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Fishing Lake Wateree: what the data says
13,700-acre lake near Camden. a stained Catawba/Wateree River lake with grass, docks and standing timber. big largemouth and slab crappie. The lake tops out around 90 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Wateree
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Wateree hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 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. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Wateree
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 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 crappie in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
White Perch fishing at Lake Wateree
In spring, white perch run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 15 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Little Wateree Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for white perch in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | dusk | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Wateree
Spring channel catfish on Lake Wateree hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Little Wateree Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Wateree
In spring, blue catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 45 ft, rated prime for fall blue catfish. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Striped Bass fishing at Lake Wateree
Spring striped bass on Lake Wateree hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Little Wateree Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 77 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 53.44167921469957 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 45 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 41 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 23 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 23 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 15.300812743137056 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 15 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 13.572490555654483 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 11.371768893754831 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10.326577199010545 ft
- Little Wateree Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Wateree?
Lake Wateree is about 90 ft (27 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.
What fish are in Lake Wateree?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, blue catfish, white perch on Lake Wateree.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Wateree?
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. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Wateree?
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.
Nearby waters
Saluda River (Lower) · Congaree River · Lake Robinson · Neal Shoals Reservoir · Lake Murray · Lake Wylie
See how Lake Wateree stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Carolina · best crappie lakes in South Carolina · best channel catfish lakes in South Carolina · best striped bass lakes in South Carolina
Browse all South Carolina fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.