Saluda River Fishing Guides and Conditions, South Carolina
Ten miles of cold tailwater below Lake Murray Dam through Columbia, an improbable trout river in the South Carolina Midlands with striped bass in the same runs.
Guides on the Saluda River
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About the Saluda River
The Lower Saluda should not have trout in it. It runs through Columbia, in the middle of South Carolina, where summer air temperatures sit in the nineties for weeks. But the bottom release from Lake Murray comes out cold, and the ten miles from the dam to the confluence with the Broad at Columbia hold stocked brown and rainbow trout year-round, along with striped bass, largemouth and catfish. It is one of the strangest and most convenient fisheries in the Southeast.
The river above the I-26 bridge is the coldest water and the most trout-focused, fished from drift boats and from the bank at Saluda Shoals Park. Downstream the water warms slightly and the striper fishing takes over, especially in summer when fish stack below the dam in the cold plume. Whitewater kayakers use the same water, and the lower section through Columbia has genuine class III rapids at higher generation.
Generation from Lake Murray drives everything. Low flow means wadeable shoals and clear water; a full generation release turns the river into fast, deep, brown current within about an hour of the dam opening. The gauge below the dam is the number to watch, and anyone wading the shoals needs to know both the reading and the schedule, because the rise is quick and the shoals are a bad place to be caught by it.
Columbia is the base and everything is fifteen minutes from downtown, which makes this an easy add-on to a work trip. Saluda Shoals Park and the Three Rivers Greenway provide most of the public bank access.
Access
Lake Murray Dam tailrace: the top of the cold water, bank access and parking.
Saluda Shoals Park: the main public access, boat launch, trails and river frontage.
Hope Ferry Landing: upper river ramp used by most guided floats.
Corley Island and Gardendale: mid-river shoal and wade access.
I-20 and I-26 corridor accesses: mid-river put-ins and takeouts.
Riverbanks Zoo and the Three Rivers Greenway: lower river bank access in Columbia.
Millrace Rapids and the Broad confluence: the bottom of the run, whitewater at generation.
Seasons
Year-round trout fishing, unusual for this latitude.
March through May: the best trout months, stocking and moderate flows.
June through August: striped bass below the dam and cold water when nothing else is.
September through February: trout again as air temperatures drop, low generation and quiet water.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Saluda River?
As of Sep 3, 11:00 pm, the USGS gauge SALUDA RIVER BELOW LK MURRAY DAM NR COLUMBIA, SC reads 770 cfs, the 33rd percentile for this date, with water temperature 59.2 F. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Saluda River?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Striped Bass on the Saluda River in South Carolina.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Saluda River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the South Carolina agency site: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/fishing.html