Share your catch
US

Broad River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Broad River near Carlisle: the main stem of South Carolina's third-largest river basin, flowing through the Piedmont from North Carolina to Columbia.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,520 cfs
Air / High
72 / 72 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02156500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Broad River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 1,520 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, steady pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:01 AM-12:01 PM and 10:28 PM-12:28 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 69 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

South Carolina requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $10.00 for residents. What a South Carolina licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing crappie here? Check the size and bag limits with SCDNR before you keep anything. The season dates for South Carolina, read off the agency, are on the South Carolina seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Broad River near Carlisle.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02156500.

5,59314,42023,2471,520 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 88 years of October 23

At 1,520 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 02156500 (Broad River near Carlisle) is at the 40th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 88 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,745 cfs; the highest was 30,000 cfs and the lowest 249 cfs.

p10 736median 1,745p90 3,636

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 02156500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp72 F
High / Low72 / 41 F
WindNE 8-11 mph
Pressure1022.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:38 / 18:41
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)64 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Broad River this week

The best day on Broad River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:01 AM-12:01 PM and 10:28 PM-12:28 AM
Minor period
4:22 AM-5:22 AM
Sun
07:38 to 18:41
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Broad River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Post-spawn and summer feeding: cover rock, wood and current breaks with crankbaits, jigs and tubes, and use live crayfish, minnows or hellgrammites where bait is the plan.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

When to come: the Broad River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Crappie
Smallmouth bass
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Broad River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

South Carolina requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

South Carolina statewide freshwater limits (SCDNR, updated Aug. 5, 2026): black bass 5 combined (smallmouth 12-in. minimum); spotted bass 15; crappie 8-in. minimum, 20; bream 30; redbreast 15; white bass 10; 40 game fish in all per day. Striped and hybrid bass rules depend on the river system: check SCDNR's map before keeping one.

Access

SCDNR pages opened do not list access near Carlisle; the scenic reach in Cherokee and York counties has SCDNR-listed ramps at Ninety-Nine Islands and Dalton's Landing.

About this water

The Broad River main stem in the South Carolina Piedmont, Union County area; USGS gauge near Carlisle.

Fishing Broad River: the full guide

Main stem of a Piedmont basin

SCDNR's overview of the state's river basins describes the Broad River as the main stem of the third-largest basin in South Carolina: 3,800 square miles covering all of Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties and parts of eight others. The river rises in North Carolina, takes in the Pacolet, Tyger and Enoree rivers, and ends at its confluence with the Saluda near Columbia. Apart from the edges of the basin, the whole drainage lies in the Piedmont.

Flows rise and fall with the rain

Average annual flow grows from about 1,500 cubic feet per second near the North Carolina line to more than 6,000 cfs at Columbia. SCDNR notes that flow becomes more variable downstream as rainfall and groundwater support decrease, and that the record low flows of the mid-1950s and 2002, under 50 cfs, were measured at gauges including Carlisle, the USGS station shown on this page. Hydroelectric development is extensive in the basin, and Parr Shoals Reservoir, built in 1914 for hydropower, sits on the Broad 26 miles northwest of Columbia.

The scenic reach in Cherokee and York counties

A 15-mile stretch from Ninety-Nine Islands Dam to the Pacolet River confluence, between Cherokee and York counties, has been a State Scenic River since May 1991. SCDNR lists public access there at the Ninety-Nine Islands tailrace fishing area and boat ramp, the 99 Islands boat ramp across the river, and Dalton's Landing about 8 river miles downstream.

Common questions

How much water does the Broad carry?

SCDNR gives average annual flows of about 1,500 cfs near the North Carolina border and more than 6,000 cfs at Columbia; check the Carlisle gauge on this page before wading or floating.

What are the bass limits?

Statewide, no more than 5 largemouth, smallmouth and redeye bass combined, with a 12-inch minimum on smallmouth; spotted bass have a separate limit of 15.

Is any of the Broad a scenic river?

Yes. SCDNR manages a 15-mile State Scenic River from Ninety-Nine Islands Dam to the Pacolet River confluence, between Cherokee and York counties, designated in May 1991.

Is fishing good at Broad River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Murray35 miLake Greenwood40 miLake Wylie42 miLake Wateree42 miSaluda River45 miLake Norman72 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02156500 β€” Broad River near Carlisle
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 34.5800, -81.4300 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.