Reservoir · McCormick, South Carolina
Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch
Location Snapshot
Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch is the South Carolina side of the large Savannah River reservoir also known as Clarks Hill, with long creek arms, rocky points, and extensive open water. Largemouth bass, striped bass, and crappie are major targets across this large border reservoir.
Current Lake Rating
Point-in-time lake rating — separate from the trip recommendation below.
Good74
Conditions look good for a Warmwater lake trip. Water temperature is within a preferred warmwater range.
Scores are model-specific and are not directly comparable across water types.
Rating confidence: High
Should I Go?
Go
Fishing guidance for this destination based on available lake conditions, weather, and seasonal context. It is not a boating, swimming, ice, or access-safety rating.
Recommendation confidence: High (91)
Guidance uses the shared lake fishing model. It is not destination-specific calibration.
Best window
Tue, 5:00 PM–8:00 PM
Why
- Air temperature is comfortable for a warmwater lake trip
Current Readings
- Water level
- 319.41 ft
- Change over 24 hours
- -0.03 ft
- Trend
- Falling
- Water temperature
- 21.9 °C
- Last updated
- 1 hr ago
≈ 71.4 °F
Source: USGS · THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC · 02193900 · Reservoir elevation
Better Nearby Options
Checking nearby StrikeTracks waters…
Weather Near Lake
Current Weather
Mostly clear
Temperature
42°F
Feels like
37°F
Wind
4 mph NW
Wind gust
9 mph
Current precipitation
0.00 in
Updated
Oct 20, 2026, 7:15 AM
Recent Rainfall
Estimated precipitation near this lake
Last 6 hours
0.00 in
Last 24 hours
0.00 in
Last 48 hours
0.00 in
Little recent rainfall near this lake.
Next 24 Hours
Tue 8 AM
Clear
Temp 41°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 4 mph
Tue 12 PM
Clear
Temp 66°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 6 mph
Tue 4 PM
Clear
Temp 75°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 7 mph
Tue 8 PM
Overcast
Temp 62°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 5 mph
Wed 12 AM
Overcast
Temp 53°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 4 mph
Wed 4 AM
Clear
Temp 47°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Wind 4 mph
Four-Day Forecast
Tue, Oct 20
Fog
High 75°F / Low 41°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 16 mph
Wed, Oct 21
Overcast
High 74°F / Low 44°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 16 mph
Thu, Oct 22
Clear
High 79°F / Low 50°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 6 mph
Fri, Oct 23
Clear
High 75°F / Low 50°F
Chance 0%
Precip 0.00 in
Max gust 20 mph
Weather and rainfall are estimated for this lake's coordinates. Local conditions can vary, especially in mountainous terrain and during isolated storms.
Recent rainfall can influence lake level and access, but the timing and magnitude depend on watershed size, soil conditions, and reservoir operations where applicable.
Weather data: Open-Meteo
Reservoir Elevation History
Elevation is reported relative to the datum used by this USGS monitoring site. Elevations from different lakes or datums should not be directly compared.
Loading historical elevation…
Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Thurmond Lake.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Largemouth bass are primary and wild in Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch. Black crappie are common and wild, and striped bass are common and stocked. Channel catfish are present and wild.
Target species
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Wild
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Wild
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Wild
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
- Great Lakes tributary
- No
- Flow regime
- Natural flow
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Stocking information
Striped bass are stocked in Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch.
- Stocked
Striped bass
Stocked · South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Official sources
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
McCormick, South Carolina
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
County
McCormick
Management Category
Savannah River reservoir
Regulation Scope
Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch.
Regulation Summary
Thurmond Lake near Plum Branch: SCDNR inland reservoir rules. Confirm current official regulations.
Target Species
largemouth-bass, striped-bass, black-crappie, channel-catfish
Public Access
Public