Rainbow Lake Fishing near Manning, South Carolina

• Overview

  The Clarendon County end of South Carolina holds Rainbow Lake. The water sits 95 feet up. It measures about 47 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.6 miles on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Clarendon County list. The town to know is Manning, 11 miles out. The nearest city of size is Columbia, 55 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rainbow Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include redfin pickerel, swamp darter, warmouth and bluespotted sunfish. It reflects what has been logged, which depends on who was looking. Rainbow Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 45°F and July at about 80°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Long warm spells define the calendar more than any cold. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Rainbow Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Mcfaddens Pond is 2.8 miles off. For Rainbow Lake in particular, ask before you travel.