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50,000-acre lake near Columbia. Columbia's 50,000-acre Saluda River reservoir. Deep clear water, offshore humps and one of the Southeast's premier striped-bass and blueback-herring bass fisheries. The lake tops out around 200 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Drawn out, this is 48,761 acres of water rimmed by 607.9 miles of bank, with 86 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 19.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 46% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 27.4 mi with an 11.5-mi widest point. The water lies in Newberry County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Saluda River (Lower), 19 mi east of here.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (19 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (27 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, striped bass slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 3-5 inch baitfish swimbait, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (27 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (27 ft) | Baitfish swimbait, Metal jig |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Main-lake point (50 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (27 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 6 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (100 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (170 ft) |
Spring blue catfish on Lake Murray hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. Put Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (27 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Offshore hump (27 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Deep basin (170 ft) |
Lake Murray also holds white perch (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
29 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 170 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for South Carolina waters are set by the South Carolina DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Murray specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official South Carolina fishing regulations →
Lake Murray is about 200 ft (61 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, white perch on Lake Murray.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake Murray is regulated by the South Carolina DNR. Check the official South Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Saluda River (Lower) 19 mi · Monticello Reservoir 19 mi · Congaree River 34 mi · Lake Greenwood 36 mi · Lake Wateree 42 mi · Neal Shoals Reservoir 44 mi · Stevens Creek Reservoir 50 mi, SC/GA · Clarks Hill Lake 58 mi, GA/SC · Richard B. Russell Lake 72 mi, GA/SC · Lake Marion 74 mi · Lake Wylie 76 mi, NC/SC · Lake Robinson 78 mi
See how Lake Murray stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Carolina · best crappie lakes in South Carolina · best bluegill lakes in South Carolina · best channel catfish lakes in South Carolina
Browse all South Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.