I have heard there is good fishing along with some very large fish in the downtown area of the river. Has anybody fished for them? When is the best time…location…
there used to be great fishing. Gervais street bridge and the zoo being two of the best places. Since the collapse of the Santee Cooper population it is not too good. There will be some there soon, probably march and April. You will see guys lined up there when they are running. you can fish other spots too. they say to fish a pool right below rapids. A spot i fish on the Congaree is a flat above some rapids. It is only good for about an hour or less. Fish move up out of the rapids right as the sun is going down. You can see them moving trough. I use herring.
The relicensing hearings for the Lake Murray dam have had a lot of input from fishing groups encouraging minimum flows to improve the habitat of stripers and trout. Let’s hope that SCE&G will figure out a way to store enough water in late winter to release enough in spring for the striper spawn. A big thanx goes out to Midlands Striper Club and Trout Unlimited for fighting the good fight.
And pray for rain!
I might have to make a trip to the zoo with my kayak to see if i can find some fish THIS WEEKEND
if you’re fishing for trout, it could be stellar - early for stripes.
WHAT DO I FISH WITH FOR TROUT?
ultralight with mepps spinners. niblets corn works. call Richard at Lake World, 803-957-6548 for the latest updates.
Get those trout quick before the stripers do.
Ok thanks 
Ill do that
10 years ago, the stripers in Saluda LOVED 6" rainbow trout. you could catch the trout on corn, then use them for big stripers. then again, I’m a redneck and don’t mind this kinda thing.
protip
stillfishin, i’m stuck in columbia this wknd. lets take the yaks out on the river. i’ve fished the congaree several times, but never up the saluda, heard from many many people thats where the trout be.
hit me up 843-343-7492
-Ross
www.homewatersclothing.com
“Connecting you to your natural resources with the best polo shirt ever.”
ill give you a ring . thanks jay
They stock the Saluda by helicopter, so they are spread all over. I like flyfishing for them but corn works great. You want to fish the eddies in the rapids.
I have a flyrod i might take . What flys work IM NEW TO THE FLYROD
i know you guys said its too early for stripers but what about just kayaking down the river and casting artificials into as many pools as possible? Has anybody ever tried this technique? I figure you can cover alot more ground, but then again would i be moving too fast?
some stripers stay in the river all year.I like to fish with rubber 3-4 inch flat tail minnows that look like shad. If your going give me a ring
803-397-5261 jay
quote:
Originally posted by stillfishnI have a flyrod i might take . What flys work IM NEW TO THE FLYROD
Hares ear nymph worked best for me. Blue Winged Olive if you see them rising. Caught a few browns last week up at Saluda Shoals Park.
Let me know if you catch any trout down at the zoo. I was told they didn’t stock down that far.
I use pheasant tails, hare ears, sucker spawn (egg sac imitation) and my favorite is gray and olive wooly buggers. I use size ten wooly buggers, they seem to weed out the tiny trout.
I carried my john boat up my Jr and Sr years at USC and would do ok catching stripers on the congaree around late march & early april. I would throw big rapalas or anything elese like that. I would put in at the boat ramp just upriver from the I77 bridge.
You won’t catch any Striper this time of year in the Saluda. A few small ones start coming up the Saluda by April or May but for the most part they will hang in the Congaree until then. The big fish won’t be there until late June, early July.