Fishing Lake Monticello

AKA: Monticello Reservoir

Popular Fish Species
Lake Monticello Fishing Video
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Lake Monticello, SC

Popular Fish Species Lake Monticello, SC

Lake Monticello Popular Fish - Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass Fishing

Lake Monticello is home to numerous, annual bass fishing tournaments primarily because it offers good fishing for largemouth bass. Recently, some big bass are being caught here, thanks to long-standing fisheries management by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The lake is fertile and has plenty of baitfish and other small fish to allow the bass to grow big. When the bite is good, bass typically move shallow and are quite aggressive. If you find them shallow and they are not tempted to bite, slow down and use smaller, lighter baits. Fishing for largemouth bass is good virtually any time they are shallow - in spring, mornings in summer, and during warm Fall afternoons. Use shallow crankbaits around rip rap. Around grass use worms, jigs, topwater and spinnerbaits. In deeper water, big worms, jigs and spoons are three good weapons. In winter, spend your time fishing Lake Monticello on deeper structure where the bass spend much of their time. Smallmouth bass also reside here in good numbers and often play a role in bass tournaments.

Crappie Fishing

Black crappie and white crappie both reside in Lake Monticello. They often school together, so when you find them you may catch both species. Crappie fishing is on the rise and they can be found in sizeable schools. Crappie always like cover and structure, so locate brush and vegetation. Using a fish finder can help locate schools of crappie, which tend to stack vertically around cover. Live bait and small jigs are the most common method for crappie here. In spring and fall focus on the 8 to 12 foot range. The best time to catch crappie tends to be at dawn and dusk. As the crappie move deep in summer and winter, follow points out deep, as well as find ledges near channels in deeper water.

Lake Monticello Popular Fish - Channel Catfish

Channel Catfish Fishing

This year a healthy population of channel catfish populate the waters of Lake Monticello, and can be found all around the lake. In Spring channel cats migrate toward incoming water, so stay up river away from the main lake. Night fishing for channel catfish often delivers better results than fishing during the day. In early summer look for rocky banks, the bigger the rocks the better. In summer and winter deeper structure is where to look. The river end of the lake is often the area where the bigger catfish are caught. Fishing for channel catfish is often productive around any kind of structure in the area. Road beds, creek channels and rocky points are all good places to begin. Use a slip sinker or Carolina rig with popular catfish baits. Blue catfish, flathead catfish and white catfish also reside in the lake, and fishing for them is often good as well.

Lake Monticello Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, white catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, white bass, white perch and yellow perch at Lake Monticello in South Carolina.

As a cooling water, storage reservoir for a nuclear reactor, Lake Monticello, aka Monticello Reservoir is loaded with a great variety of fish species. It covers 7,000 acres, and is located in the north-central part of the state. Fish from the bank or explore the nearly 50 miles of available shoreline by canoe, kayak, bass boat, pontoon or pleasure craft.

Varying water levels throughout the day, as much as 5 feet, require boaters to use extreme caution. Use of lake water to cool the hydroelectric station warms the water year round, providing warmer water in winter, than nearby lakes. This creates a longer growing season, which creates trophy size fish. Big catfish (channel, flathead, blue and white) are a favorite of local anglers. Bass, crappie, bream, white bass, sunfish and perch also grow in size and quantity in this fertile fishery.

Primary fish species residing in Lake Monticello

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Lake Monticello Amenities

Marina: NO
Boat Rental: NO
Boat Launch Ramp: YES
Campgrounds: YES
RV Hookups: YES
Lodging: NO
Convenience Store: YES
Bait & Tackle: YES
Restaurant: NO

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

99 Boat Launch Ramp
Located in the northwest corner of the lake, off State Road S-20-99, this is a two-lane, concrete ramp with a dock and paved parking.

Monticello Boat Launch Ramp
Located mid lake, east side, off Monticello Road, this is a two-lane, concrete ramp with a dock and paved parking.