Lake Murray: Overlooked Destination for South Carolina Catfish By Terry Madewell

Catfish guide William Attaway with a big Lake Murray
blue catfish that’s a realistic target for catfishermen.

Lake Murray: Overlooked Destination for South Carolina Catfish

By Terry Madewell

Lake Murray is an often-ignored fishery for trophy catfish. This lake offers excellent fishing for several species, including catfish, because of an excellent forage base.

Catfishing guide William Attaway was a study in focused concentration as he maneuvered his big pontoon boat in a controlled drift in the upper reaches of Lake Murray, South Carolina. His eyes were constantly in motion, first perusing his electronics for forage and catfish signals, then scanning rod tips for fish bites. Occasionally, he’d intuitively tap the electric-motor remote to fine-tune the drift pattern.

Attaway had generated my assistance with rod tip scanning with his “that’s a good fish” remark 90 seconds prior, pointing to the graph where a big blob of a fish was marked just off the bottom and directly under a suspended school of baitfish. I’d fished with Attaway many times and trusted his instinctive knowledge of catfish. It was a quality fish and one he felt would bite.

When one of his 7-1/2-foot Drift King rods folded over in a horseshoe bend, I cranked down on the fish, setting the circle hook. I grunted when I pulled the rod out of the holder and the fish peeled several yards of line from the reel.

“Yeah, that’s him,” was Attaway’s acknowledgment. “Maybe another one’s around, too.”

Sure enough, there was. Just a few minutes later, Attaway slipped the net under a fat, ornery, 33-pound blue cat. We started to celebrate with a photo party, but a 25-pound blue crashed the shoot. And then a feisty, double-digit-sized channel catfish wanted photo time. And the sun was just barely climbing above the horizon on this cold morning.

This is to be expected when catfishing at Lake Murray.

Murray is a 50,000-surface-acre lake near the state capital of Columbia, South Carolina and offers anglers an opportunity to hook trophy catfish of multiple varieties. During the winter months, the bite is primarily from blue and channel catfish, with the occasional fat flathead loading on. But the lake also provides good fishing for white catfish. The South Carolina state record, a 12-pound, 2.9-ounce white, was in Murray caught in 2014.

Attaway (803-924-0857, Slick Willies Guide Service) said catfish provide an often-overlooked fishery at Lake Murray because the lake is best known for providing excellent black bass, striped bass and crappie fishing.

“The catfish bite is excellent year-round, but I like the winter fishing and into the spring best for big fish,” he said. “Lake Murray’s location near the cities of Columbia and Lexington in South Carolina attracts a lot of recreational use during the warmer months. Catfishing is still good, but during the summer, my preference is to fish at night because of the high volume of boat traffic by day.”

During February and into early spring, Attaway said it’s mostly fishermen on the lake, and his primary targets are blue and channel catfish.

“The blues are the biggest, and I’ve caught them over 60 pounds here at Lake Murray and know of verified 70-pounders from the lake,” he said.

He said the lake is chock full of blues in the 15- to 25-pound class, and 30-pound fish are a reasonable expectation on any given trip, especially during the cooler months.

“That’s doesn’t always happen, but it’s my goal,” he said.

“Channel catfish provide excellent fishing during the winter and are consistently caught year-round,” he continued. “Channel catfishing at Lake Murray is as good as any place in South Carolina, with fish averaging five to 10 pounds. Double-digit-sized channel cats are common, up to the mid-teens, and a 15-pound channel catfish provides an awesome fight.

“Flathead catfish action is good, although not as productive as a few years ago, but big flatheads are still caught.”

Catching the “Catfish Quad” opportunity exists, with white catfish still present. But the number of white catfish caught has decreased in recent years, Attaway said.

“We still catch them, but I ask clients to return them after photographing because their numbers are down,” he said. “It’s likely due to competition with the booming populations of other catfish species.”

Attaway’s assessment of why Lake Murray is so productive for catfish, as well as other species, is simple. They have a lot to eat.

“We have a tremendous forage base, and the threadfin and gizzard shad populations are excellent,” he said. “This lake also has a huge blueback herring population, and they’re a prime forage for multiple species of fish. Lake Murray is a mecca for white perch, and while not a native species, they’re highly attractive to catfish and an important part of the food chain.”

Attaway said all these species serve as excellent bait for big catfish, with gizzard shad and white perch his favorites.

“I employ electronics to make the forage and catfish connection, and we’ll enjoy excellent fishing for quality and quantity of fish on many days,” he said. “But weather and water conditions impact daily patterns, so I’m always scanning the graph and testing new places on my hunt for these big Lake Murray catfish.”

(Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for over 45 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.)