Fishing at Grain Pond, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

• Overview

  Grain Pond sits within Spartanburg County in South Carolina. It stands 689 feet above sea level. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The town to know is Pacolet, 2.5 miles out. After that come Spartanburg at 8.3 miles and Cowpens at 8.7 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank. It is the kind of place people fish for years without exhausting.

• Where to Fish on Grain Pond

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Fish documented in Spartanburg County include bluegill, redbreast sunfish, seagreen darter, striped jumprock and flat bullhead. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Grain Pond gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 78°F on average, January about 40°F. Heat sets the pattern from late spring onward. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It holds true on Grain Pond more years than not. Water temperature lags the air by a week or so.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Lake Johnson, 1.9 miles away. Signs at Grain Pond carry more weight than any list.