Catfishing in SOUTH CAROLINA?

[ThatJeezyGirl]

[unimpressed] Any Upstate South Carolinians know of a good place to do some Catfishing? I've got some practice in with Bass fishing here and there but I wanna try my hand with the Cat daddy's. IMPORTANT however is that I love love LOVE and prefer descreet locations (even those that require sneaking into) and I prefer to fish at night. If anybody has any suggestions... feel free to share. I promise not to "burn" your spot, I'm stealth and I leave a place clean and I respect the sport. Also, no offense but if you've got ignorant, irrevelant, unrelated smartass remarks, keep 'um to yourself please because I'm serious. Thanks I sincerely appreciate it.

<3 the Jeezus <3
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[Tarpon4me]

Wow, way to lay down the law. I like it. [angelic]

Ok, onto the subject. Depending on your location, will depend on what type of resources are availible if you're land locked. Honestly, bank fishing in South Carolina isn't terribly productive, but it can be in certain areas. I personally have detailed experiance along the little and big pee dee rivers. I have a couple spots in mind, but it would help if you would let us know what area you're in. I'm in the Florence area of SC. Santee also provides decent bank fishing. The catch there is, you can't fish the areas that dry up when the water finishes falling. I stayed on James loop over in Wyboo this past weekend. The cool was, I was on the water. The uncool was, the slew off of the main water in Wyboo I was in, dries up when the water finishes falling. So, the fishing from the dock was pretty much noexistent. [pirate]

You might also check out the SC message board. You might find some more SC specific info if you happen to not be in my area. I'm also open to fishing with you. A few of us on the board have gotten together for some saltwater fishing in the past. With the water falling and this extreme heat, I can't promise that I can put us on the fish; but i'll try.
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[ThatJeezyGirl]

[] Why thank you Bryan for your prompt response. Look what I did, my very first post and it had to be during a blonde moment. Yeeeesh! Of course I should have mentioned that I am in the Greenville/Simpsonville area which is closer to Hartwell, worthless Saluda and even Lake Lure than where you're talking. I assumed when I included that "Upstate South Carolinian" part would speak for itself I guess but pardon my lack of specificity. I must keep this short, I am getting the urge to dress up like a ninja and hit up a golf course pond or whatever I can find in reasonable time... the itch takes hold and it's like watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!

Fishing has become my most recent and most favorite hobby. It's all I can think about. I've become a freak tho I just learned how to rig my rod for catfish TO-DAY! lol!! This matters not... for I know it isn't just puppy love.

I visited another forum today but didn't register there. I read briefly about a few liesure fisherpeople's experience at a ClearSpring Lake in Easley. SIGH, an hour away but that is nothing to me. If only my few fishing buddies were more spontaneous. ...We'll see...

Thanks again Bryan!! If you have any more suggestions please feel free to send them my way. I am looking to learn... a LOT!

ps. Also I've gotta thank you for pointing out the South Carolina forum... I'm still having a little trouble navigating around this site.

...so many flashing lights... scrolling words... advertisema.... gaaah! =)
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[Tarpon4me]

No problem, I'm just glad I could help. I will say that, part of fishing in most instances is traveling. Very few anglers are lucky enough to live right on the good spots, I know i'm not. [pirate]

This time of year, I mostly fish Saltwater. I make the 1.5 hour ride to the beach when ever I wet a hook. Many times, just to get my feelings hurt because the water is rough and get stuck in the creek swatting knats and chasing flounder. If you haven't noticed, i'm partial to targeting offshore species. []

It does sound like you're in a tough spot, however. If you're serious about catching bigger catffish, you may need to be willing to put a little rubber on the road and take a trip. I would strongly suggest you don't do so blindly, because a few failed attemps after a two hour drive will take the steam right out of your newly found hobbie.

One thing I would suggest is to hone your skill on the species that are in your area. A lot of times to become a great catfish angler, you need to be an expert at targeting other species, like bream and crappie for instance. Why? Because that's what you use for bait. If you can't catch live bait, you're wasting your time. Find out what species are most prominent in your local bodies of water, and go get'em. You'll build confidence and you'll also have something to apply when you go catfishing.

Plan out a trip. This time of year, nightfishing for cats is my preference. It's too freakin' hot to fish for them during the day! LOL!!! It's also incredibly hard to keep bait alive in the heat of the day, and the fish are much less active. The way to do it is to camp on the river, which is my preference anyhow when I stuck to night fishing. I have a spot that has shallows on one side, and a deep hole on the other. (it's an island off the little pee dee river) White sand beach, and it's location is perfect for bank fishing and tieing hooks. Doesn't get any better than that.
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