Dow Lake near Wedgewood: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Dow Lake is a Sumter County water, in South Carolina. It stands 102 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 3 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. On size it sits at the modest end of our Sumter County list. Start from Wedgewood, 8.7 miles down the road. Wedgefield is 9.2 miles away, with Privateer at 9.6 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Dow Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records collected within a few miles name gizzard shad, redear sunfish and white perch. Reporting is uneven, so absence from the list means little. At Dow Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 45°F in January up to 80°F in July. No part of the year shuts this water. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. That is the shape of the year on Dow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the panfish, a small hook, a float and a piece of worm outfish everything fancy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Poinsett Park Lake, 2.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Dow Lake as something to verify.