In fact, most of the SCDNR managed lakes offer good bream fishing. If one is located near you, give it a try.

Another smallish bream-producing water is Lake Bowen, located just to the north of Spartanburg. It's easy to locate: The lake is split by the I-26 bridge that crosses it. Located on the Pacolet River, this lake offers outstanding bream fishing, with May the prime month to target bream beds. The lake will accommodate a large boat but is small enough that you can easily get around in a small boat.

There are use fees for boats on this lake, and anglers interested in fishing here should call the Lake Bowen warden's office at (864) 592-2240.

There's excellent cover throughout this lake, so all you really have to do is get the boat in the water and start fishing. This lake is also an excellent place to use fly rods and popping bugs for late-afternoon fishing.

Lake Edgar Brown located in downtown Barnwell, is another small lake hotspot. About 100 acres in size, Lake Edgar Brown may be small in size in comparison to some of the big reservoirs in the state, but that's not really essential when it comes to prime bream fishing. This lake is managed by the SCDNR.

I've seen anglers walking all along the shoreline of this lake catching bream. The real secret to success here is to simply just get out and work around the lake until you locate the areas where the fish are bedding or holding. This is true whether you are fishing from the shoreline or from a small boat.

Plenty of big bream catches are made in this lake with anglers using nothing but cane poles and live bait fishing from the shoreline. Also, beware the difference between beds and "nests" as I refer to them. Sometimes you will get into a bunch of smallish fish, and if you do, you need to move a respectable distance down the shoreline to get away from the smaller fish. There are plenty of big fish to be caught from this lake if you stay on the move.

There are several rivers in the state that are awesome in terms of producing great bream action as well.

One of my favorites is the Santee River, below the Wilson Dam that impounds Lake Marion.

I'd rate the Santee River as one of the premier bream fishing rivers in the state for a couple of reasons. One, the bream are big and plentiful. Two, there are places in this river that require a little bit of effort to access and they don't get fished as often. It is in these areas, where other anglers seldom beat the banks, that you can enjoy some almost untapped fishing for bream. May is certainly a prime month for fishing this river.

Based on what I've seen in terms of size and numbers of fish, this river would have to be ranked as competitive with practically any bream-fishing spot in the state. Both good quality and quantity of bream are taken from the Santee River.