Standing near the console of the equipment adorned transom of the specially rigged pontoon boat, trout enthusiast and sometime guide Alex Orr kept a close eye on the sonar graph as the boat methodically motored through the churning water erupting from the twin water outtakes that adorn the eastern corner of the Jocassee dam.

Although brown trout are not as common as rainbow trout in the spring at Jocassee, the browns that do show up tend to be trophies. Photo courtesy of Jocassee Outdoor Center.

The trip had begun well before daylight and skies threatened rain as gray daylight beckoned from the other side of the concrete structure. Rolling water pumped backward through the turbines from Lake Keowee on the other side of the dam. The machinery churned from deep within the complex, ringing out a veritable breakfast call as baitfish from the lake below arrived at Jocassee in pieces. Some 50 feet beneath Orr's feet, two downrigger balls, a mere 10 feet apart, plowed through the cold spring-fed water, towing hammered willow-blade baits.

Amidst the melee of churning water, herring soup, and foreign metals, the flash of a silver spoon caught the eye of a chunky rainbow trout. Just days from its exhausting return across the entire expanse of the deep, clear lake, the big rainbow was famished from weeks of participating in the annual spawning ritual. Slipping up on the bait from below and behind, the fish cut an arc, closing the distance between itself and its prey and snatched the bait with its jaws.

"Fish on!" cried Orr to his fishing partner as the bright yellow rod to his left snapped to attention then began a slow bow to the as-yet-unseen fish. Orr expertly stepped in behind the rod and lofted it from its perch along the transom and began manipulating the fish to the surface.

Located in the northwest corner of South Carolina, beautiful, pristine Lake Joccassee offers anglers a variety of fishing adventures that are found nowhere else in the state. The lake is home to several state-record catches, including the state's smallmouth bass, spotted bass and redeye bass, as well as both rainbow and brown trout species. The 7,500-acre mountain lake is the deepest in the state, measuring nearly 300 feet deep. The lake is fed by four Appalachian rivers that keep its depths cold throughout the year. An impoundment of the Whitewater, Thompson, Horsepasture and Toxaway rivers, Jocassee remains almost virtually undeveloped-- surrounded by steep mountain terrain owned by Duke Power, the creator of the lake, and public trust lands owned by the state.

While Jocassee is a well-respected, trophy black bass fishery, it is best known for its abundant rainbow and brown trout, which are stocked and regulated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The lake's trout fishing strategies have evolved over time with most anglers now relying almost completely on trolling tactics using downriggers to reach the lake's deep-water trout.

Alex Orr, from nearby Salem, is not only a trout angler, he's also the manager of Jocassee Outdoor Center (864/944-9016), the central focus for all things related to the lake and its trout fishery. He's been with the store since 1999 when it was known as Hoyett's and owned by the late and un-related Jimmy Orr, for whom the Annual Trout Championship tournament is named. He guided for the store until it was purchased by Ken Sloan in 2003 who made Orr the manager and concentrated on expanding the store's focus.