Parr Shoals Reservoir Fishing Guides
The lower pool of the Fairfield pumped-storage scheme on the Broad River, where twice-daily pumping between two reservoirs puts river-like current in a lake.
Guides on the Parr Shoals Reservoir
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About the Parr Shoals Reservoir
Parr Shoals Reservoir is the lower half of an unusual piece of engineering and the fishing reflects it. The Fairfield pumped-storage project moves enormous volumes of water between Parr Shoals, on the Broad River, and Monticello Reservoir on the hill above: water is pumped uphill when power is cheap and released back down through the turbines when demand peaks. The consequence for anglers is that Parr Shoals does not behave like a lake. Twice a day it develops genuine current, water levels swing, and fish position themselves to moving water in a way that is far more like a tailwater than a still impoundment.
Learning that cycle is the key to the place. When the plant is generating, current runs through the reservoir and bait is pushed into predictable lanes; striped and hybrid bass and white bass feed hard in the moving water below the discharge and around the points that deflect it. When the pumps are running in the other direction the flow reverses. Between cycles the reservoir settles and largemouth, crappie and bream fish normally along the timber, the rip-rap and the old river channel. Catfish are abundant and large, with blues and flatheads both well established in the deeper channel.
The gauge at Parr reports reservoir storage elevation and precipitation, so the number to watch is pool level rather than flow. The Broad River above the reservoir contributes real inflow, so a heavy rain in the upper basin dirties the lake and raises it independently of the pumping schedule. This is also working industrial water with a nuclear station adjacent, and boat access is restricted in the marked exclusion zones near the plant and the dam – respecting those is not optional. Public ramps serve the rest of the pool, and Columbia is the nearest city of any size.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-1.21 ft ↓ falling
- For the dateLow for the date
Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 02160990, PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Parr - the small Fairfield County community at the dam and the gauge. / Jenkinsville - the nearest town, giving access to both Parr Shoals and Monticello Reservoir above. / Columbia - the state capital to the southeast, the base for tackle, guides, lodging and services. / Newberry - the county seat west of the reservoir with supplies and lodging. / Monticello Reservoir - the upper pool of the same pumped-storage project, fishable in its own right. / Broad River - the river above the reservoir, with wade and float access for redbreast and smallmouth. / Public boat ramps - several serve the pool, though exclusion zones near the dam and the plant are posted and enforced.
Seasons
Spring: the best season, with striped and white bass running up the Broad River arm and largemouth and crappie spawning along the timber. / Summer: warm and stratified; fish the generation cycle for stripers and hybrids early and late, and the channel for catfish. / Fall: cooling water and strong pumping cycles produce excellent schooling activity for hybrids and white bass. / Winter: the pool runs clear and cold, crappie hold deep on the old river channel and the striper fishing near the discharge stays reliable.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Parr Shoals Reservoir?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redbreast Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Striped Bass, White Bass, White Crappie, White Perch on the Parr Shoals Reservoir in South Carolina.
Where can you access the Parr Shoals Reservoir?
Parr - the small Fairfield County community at the dam and the gauge. / Jenkinsville - the nearest town, giving access to both Parr Shoals and Monticello Reservoir above. / Columbia - the state capital to the southeast, the base for tackle, guides, lodging and services. / Newberry - the county seat west of the reservoir with supplies and lodging. / Monticello Reservoir - the upper pool of the same pumped-storage project, fishable in its own right. / Broad River - the river above the reservoir, with wade and float access for redbreast and smallmouth. / Public boat ramps - several serve the pool...
When is the best time to fish the Parr Shoals Reservoir?
Spring: the best season, with striped and white bass running up the Broad River arm and largemouth and crappie spawning along the timber. / Summer: warm and stratified; fish the generation cycle for stripers and hybrids early and late, and the channel for catfish. / Fall: cooling water and strong pumping cycles produce excellent schooling activity for hybrids and white bass. / Winter: the pool runs clear and cold, crappie hold deep on the old river channel and the striper fishing near the discharge stays reliable.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Parr Shoals Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the South Carolina agency site: https://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html