Time to time some ask me about fishing for crappie in Lake Murray. I try to convey wisdom but most of the time it goes in one ear and out the other. Lol!

Lake Murray is a great lake, it is full of fish of all species, but it is not what one would call a top notch lake for crappie. I do not know why just that what is, is what is. It could be fishing pressure that keeps the fish small overall on average and reduced in numbers. Lake Murray is also a dangerous lake when the wind get up to 10 mph or more mixed with the rolling seas of boat wakes. So consider your boat capability before heading into open waters. I myself fish from a 16 foot High Tide with a 40 hp tiller motor, very safe boat, but also high wind and waves will beat you to death. As happened this past weekend, some folks wanted to say Hi, they went opposite of where they said they would go, wind was getting up, so I avoided the run to say Hi.

So here you go for Crappie.

The best areas for crappie are from mid lake starting at Hollow Creek and Billy Dreher/Crystal Lake area which is mid lake and on up into the river arms of both the little Saluda and Big Saluda rivers. Overall the crappie most of the year will be found in open water, either in or along the underwater old river channel bends and break lines, suspended over such as a underwater river bend or drop. Late March through April the majority of them migrate shallow for the spawn. At this time you can catch them with shallow water methods such as a jig under a bobber fished around shallow visible cover and docks. Soon they by end of April first of May move back out to their open water haunts. However some remain year round on docks, docks on points next to deep water or in the big clear water coves with deep water down towards the Dam.

So mid lake to the rivers is where the majority of crappie will be found. Down the lake towards the dam in the clear water crappie are in lesser numbers but much bigger overall. So lots of crappie up the lake, less down the lake, smaller up the lake, bigger down the lake.

Although you can have some good days and do no wrong, average fishing conditions are kinda tuff.

An example is like in 2014 Crappie USA came to town. Some of the best Crappie Fishermen in the world took part in this event. The overall catch result was about average for an average fisherman.

The top two winning spots won the event by shooting boat docks down by the Dam, however top weight was a bit under 24 pounds for two days, average of 9 crappie per day split by two men in a boat, or in other words, 4 crappier per man per day for an 8 hour event. This is one crappie per two hours. Those fishing up the rivers caught many more but had to stretch them to meet the 8 inch legal size. Lol!

Will add to this later, gotta go..........Kit