York County is home to some amazing fishing adventures! You can find a style to fit any mood, pace, or skill level in our beautiful county! Below I have listed a few of my favorite fishing opportunities in the area! If you are visiting and need to rent equipment, Lake Wylie Fishing, LLC rents out rods and reels for any size fish in the area!
1) Catawba River Bass
It sure is hard to beat the feeling of a big bass taking you on for a high-energy fight! Bass love to change directions, shake their heads, and jump all the way out of the water! One of my favorite places to target bass is the Catawba River right here in York county!
There are several access areas along the river. The Catawba River Access – Wylie Dam, Landing, Westminster Park, Catawba River Access – Riverwalk, River Park, and the Catawba Nation Boat Launch are all located in York County! There are bank access areas, kayak launches, and boat launches. In Rock Hill, the river is edged with trails that allow you to walk alongside it.
Bass are prevalent in the river and very healthy! Some of the area's prettiest bass reside in the river's slow-moving waters! There are occasionally striped bass but the most common will be largemouth and spotted bass. A good day can produce double-digit numbers and the occasional 5+ lb lunker! Even the small dinks fight hard in the river and full-body jumps are not uncommon!
A kayak is probably the easiest way to fish but personally, I find wading through the river to be the most fun! If you take this approach, you absolutely must be cautious of the changing water levels due to the upstream dam. With some caution, however, you can have a rewarding day walking in thigh-deep water along the bank pulling bass out of hard-to-reach structure!
2) Ebenezer Catfish
For a more laid-back day on the water, Ebenezer Park’s expansive fishing pier offers one of the easiest and most relaxing places to catch the biggest fish in the area – catfish! The park is set right on a shallow section of the lake that draws in the summertime cats. In between bites, the pier has picnic tables and bench swings to relax on!
A Carolina rig, baited with cut fish or chicken, will frequently lead to double-digit blue catfish. The same rig with a live bluegill on it will bring in the big blues and flatheads. Chicken liver is often used for channel cats and nightcrawlers catch sunfish, white perch, catfish, and the occasional bass! I have personally seen some absolute monster redear sunfish caught on a line cast 20 feet off the pier and catfish over 20 lbs in the same area (the lake holds even bigger!)!
Ebenezer Park does close at night unless you are camping! Book a campsite and plan to stay on the pier late into the night to catch some monsters under the moonlight!
4) Gar Fishing
The Catawba River is home to a healthy population of longnose gar. While not targeted often, this underrated fish can grow to over 6 feet long and weigh over 30 lbs! Their long, bony snout makes them difficult to catch, but their incredible fighting power makes it worth the effort!
Any deep hole in the river is likely to hold gar of various sizes. Fresh-cut bait is the best set rig bait. They have also been known to bite on bass fishing lures. Some fishermen will use frayed rope instead of hooks to tangle their teeth since their mouths are so bony.
Whatever you use, if you hook into one, be careful! They have a mouth full of sharp teeth and sharp scales on their body. These fish are harmless if left alone, but when caught may thrash about and bite down at anything in their way. They are normally pretty easy to unhook and are quite hardy, sometimes giving a show after release by launching out of the water!
Whether you are a long-time resident or a short-term visitor, these fishing adventures offer the chance to have a blast on the water enjoying catching God's most beautiful creations! You can also book a guide to take you out on the water if you want to take the guesswork out of your trip!
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