Lake Murray Fishing Report
If you still don’t connect, work your way north along the main-lake points toward the dam, keeping the boat in 15–25 ft and casting shallow-to-deep.
THE CALL Fish the transition mouth of the western arm right at first light. Target points and bends where stained water pushes into the main basin with a ½oz chatterbait.
WHY IT WINS
- Cooling water (76°F, down 3.8°F over recent readings) pushes post-spawn fish to the first stable breaklines off spawning flats—exactly where the western arm channel meets the main lake.
- High productivity/stained water in the western arm creates a distinct clarity break against the clearer main basin. Bass set up on the cleaner side of that edge to ambush shad and bluegill.
- Low-light morning window (first light to ~9:00 AM) gives these fish cover to roam the edges before sun pushes them tighter to wood or deeper.
- The western arm’s winding channel and nearby main-lake ledges concentrate both bait and predators.
START HERE Put in at Dreher Island or a mid-lake ramp and run to the “Narrows”—the constriction where the long western arm opens into the main lake. Start on the north side of the mouth. Fish the first major point that sticks out from the north shoreline and then work your way around the bend just inside the arm, where the channel swings against the bank. Alternate between that outside point and the inside bend where wood or laydowns are likely.
THROW THIS
- Primary: ½oz chatterbait (green pumpkin/white skirt) with a 3.3–4” Keitech-style swimbait trailer in white/shad color. Steady retrieve just fast enough to feel the blade thump, and let it deflect off any wood, rock, or channel edge.
- Backup bait: Keep a ½oz spinnerbait (chartreuse/white, single Colorado blade) on deck. If you find water that’s dirtier than expected inside the arm, switch to the spinnerbait and slow-roll through the same spots.
- If they’re short-striking: Follow up with a wacky rig stick bait (green pumpkin/blue flake) cast to the same targets.
BEST WINDOW Be on the spot at 5:30–6:00 AM MDT (first safe light) and fish hard until about 9:00 AM. Overcast mornings extend the bite. Bright sun will push fish tighter to cover or slightly deeper; adjust by flipping the chatterbait to shady sides of docks and laydowns. There will likely be a secondary window in the last hour of daylight, but morning is the strongest bet.
NEXT MOVE If you give the primary spot 30–40 minutes without a touch, slide east into the main lake. Move to the first prominent point on the south side of the main basin (directly across from the arm mouth) and target the outer bluffs and secondary points with a deep-diving crankbait (shad pattern, 10–15 ft depth) or a football jig (¾oz green pumpkin) dragged around rock and shell. Many post-spawn fish will be on the first deeper structure adjacent to the spawning pocket, so that’s your backup pattern. If you still don’t connect, work your way north along the main-lake points toward the dam, keeping the boat in 15–25 ft and casting shallow-to-deep.