IRMO, S.C. — Irmo SC fishing on Lake Murray heads into the last days of October with the water well down and the fall feeding pattern taking hold, as baitfish push into the creeks and predator fish trail behind them.
On Thursday morning the lake gauge near the dam, USGS gauge 02168500, read 354.81 feet. That leaves Lake Murray 5.19 feet below its 360-foot conservation pool, and the level has slipped about half a foot, 0.52 feet, over the past week. Boaters launching from the Irmo side should expect more exposed points and shallower water in the backs of coves than they would see in early summer.
The forecast for Thursday on the lake called for clear skies, a light north-northeast wind of around 5 mph and an afternoon high near 79 degrees. Sunrise came at 7:42 a.m., with sunset at 6:35 p.m.
The state Department of Natural Resources, in its October freshwater fishing trends for Lake Murray, says this is the month when striped bass usually shift up into the middle part of the lake, roughly from Shull Island to Buffalo Creek, and often farther up the river arms. Stripers also tend to work back into the creeks, with schooling fish breaking the surface at times. Later in the month, birds diving over the water are often the easiest way to find them.
Crappie, according to the agency report, typically bunch up in big schools in the creeks during October and feed heavily on threadfin shad. Some hold suspended at mid-depth, where anglers can cast or troll, while others sit around brush piles.
For black bass, the agency notes that suspended fish offshore often hit topwater lures and flukes early in the month, and that smaller spinnerbaits and crankbaits pay off once bait moves into the creeks. A buzzbait can draw strikes all month.
Blue catfish generally stay along the old river channel in October, while channel catfish can be found in the creeks, the report says. Drifting cut bait is the usual approach for bigger fish.
Anyone 16 or older needs a South Carolina fishing license, which starts at $10 for residents. For more lake conditions, see the latest Irmo SC fishing report.
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