"We get a lot of people up here who just want to sightsee or come and ride around the lake for the scenery," said Orr. "We also have a lot of scuba divers in the spring and summer and, of course, we also cater to the fishermen. We even sponsor a series of trout tournaments on the lake from November through April."

While some trout anglers find success using live or cut bait tactics from an anchored boat typically night-fishing near the hydro station, most veteran trout anglers who fish during daylight hours prefer to troll artificial baits for Jocassee trout. Because of the trout's propensity for cold, dark water, trout are often caught as deep as 100 feet throughout the year. This deep-water fishing necessitates the use of specialized equipment in order to present the baits at appropriate depths. For years, Great Lakes and saltwater anglers have relied on downrigger setups to reach deep-water fish. This has become the norm on Jocassee.

"I sell downriggers that run anywhere from $100 to $2,000 apiece," said Orr. "But most people who fish out of pontoon boats or center consoles do very well up here using a couple of relatively inexpensive setups in the $200 range."

Orr said some of the most dependable setups are the Cannon downriggers (www.cannondownriggers.com). A downrigger uses a round or oblong 8- to 10-pound lead ball to get lines down to the desired depths. The weight is suspended by a 150-pound-test cable that connects to the boat with a metal arm or boom. The cable is attached to a spool that allows line to be released or retrieved by either a hand crank or electric motor. A line release is attached to the cable just above the weight, which holds the main fishing line. Baits are either cast or measured out behind the boat then the line is clipped into the release. Two rods can be fished from each ball by employing a double stacker release, which spreads the lines so they don't tangle. When a trout strikes, the line releases from the cable and the angler plays the fish.

Like most fish species, trout pattern differently around Jocassee depending on the time of year and the water's surface temperatures. Although neither brown nor rainbow trout successfully spawn in Jocassee, both species make annual spawning runs up the river arms. April finds trout spawn weary and hungry. It's for this reason that the majority of fishing takes place around the water intakes at the hydro station.

"They normally release water at night and then pump it back the next morning," said Orr. "The back pumping chops up a lot of baitfish and the trout come in to mop up. I once caught a rainbow trout that had 17 whole shad and a whole bunch of bits and pieces in its stomach. They go crazy when those turbines start running, but it can be tough to catch fish if they aren't running water."