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Lake Wateree

Lake Wateree is one of South Carolina's oldest reservoirs. It was created in 1920 when Duke Energy impounded the Wateree River, creating a lake with almost 14,000 surface acres and 242 miles of shoreline, including the islands in the reservoir. The lake is popular for boating, fishing, water sports, camping, and hiking. The lake is located in what is known as South Carolina's "Olde English District," which covers seven counties and is filled with historic landmarks and outdoor attractions.

Fishing

Lake Wateree is host to numerous fishing tournaments, and most of those competitions focus on bass. A report filed in 2011 stated that the fall bass fishing was the best ever on Lake Wateree, with some bass weighing in at four-ten pounds. Be ready for largemouth, stipers, and white bass, as well as white perch, crappie, catfish, shellcrackers, and bream. Duke Energy has placed 17 fish attractors around this lake's shorelines, and they're all marked with buoys. Lake Wateree also participates in the Fishing Loaner Tackle Program through the Lake Wateree State Park.

    

  Search Lake Wateree Resources
    Lake Wateree South Carolina Coordinates:
34.4111N -80.7922W
Map It:
Lake Type:
Reservoir
Surface Area:
13,864 acres
Maximum Depth:
225 ft
Elevation:
222 ft
Normal Water Clarity:
3 ft
Major City:
Columbia
Airport:
Columbia
Boating

Working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Duke Power maintains eight boat access areas to the lake, and one below the dam. Seven other access points include several marinas, a bait-and-tackle shop, and Lake Wateree State Park. Several of the marinas have boat rentals, and Dutchman's Creek Marina has available camping.



    
Lodging

Lake Wateree State Park is located on the eastern shore of this lake, and it offers 50 paved sites that can accommodate 40-foot RVs, and other sites up to 35 feet. Fifteen of these sites are on the waterfront. A wide variety of other accommodations are located in Kershaw, Fairfield, and Lancaster Counties. The towns in these counties offer more camping, B&Bs, hotels and motels, resorts, and short-term rentals.

Review the Lake Resource Guide for additional lodging.



Communities

Lake Wateree extends into Kershaw, Fairfield, and Lancaster Counties, and it is located about 30 miles from Columbia, and 75 miles from Raleigh and Charlotte. Local towns include Great Falls, Lancaster, Kershaw, Camden, and Winnsboro. Visitors can gain easy access to the lake via I-77 or I-20, and this lake is very convenient to the Columbia airport. Soutwest also flies into Winnsboro at the Fairfield County Airport.

Fun times at Lake Wateree  Lake Wateree

  Lake Wateree   Lake Wateree



 
Average Temperatures Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. High  53 Avg. High  58 Avg. High  66 Avg. High  75 Avg. High  82 Avg. High  89 Avg. High  92 Avg. High  90 Avg. High  83 Avg. High  74 Avg. High  65 Avg. High  55
Avg. Low  32 Avg. Low  35 Avg. Low  41 Avg. Low  49 Avg. Low  58 Avg. Low  67 Avg. Low  70 Avg. Low  69 Avg. Low  62 Avg. Low  51 Avg. Low  41 Avg. Low  34