Fly Fishing the Saluda River, South Carolina

General Description:

Fly fishing the Saluda river in South Carolina can indeed be a great experience. You may say "Fly fishing the Saluda in Columbia!" with a bit of surprise. While the Middle Saluda River has been the source of some South Carolina's brook trout records, the portion of the river below Lake Murray in Columbia also sports trout. Yes, there is good fly fishing for trout in the South Carolina mountains, but there is also good fly fishing right in Columbia -- in fact right near the South Carolina Riverbanks Zoo.

The Saluda River is formed by the confluence of its north and south forks, which is about 10 miles northwest of the city of Greenville. The North Saluda River flows generally south to southwest through Greenville County. The Middle Saluda River rises in Jones Gap State Park and flows southward through Greenville County. The ten miles of the Lower Saluda River is a tailrace from Lake Murray and is indeed over 100 miles from the mountains. The fly fishing starts at the dam managed by the South Carolina Electric and Gas and extends as far south as the Riverbanks Zoo, which is one of the best zoos in the nation. Below the zoo, however, the water will usually be too warm for trout to exist. Since so little is known about this portion of the Saluda, we will confine our report to that section.

Fly Fishing the Lower Saluda River:

Saluda River Pictures on Troutu.com's Facebook page

Since the water flows from Lake Murray, it averages about 55 degrees year around as it leaves the dam, but as you know South Carolina summers can be hot indeed, so by the time the water gets to the zoo, it is not capable of consistently maintaining trout. However, nearer to the dam, it has some good fishing with catchable size rainbow trout stocked monthly from November through April. The SCDNR usually stocks a total of about 40,000 trout per year (many of them are stocked from helicopter), in this put-grow-and take fishery.  The 6" - 11" brown trout stocked in the fall average about 1" of growth per month before the following summer months, so you can do the math as to what you can catch in terms of size. The insect population is good with the Mayflies starting early followed by the caddis flies and the stoneflies.

There is a limit of 5 trout that can be taken on a single day as well as other conditions, so please check out the S.C. fishing regulations. For more information about fishing in Sout Carolina, go to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. CAUTION: Due to its cold water, as with any tailrace, hypothermia is always a consideration and the rapidly changing water levels are something that anglers must be constantly aware of. There is a telephone alert system in place where you can sign up for alerts when the conditions on the river change, and of course, water flow information for the Saluda is available by calling (800) 830-5253. A recorded message provides the number of generators South Carolina Electric and Gas intends to use any given day, or you can visit their website for planned water releases, or to sign up for an automatic update via phone.  Also, visit the USGS website for current streamflow data on the Lower Saluda River.

As far as flies are concerned, big, flashy streamers are recommended (such as our Big Brown Trout Fly), as well as caddisflies, especially the Cinnamon Caddis.

Spring:

The spring season will bring about some good hatches. Both dry flies andand nymphs will work well and midges are an excellent choice.

Summer:

In the summer the fishing remains good due to the constant water temperature of about 55 degrees F. Terrestrials will also work well.

Fall & Winter:

Due to the mild climate, fishing is good and the fall colors are enjoyable as well. Watch for a fall hatch of Blue Winged Olives.