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Four Small Lakes Worth Checking Out 2003 These four lakes are all within easy driving distance of each other. Lake Cunningham, Lake Robinson, Lake Lyman and Lake Cooley. All four of these lakes are open to the public with parks built on each one of them. The sizes of these small lakes are 330 acres to 800 acres. All these lake have restrictions for boating and fishing, and permits must be purchased for each lake. Consequently, each lake is stocked with largemouth bass, bream, crappie and catfish. Click on each lake link within this article for specific lake information. The 2003 Year Lake Outlook - February 2003 The lakes in South Carolina are looking very good for the coming 2003 recreational season. The lake levels at most of the large reservoirs in the state are much better than last Summer. The three lakes managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, Hartwell, Russell, and Thurmond, are all doing well with steadily increasing water levels. The only major lake in South Carolina that has not seen an increase in water level is Lake Murray. This lake is owned by South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) and is undergoing construction work at the dam. So, the outlook for lake recreation in 2003 is the best it has been in years. So choose a South Carolina lake and make it your vacation destination. The Rain Came - September 2002 Finally, for the first time this year a major rain came to the state. Due to a hurricane that turned into a tropical storm, six to 12 inches of rain fell in South Carolina. However, because of the drought the state has been in for the last five years, the lake levels only improved by a few inches. However, the small lakes like Bowen, Blalock and Secession improved by a foot or more. As far as the major lakes go, it will take a lot of rain to raise these back lake to normal levels. The good news is that winter is just around the bend, and more rains should be on the way. Recent Lake New for June 2002 The temperatures in South Carolina have hit the 90's, and the lakes are all ready recreation. Because South Carolina has suffered lower than normal rainfall in recent years some lake levels are pretty low. The most affected lakes are Lake Hartwell and Lake Thurmond (Clarks Hill). These two lakes are down about 7 to 8 feet down. Both of these lakes have had some boat ramp closings. But there are still many ramps open all around each lake. Lake Secession in Abbeville County is in great condition, this is a 1,400 acre lake. Also, Lake Russell near Calhoun Falls is in good shape. It stays within a few feet all year long. Of course, the Santee Cooper lakes are both within a few feet of full. Lake Bowen and Lake Blalock are always both near full most of the year. Caution should be used when boating and swimming in South Carolina. Seven people have drowned in Lake Hartwell this year. Also, numerous boating accidents have occurred on the lakes this year. The latest one was a jet ski hit a bass boat after dark. Be careful in South Carolina and have fun at the lake. South
Carolina State Parks Site Changes The website for the South Carolina State Parks has made some changes to their site. The first change is the page colors. Green was the theme color in the past, but now the pages have a blue and white background. Other changes include more information and photographs. In the right hand column there are several links including all the major attractions at the park such as fishing, boating, trails, swimming, and other activities. Weather listing for the area are also listed for each area. This website is an excellent source of South Carolina outdoor information. Lake Levels - July 1, 2001 Lake levels of South Carolina's major lakes still tend to be low, however, there are exceptions. These three lakes are all within 1 foot of being at full elevation: Lake Russell, Lake Moultrie and Lake Monticello. As far the other major lakes, their levels are around the same as last month. Duke Power's Lake Jocassee in the upstate of South Carolina has shown the most increase of any of the major lakes. Jocassee is now 13.6 feet below normal. Although this level seems very low, the lake has actually risen by over 9 feet in just a few months time. Also, a low lake level on this lake is not particularly bad, because Lake Jocassee is the deepest lake in the state with 400 foot depths in certain areas. Consequently, the boat ramps at Devil's Fork State Park are almost never out of the water. Even when lake levels are at 23 feet down, launching a boat is still possible. Even though lake levels tend to be down, now is a great time to visit any of these South Carolina Lakes. All of the lakes have a reasonable water level for great summer recreation. About southcarolinalakes.net
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Four South Carolina Lakes for Catfish - May 5, 2001 According to the June 2001 edition of South Carolina Game and Fish magazine, these four lakes are prime locations for catching catfish: Lake Wylie, Lake Wateree, Lake Marion, and Lake Monticello. You can find out all about these lakes on this website. New
State Record Striper - April 2001 Surprisingly, a new state record striped bass has been caught from a lake where the fish are not even stocked. The new state record has been caught on Lake Russell by South Carolina fisherman James Robinson of McCormick. The fish weighs 56 pounds. James was fishing from a boat with blueback herring when the fish grabbed it. It took 30 minutes to land the great fish. The fish measured 42 inches long and had a girth of 32 inches.
Keowee
Fish Advisory Lifted - April 2001 The fish
advisory of "one meal of largemouth bass per week" on Lake
Keowee has been lifted by DHEC. There are now no restrictions on
eating fish from this lake. The advisory was lifted after testing
of fish showed no signs of mercury contamination. However, DHEC
reissued advisories for Lake Hartwell. No fish of any species
should be eaten in the Seneca River Arm and Twelve Mile Creek area of
the lake. In addition, DHEC recommends that only one meal a month
of largemouth bass and channel catfish be eaten from the rest of the
lake. For more information on fish advisories click on the
following link: Important Fishing Information - April 2001 Please remember to renew or purchase a 2001-2002 South Carolina Fishing License. The 2000-2001 license expires on June 30, 2001. The new licenses go on sale on June 11, 2001. Also, some stores in South Carolina may be selling them on an earlier date. However, the license would not go into effect until July 1, 2001. South Carolina has a reciprocal agreement with the state of Georgia so that fishing on the border lakes between states is allowed with a fishing license from either state. The following lakes are covered by this agreement: Lake Hartwell, Lake Russell, Lake Thurmond (Clark's Hill Reservoir), and Lake Tugaloo. Please Note: South Carolina has NO reciprocal agreements with North Carolina. So to fish on a South Carolina - North Carolina lake, a fisherman should have a license from both states. This rule applies to Lake Wylie located on the northeastern border of South Carolina. Low
Lake levels for South Carolina Reservoirs Lake Levels on South Carolina's reservoirs have been low now for quiet sometime. However, recent rains have helped the situation some. The best lake level of the major lakes is Lake Wateree. It is down only 1.7 feet. The worst lake level remains at Lake Jocassee. Jocassee is 20.7 feet down, but the water level still increased 3 feet over last month. Lake Greenwood and Lake Russell are both in pretty good shape. Lake Greenwood was about 3 foot down and Lake Russell is about 2 feet down. Lake Russell usually maintains a good water level. It is located between Lake Hartwell and Lake Thurmond (Clark's Hill Reservoir). These two lakes are both way down. Hartwell is about 9.5 feet down and Thurmond is 8.45 feet down. At Hartwell some of the boat ramps are unusable. The Twelve Mile Creek boat ramp is one ramp that is still in good shape. On Lake Thurmond the Parksville Recreation Area ramp is in good shape. South Carolina Fish Advisories from S.C.D.H.E.C. There is now a place to go to get fish advisories on the web. You can just click on the link below to find out about the many updated fish advisories that the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control issues each year. At this web site, you can either view, print, or download an acrobat pdf file. Fish advisories issued by SCDHEC contain information about high levels of chemical contaminates such as PCBs in fish. An advisory may state what type of fish may be eaten safely or state how much fish may be eaten safely from each body of water. The advisories are based on tests made on each lake by the agency. A recent example on Lake Jocassee shows for the consumption of largemouth bass of only one serving per week, with one serving being equal to a half pound of fish. Other fish in this lake such as trout, smallmouth bass, crappie, and bream are all safe to eat as much as you want. For more information please click on this link.
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