil's Fork State Park offers good boating and shoreline access, lodging, camping and supplies. For guided fishing, check out Jocassee Charters. For area information, visit Upcountry South Carolina.

Classic Warm-Up

The Anderson, S.C. forecast calls for a high of 70 degrees on Friday, the first morning of the 2018 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell. That's quite a contrast from the most recent Hartwell Classic, three years ago, when the first morning's takeoff had to be delayed because boats were frozen to trailers. It was the coldest takeoff in Bassmaster Classic history, and while temps moderated through the weekend, the entire event had a definite winter feel.

It's chilly this morning in North Georgia and the South Carolina Upcountry (Hartwell straddles the border), with temps hanging right around freezing. However, it's supposed to be sunny with highs in the mid-50s today and tomorrow, 60s on Thursday and warmer still on Friday. Typical of early spring, it'll be a bit of a yo-yo, with forecast highs of 70, 54 and 67 for the three competition days (Friday through Sunday) and a mix conditions to include wind, calm, sunshine, clouds and probably some rain.

The important thing is that the trend is toward warmth, and given the amount of mild weather the region has already had this year, the Classic should fish as a spring event, much more so than a late-winter event, with shallow fish and aggressive patterns potentially coming into play. The water is also notably higher than during past Hartwell Classics, which means more cover is available to fish moving shallow.

The anglers have gotten to practice, so they have an idea what is happening and how fish are likely to respond to this week's weather. I'm pretty eager to see how it all unfolds!

The Ice Edge Pattern

Given yesterday's low of 9, a current temperature of 18 and more of the same forecast for the rest of this week, I can't help thinking back on a crazy cold day of fishing in the South Carolina Upcountry and wondering if the "ice edge" pattern has developed on any local streams.

It was a little less than the three years ago on the same morning that the Bassmaster Classic launch was delayed on Lake Hartwell because boats were frozen to trailers, and I was fishing the delayed harvest section of Chauga River with Bruce Stanton, who was visiting from Arkansas for some Classic-related business.

We both saw more ice than we'd ever before seen on a trout stream in the Deep South on that day, and that ice actually turned out to be the key to the day's pattern. Over time, Bruce and I figured out that the trout were sitting under the edge of the ice, right on the bottom, and feeding in the adjacent current. Once we solved the pattern, we did surprisingly well that day by casting Watsit Grubs and Fuzz-E Grubs upstream and close to the ice and drifting or hopping them along the bottom, parallel to the edge of the ice. The water was clear enough that we saw several trout come out from under the ice to grab out lures.

One added challenge that day was keeping ice off our lures. I've often dealt with ice in rod eyes and even on reels, but the air was cold enough that lures were icing up between casts, especially if we moved a bit between casts. The ice hampered the appearance and action of our lures, but even more importantly, it sometimes covered hooking points! I'm almost certain that both of us missed a couple of fish that day because of iced over hooking points.

I am admittedly curious what kinds of ice lines have formed on local streams this week and whether fish are using them, but I might not be quite curious enough to go find out first hand. Next week I supposed to be warmer!