Day or night, summer or winter, South Carolina offers some truly unbelievable catfish fishing.
The Palmetto State has always been a great place to catch channel catfish, but over the last 30 years or so, flathead catfish and blue catfish have also become widespread.
Flatheads and blue cats offer trophy potential in many South Carolina waters, sometimes surpassing 50 and 75 pounds, respectively. Of course, if you just want to catch a few feisty 5-pound catfish for your next fish fry, you’ll have no trouble doing so.
South Carolina offers more excellent catfish water than any angler could explore in a lifetime, from rolling rivers to vast reservoirs. These are some of the absolute best.
South Carolina Catfish Lakes
Santee Cooper Lakes
The Santee Cooper Lakes system—consisting of 110,000-acre Lake Marion, 60,400-acre Lake Moultrie, and the diversion canal that connects them—offers some of the best catfish fishing you’ll find anywhere in America.
A 113.8-pound state record blue cat came from Lake Moultrie in 2017, and the same lake produced the still-standing world record channel catfish, weighing 58 pounds, back in 1967.
Both lakes are massive, offering a wide variety of deep structure like creek channels, ledges and humps, as well as shallow cypress swamps and stumps. Marion also has forests of standing timber.
There are opportunities to catch fish deep and shallow, depending on the season and the time of day. Most would agree that peak catfishing takes place in summer when drift fishing with live or cut bait is the method of choice.
In summer, catfish bite best in deep water during the day, but big fish are likely to move shallow at night. Gizzard and threadfin shad both make good bait, along with white perch.
Key areas to focus on include any spot with abrupt bottom contour changes, which allow catfish to quickly access deep or shallow water. Depths between 15 and 30 feet are usually ideal, but you might find catfish as deep as 40 feet midday or in as little as 4 feet of water at night.
The edge of the Santee River Channel in Lake Marion is a key area, whereas Lake Moultrie’s best fishing occurs along the edges of its countless submerged humps.
The diversion canal that connects the two lakes is also excellent. Catfish, especially big flatheads, are drawn to this waterway when a current is present.
Winter is also a great season, especially for trophy blue catfish. Most of the largest catfish of the year are caught from November to March.
In winter, start by looking for bait on your electronics. The biggest blue cats tend to be quite deep in winter, usually around 30 feet but sometimes as deep as 50, while smaller fish will be a bit shallower.
More: Complete Guide to Fishing the Santee Cooper Lakes
Lake Wateree
About an hour north of Columbia, Lake Wateree is a 12,360-acre impoundment on the Wateree River.
It’s one of South Carolina’s oldest reservoirs, and long before the arrival of flathead or blue catfish, anglers already considered Wateree one of the best channel cat lakes in the state.
That channel cat fishery is still strong, with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of 1- to 3-pounders and occasional fish over 10 pounds.
Flatheads are also becoming more common as they make their way down the Catawba chain from lakes farther north.
But Lake Wateree has really become known for blue catfish in recent years. Anglers catch a lot of blue cats around 30 pounds here, and 15-pounders have become very common.
Though it’s not a massive lake, Lake Wateree supports a large forage base, primarily made up of threadfin and gizzard shad. It also has a lot of prime habitat, including deep river and creek channels where big blues mostly hang out.
Summer and winter each offer great opportunities here, with winter being prime time for trophy catfish.
Successful local anglers connect with big blue cats by anchoring and fan-casting at the mouths of creeks where they meet the main river channel or by drifting across 20-foot flats with cut shad.
Larger creeks like Wateree Creek, Dutchman Creek and Colonel Creek are prime areas. Look for points, humps and channel ledges with irregular depth changes.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources access sites on Wateree Creek and Colonel Creek are great for shore-bound anglers, as is Lake Wateree State Park.
The best bank fishing tends to be after dark on summer nights. Live worms, minnows and stink baits are effective for channel cats and smaller blues.
Lake Greenwood
Fed by the Saluda and Reedy rivers, 11,400-acre Lake Greenwood is a phenomenal channel catfish lake. As in many large reservoirs across the state, blue catfish and flatheads have also become more common in recent years.
Anglers have landed blues and flatheads over 40 pounds here, but Greenwood remains a channel cat fishery first and foremost. Channels weighing 8 to 12 pounds are caught more frequently here than in just about any other South Carolina lake.
There’s no wrong time to go after them, but the cooler months are often best. Catfish are concentrated in the upper half of the lake this time of year as they follow the seasonal movements of shad and other baitfish.
Some of the best fishing is above where the Saluda and Reedy River arms meet, and the River Forks Ramp is a good starting point for fishing these areas.
Try drifting cut bait on a Santee Rig right above the rim of the river channel.
Drifting is usually the best way to cover water, but there are times during winter when catfish will congregate around specific pieces of cover, and casting can work better. Focus on bottom debris, brush and logs when the weather turns especially cold.
There’s also great fishing from May through July when catfish are spawning. This is a good season to focus on riprap, and there are ample stretches of it around many of Lake Greenwood’s bridge crossings.
Lake Murray
Lake Murray is located about 17 miles below Lake Greenwood on the Saluda River. At 50,000 acres, it also offers a lot more water than its neighbor. It’s also fair to say that flathead and blue catfish have become a bigger part of the equation in Lake Murray.
You have an honest shot at boating a 25-pounder of either species on any given day. Anglers also have hauled some significantly larger blue cats out of Lake Murray, and channel cats weighing 5 or 6 pounds are very common.
One of the surest bets is to fish the upper third of the lake after dark during the warmer months. This area is shallower, more easily fished, and offers a respite from heavy boat traffic.
A good stretch to focus on is from Dreher Island up past the fork where the Saluda and Little Saluda rivers meet.
The catfish bite often starts at the deep end of long, sloping points in early evening and works its way shallower around nightfall.
Lake Murray stratifies in summer. The depth of the thermocline varies quite a bit, and often has a major effect on catfish location. The best spots are humps and points that peek up above the thermocline.
As Lake Murray cools off starting in October, the bite will be more consistent in deeper water, and the time of day doesn’t matter as much.
Look for cold-weather catfish at 30- to 60-foot depths along the main river channel and the mouths of smaller tributaries like Buffalo and Rocky creeks.
More: Complete Guide to Fishing at Lake Murray
Lake Monticello
One of South Carolina’s most overlooked catfish lakes, 6,700-acre Lake Monticello is a deep, clear lake that continues to produce more and bigger blue catfish as years go by. Quite a few 60- and 70-pound blues have been caught here.
The lake also produces vast numbers of more modest-sized blue cats weighing up to 10 pounds and channel catfish in the same range. The best approach to this lake depends on whether you want to pursue a solitary trophy or fill a cooler with smaller fish.
The latter is the easier path, and all you usually have to do to catch eating-size catfish here is anchor on a long, sloping point and put out several lines baited with cut bait, worms, stink bait or minnows.
Anchoring at 10 or 15 feet is ideal, and it’s best to have some lines out on the deep side and some on the shallow side. If a particular point doesn’t produce within half an hour, move on to another.
For bigger blues, drifting in deeper water with larger cut bait is better. Perch, shad, bream or even carp will work. Make long drifts across deep points, submerged humps, and the “saddles” between humps.
The shallowest humps, some within 5 or 10 feet of the surface, are often covered with mussel beds, which attract blue cats in spring.
Another promising area is near the outflow from the power plant on the lower end of the lake; any time water is pumping, the current attracts catfish.
Lake Wylie
You can add Lake Wylie to the list of major reservoirs where flathead and blue catfish have exploded, adding trophy potential to what was once an excellent channel cat lake. Channels are still common, but blues up to 80 pounds have now been caught here.
Lake Wylie is a Catawba River impoundment of 13,440 acres. It straddles the North Carolina state line, so it’s a good idea to carry a license from both states in case you find yourself drifting across the border.
Much of Lake Wylie’s deeper lower end lies within South Carolina, which tends to be the best part of the lake for giant blue cats.
As in many other lakes, drifting cut bait is the way to go. Some of the best fishing is in major creeks that feed the lower main lake.
In spring and summer, 15- to 20-foot depths are ideal for drifting, though blues may sometimes go shallower to feed. Big Allison, Little Allison, Crowders and Beaverdam creeks are great areas.
In winter, start fishing between 25 to 35 feet along the river channel on the main lake.
Flatheads, however, are most common in the upper part of the lake and its creek arms. The best fishing for them occurs just before dawn and again right after sundown on summer nights.
For flatheads weighing 15 to 25 pounds, anchor along major depth changes, especially near creek mouths, and fish live or cut bait just above the lip of the drop-off.
Big and Little Allison Creeks produce a lot of big flatheads on the SC side.
South Carolina Catfish Rivers
Santee River
Given the high esteem in which catfish anglers hold the Santee Cooper Lakes, it should come as no surprise that the rivers that make up part of the Santee Cooper system also offer excellent fishing. The Santee River might just be the best of the bunch.
The river is formed by the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers, just above Lake Marion. The initial 10-mile section is broad and meandering, making long bends between well-defined banks until it opens up into the lake.
There’s excellent big cat fishing here, especially in summer when current and slightly cooler temperatures draw catfish up from Lake Marion. Large blue and flathead catfish are common, and channel cats are also abundant.
The best single spot might be at the point where the Santee River begins. The convergence of the Congaree and Wateree rivers happens to be at a tight bend, and the currents have created a massive scour hole where catfish come to feed.
Below Wilson Dam at the lower end of Lake Marion, the Santee River is different but still excellent when it comes to catfishing. The river emerges as little more than a trickle from the dam, but gains strength a few miles downriver, where a diversion canale feeds it.
The mouth of the canal is a great spot, and the landing at the SC-41 bridge farther downriver also has excellent access.
This lower part of the Santee River offers all three major catfish species but is especially known for big flatheads.
Live shad and bream account for a lot of 25- to 40-pound flatheads in this section, which is loaded with snaggy wood and timber in many places. The best spots are snags in and around deep outside river bends.
You can also bait your hooks with chicken livers, worms, smaller cut baits and live minnows, and there’s a good chance you’ll catch hundreds of smaller catfish on a warm spring or summer night.
Cooper River
Beginning at the Pinopolis Dam at the lower end of Lake Moultrie, the Cooper River is an excellent catfish fishery that has a lot in common with the nearby Santee River. Big blues and flatheads, along with abundant channel cats, are available here.
The best time to fish the Cooper River is spring, when catfish head upriver and stack up below the Pinopolis Dam. The tailwaters offer phenomenal fishing for catfish that average 10 to 15 pounds.
Access is available right below the dam and at the William Dennis Boat Landing just below U.S. 52. As the water warms up and catfish go through their spawning season in early summer, the fishing continues to be excellent but will be more spread out throughout the river.
Moving water is key. The dam keeps some good current in the Cooper River all summer long. The Cooper is also a tidal river, and the tides exert a stronger influence the closer you get to the coast.
Shad or blueback herring cut into 1- or 2-inch chunks are ideal cut bait for blue cats, and live bait will tempt more flatheads.
Catfish are usually willing to rise a foot or two above the bottom to take a bait, and maintaining that depth will help you avoid snags.
Saluda River
The Saluda River flows southeastward from the mountains of northwestern South Carolina (where you can find some great trout fishing) toward the heart of the state, where it ultimately merges with the Broad River to form the Congaree.
Some of the Saluda River’s best catfish fishing is in the 17-mile stretch between Lake Greenwood and Lake Murray. Blues, flatheads and channel cats are all common in and around holes, exposed root systems, fallen trees, and undercut banks.
Catfish location and activity partly depend on releases from the Buzzard Roost hydroelectric power plant at Lake Greenwood. That being said, deep holes almost always produce; toss Carolina-rigged cut bait just upriver from each hole.
Bank fishing is available at the West Side Fishing Access site below Buzzards Roost on SC-34. Chappells Landing on SC-39 and Higgins Bridge on SC-121 are also good spots.
There’s also plenty of good access farther up the Saluda River above Lake Greenwood.
This upper section is narrower and quite popular for float trips. Several canoe/kayak landings provide access, and anglers catch good numbers of channel cats and flatheads in the 5-pound class.
Broad River
Converging with the Saluda to create the Congaree River in the heart of Downtown Columbia, the Broad River starts about 110 miles farther north, in the southern part of North Carolina.
Mostly shallow and rocky, the Broad River harbors a prolific channel catfish population.
Most fish weigh 1 to 3 pounds, but plenty of channels over 10 pounds swim here. Bullheads are also abundant, and some decent-sized blue cats are available in the lowest section of the river, but for the most part, the Broad River is channel cat water.
It’s an exceptionally pleasant river for float trips. Most of the river is 4 or 5 feet deep, but tossing bait in any of the deeper holes at outside bends and below bridges can yield a mess of catfish.
This is also clean water, which makes the fish caught here great for the table.
The Broad River is unique in that it offers one of South Carolina’s few truly excellent smallmouth bass fisheries as well. If you come to the river armed with live minnows or crawfish, expect to catch a mixed bag of smallmouths and channel cats.
Access points near Columbia include Riverfront Park and the boat ramp on SC-213, the latter of which is just downriver from Parr Reservoir. Shelton Ferry Landing and the Neal Shoals Dam are good access sites farther up.
Honorable Mentions
Lake Hartwell
55,900-acre Lake Hartwell is South Carolina’s westernmost major lake, extending along the Georgia state line and fed by both the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers. The lake supports an abundance of herring, gizzard shad and perch, which in turn support some hefty blue catfish.
Both main arms provide great fishing, with the Seneca arm being located entirely within South Carolina.
A couple of outstanding areas off the main lake are Coneross Creek and 18 Mile Creek. Both have produced some monster blue cats.
Spring is an excellent time to find big catfish relatively shallow.
Blues spawn in May, usually at 10 to 20 feet deep around stumps, brush and bottom depressions. Channel catfishing is also good this time of year, and flathead action gets better as the lake warms in summer.
Congaree River
One of two rivers that merge to form the Santee River, the Congaree River is an outstanding catfish destination.
Blue and flathead catfish commonly weigh 10 to 15 pounds, but trophy catfish are here, too, along with plenty of feisty channel cats.
The lower part of the river, which flows through Congaree Swamp, has the best traditional catfish water, with lots of deep holes and woody cover. But there are also plenty of catfish all the way up to Columbia.
A surprising bait—catalpa worms—accounts for a lot of the catfish caught here. This local delicacy can produce nonstop action for catfish up to 30 pounds, especially when the worms are in season from May to November.
Clarks Hill Lake
Spanning the Georgia state line, Clarks Hill Lake (also known as Lake Thurmond) is a 71,170-acre impoundment on the Savannah River. The lake has produced a state-record blue cat on the Georgia side, as well as flatheads up to 75 pounds and channels up to 25.
Suffice it to say, catfish are big and abundant in Clarks Hill Lake. The best fishing for them typically happens after dark in the summertime, when cats hunt close to the bank, often in just 4 to 6 feet of water.
Worms and cut herring are great baits at Clarks Hill.
The best tactic in summer is to anchor on a hump or point and let some baits soak. Some nights, catfish congregate in steep spots, but gentle slopes may also be better at times, so be prepared to move around a bit until you find fish.
Clarks Hill Lake also has dozens of islands that provide great catfish bites.
Wateree River
Blues, channels and flatheads are all abundant in the Wateree, the sister river to the Congaree. The Wateree River flows 75 miles from Lake Wateree to its confluence with the Congaree River, and it’s the broader and deeper of the two, making it ideal for larger boats.
As in the Congaree River, catalpa worms are the favored bait by many local anglers. These moth larvae (technically caterpillars) fall into the river from nearby trees all summer long, getting gobbled up by catfish of all sizes, not to mention bass and bream.
The Wateree River has a lot of deep bends, which are often the best catfish spots.
Outside bends create deep holes, which can undercut the banks. The process often sends trees toppling into the river, creating even better catfish habitat.
Catch More Catfish
Be sure to check out our complete yet simple guide to catfish fishing, including best baits, tackle and techniques.