IRMO, S.C. — Irmo SC fishing on Lake Murray is shifting with cooler water this week. A Nov. 5 lake report put morning surface temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s, with clarity called normal and the surface sitting at 354.22 feet against a 360-foot full pool.
That temperature band matters for striped bass and largemouth as bait pulls toward creek mouths and the middle lake. The same report tracked the week-to-week cool-down from October readings that still sat in the low 70s, a clear autumn slide for Midlands anglers launching near Irmo.
Striped bass rules on Lake Murray are already in their fall and winter frame. From Oct. 1 through May 31 it is unlawful to keep a striped bass under 21 inches, and the daily possession cap is five fish. The same five-fish daily limit applies on the middle reach of the Saluda River below the dam.
Largemouth bass on Lake Murray also carry a 14-inch minimum. That floor covers Murray along with several other state reservoirs and the middle Saluda, so measuring fish before they hit the livewell is part of a legal day on the water.
Unlike largemouth, crappie and catfish, striped bass do not reproduce on their own in Lake Murray. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources stocks them as fingerlings, which is why the size and bag rules are written tightly for this reservoir and the river stretch below Dreher Shoals Dam.
Irmo sits directly on Lake Murray, giving residents year-round access to striped bass, largemouth bass and catfish minutes from home. The lake and dam, finished in 1930 and run by Dominion Energy, remain the town’s main outdoor draw even when the pool is several feet low.
Anglers 16 and older need a South Carolina freshwater fishing license. With surface water now in the 60s and the 21-inch striper floor in force through May, keepers have to clear both the cooler pattern and the tape measure.
Track weekly lake conditions and limit reminders in the latest Irmo SC fishing report.
Filed under: Irmo SC Fishing News
More coverage: Irmo SC fishing
