By: Phillip Gentry


Capt. Steve Pietrykowski said that the colder and nastier
the weather gets on Lake Jocassee, the better the fish like
it.
                                Lake
Jocassee was established back in the early 1970s as a trophy trout fishery.
Anglers fished for trout in the spring, then moved elsewhere to fish the rest of
the year. But over time, savvy trout fishermen discovered that trolling tactics
that were popular up in the northern states, using downrigger balls and flutter
spoons, also worked well on the deep mountain lake.

“Nowadays, people
believe the only way to catch trout in this lake is by trolling a bunch of
hardware, using downriggers and spoons and heavy tackle,” said guide Steve
Pietrykowski of Fishki Business Charters in Seneca.

“That stuff works –
I do it all the time – but during the winter when the water temperatures are at
their coldest, trout don’t have to hold at 100 feet. We can catch them on live
bait, using light tackle, anywhere from 20 to 40 feet deep.”


Pietrykowski’s target area
during the winter is backwards from what most anglers look for. He heads to the
far end of a creek where the water depths rise from more than 100 feet up to
what is considered a shallow flat at Jocassee: 30 feet of water.


“The wind has been blowing
pretty steady into the backs of these rivers with that last front,” said
Pietrykowski (864-353-3438). “The baitfish are already back here, and the
weather has packed them into the ends of the creeks. I’m hoping we can catch us
a good trout right off the bat.”


Pietrykowski broke out
several light-action crappie rods outfitted with tiny No. 4 hooks and stinger
treble hooks. He opened the lid to his 40-gallon bait tank and scooped out a
small blueback herring, one of nearly 10 dozen he had netted earlier from nearby
Lake Keowee. He hooked the bait through the nose with the main hook and impaled
the tiny treble stinger near the tail. That done, he flipped the split-shot rig
25 feet beyond the moored boat, letting the bait sink slowly in the water.


Through the course of the
morning, the live bait accounted for more than two-dozen rainbow and brown
trout, stockers that were immediately released, plus a handful of fat spotted
and largemouth bass trying to push five pounds before spring arrives, and two
nice browns – one just over, the other just under 20 inches.

As of Hartwell, over all for January the fishing has been pretty good.  Now we have had a little rain and a few weather fronts that have pushed through since the new year and that has mixed things up a little.  As for water temps last week I recorded 45-47 degrees, now the last few days I have seen 52-58 degrees.  Now that is surface temps.  It is still chilly down 20 and 30 feet.  Trolling umbrella riggs early in the main river channels has been working well, but as the sun comes up keep an eye in the sky for the little white gulls working a specific area.  If you see birds that just wont leave an area, that means there are fish feeding somewhere close.  Try fan casting small jigs or if you mark fish on the fish finder try a jigging spoon at the same depth the fish are.  I also throw free lines out behind the boat and have been picking stripers up.
- Jocassee has been great for January.  We are catching good numbers of trout from 15-40 feet on both live bait and Spoons.  As of keeper fish, most of the fish are under 15 inches, but a few fish have tipped the scales in the 4-6 pound range which is a better than average trout! Tight lines.

Capt. Steve
864-353-3438

Hartwell is fishing good.  Dress warm the mornings are a little chilly.  Free lines and downrods with live herring are still working well.  Now I seem to have alittle better success on my freelines due to the shallow water I have been finding some of my fish.  Good depths to find stripers are from 10-50 foot of water.  I seem to have fond most of my stripers in 20-30 feet.  Fish are up the major river channels yet, but as it gets colder will back out a little and can be found in the mouths of the rivers in a little deeper water.  Tight lines!  As of Keowee, Spotted bass are still biting very good.  The best bite has been first light and last light. Try using Blueback herring or Large shinners on Downrods in about 45 ft. Tight Lines, Capt Steve Pietrykowski