Wade · Best fit78/100
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
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Fly fishing report · Southeast
Broad River
A Broad River report for anglers planning the South Carolina scenic segment below Ninety-Nine Islands Dam, reading shoal-heavy flow, and choosing safe public access for a bass-first day.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
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Broad River looks fishable right now.
Current USGS flow is 429 cfs and has been stable for about 6 hours. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 641 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
Best supported approachWade
Watch nextFlow: Current USGS flow is 429 cfs and has been stable for about 6 hours. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 641 cfs.
Updated Aug 3, 1:15 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Best supported approachWade
Compare wading, bank fishing, and floating before choosing how you will fish.
Bank / edge78/100
Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.
Float78/100
A float is in play where this report supports boat access and wind, releases, and shuttle logistics are manageable.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:15 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed Jun 2, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
7 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Boat launch
Ninety-Nine Islands Tailrace Fishing Area and Boat Ramp
The clearest bank-and-boat starting point, with a boat ramp, parking, bank-fishing trail, and canoe portage around the dam.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use only the named public launches and trails listed by SCDNR.
Worth Mountain is public, but SCDNR says river access there is very limited because the banks are steep.
02No map pin
Boat launch
99 Islands Boat Ramp
A downstream public landing on the opposite bank that works better for launch-and-float planning than for roaming bank access.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use only the named public launches and trails listed by SCDNR.
Worth Mountain is public, but SCDNR says river access there is very limited because the banks are steep.
03No map pin
Area description
Dalton's Landing
The main downstream public take-out for the scenic segment and the key checkpoint for deciding whether your float distance is realistic.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Use only the named public launches and trails listed by SCDNR.
Worth Mountain is public, but SCDNR says river access there is very limited because the banks are steep.
How to fish it
Fish the Broad as a public shoal corridor with real current and limited bank exits, not as a casual roadside creek.
The safest publishable Broad River plan is the South Carolina scenic segment below Ninety-Nine Islands Dam. Start with RiverReports and USGS 02153200, launch only from the named SCDNR access points, and let current, release signals, and your comfort in rocky shoals decide whether the day is a short bank session or a committed float.
- SCDNR designates the 15-mile reach from Ninety-Nine Islands Dam to the Pacolet River confluence as the Broad Scenic River and lists multiple public access points inside that corridor.
- The upstream Ninety-Nine Islands tailrace access includes a boat ramp, parking, a bank-fishing trail, and a canoe portage trail around the dam, which makes it the clearest starting point for a fly angler who wants legal public water without guessing.
- SCDNR notes about eight river miles from the Ninety-Nine Islands accesses to Dalton's Landing, which is a meaningful float commitment rather than a quick hop between easy bank pull-offs.
- South Carolina's smallmouth-bass profile specifically lists the Broad River in the species' range and describes smallmouth as stream fish that hold to clear, cool pool sections and nearby structure.
Why the score looks this way
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 429 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 641 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
Short-term weatherUse caution
The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.
SeasonHelps score
Early summer: Often the best blend of active warmwater fish, manageable daylight, and enough current for streamer or topwater planning.
WeatherHelps score
The NWS forecast is about 74F with Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.
Public alertsHelps score
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
The Broad is strongest for fly anglers when flows are stable enough to read current tongues around the shoals and low enough that your take-out plan still feels simple. Rising water, release noise near the dam, or muddy current should push you toward a short bank session at the tailrace or a full skip.
Stable moderate flow
Best for reading shoals, floating between public launches, and stripping streamers through defined current lanes.
Low clear water
Good for careful wading and lighter flies, but stay honest about exposed rock, spooky fish, and longer walks between productive lies.
Rising or release-influenced water
Treat as a major caution near the dam and anywhere current starts filling the shoals; shorten the session or move off the water.
High stained current
Best skipped unless you are already committed to a safe float plan with the right boat control and local familiarity.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use the Blacksburg trend with water color and shoal safety. Stable or slowly falling water is the cleanest warmwater signal.
When to skip
Skip when the river is rising, muddy, pushy over shoals, too hot, release-affected, or the put-in/takeout plan is not confirmed.
Local plan
Start with the Blacksburg gauge, then choose Ninety-Nine Islands or a planned landing before picking flies.
Backup water
Compare Lower Saluda River, North Saluda River, or Catawba options when the Broad is high, muddy, hot, or shuttle-limited.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
March-MayCrayfish movement, baitfish, and mixed spring insectsCrawfish patterns, olive streamers, black bugger, small popper
Fly family · report suggests “Crawfish patterns”Crayfish and Crawfish PatternsCrayfish patterns differ in claw size, eye placement, shell profile, leg motion, weighting, hook orientation, and snag resistance. Rust, brown, olive, tan, and pale molting colors remain labeled choices rather than aliases for one recipe.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “olive streamers”Trout Streamer PatternsStreamer is a method-and-silhouette family, not a recipe. Size, color, weight, and presentation phrases stay visible, while baitfish, leech, sculpin, Woolly Bugger, and articulated identities link to their more specific destinations when known.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box June-AugustTerrestrials, minnows, and topwater warmwater feedingPoppers, sliders, baitfish streamers, foam bugs
Fly family · report suggests “Poppers”Bass and Panfish Popper PatternsPoppers may use cupped foam, cork, balsa, deer hair, or pencil-shaped heads. Head face, size, buoyancy, tail, legs, and weed guard determine sound and action; a generic popper label does not identify one fly.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “sliders”Warmwater Slider and Diver PatternsA slider has a tapered, flat, or softly shaped head that glides or pushes a small wake with limited noise. A diver has an angled, collared, folded, or otherwise shaped head that pulls below the surface when stripped and rises on the pause. Frog, baitfish, and large-insect profiles can be tied on either idea, so the exact head action, buoyancy, hook orientation, weed guard, and material must stay named.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box September-OctoberBaitfish and crawfish feeding windowsClouser, crawdad fly, leech streamer, bugger
Fly pattern · report suggests “Clouser”Clouser Deep MinnowThe reviewed chartreuse-and-white form uses sparse layered bucktail with flash around lead barbell eyes. The eyes make the fly sink between strips and ride hook point up; color, eye weight, hook, and saltwater materials must remain labeled.See photos & how to fish it ↗Fly family · report suggests “crawdad fly”Crayfish and Crawfish PatternsCrayfish patterns differ in claw size, eye placement, shell profile, leg motion, weighting, hook orientation, and snag resistance. Rust, brown, olive, tan, and pale molting colors remain labeled choices rather than aliases for one recipe.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box Late fall-winterSparse insect activity and slower forage-driven feedingSmall jig streamer, leech, bugger, sink-tip baitfish pattern
Fly family · report suggests “Small jig streamer”Trout Streamer PatternsStreamer is a method-and-silhouette family, not a recipe. Size, color, weight, and presentation phrases stay visible, while baitfish, leech, sculpin, Woolly Bugger, and articulated identities link to their more specific destinations when known.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “leech”Leech PatternsLeech patterns share an elongated moving silhouette, but material, weighting, hook orientation, and retrieve vary. Pine-squirrel, rabbit-strip, balanced, and Woolly Bugger forms remain separately labeled rather than being presented as one recipe.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Pick one public access corridor and fish it deliberately instead of trying to sample every shoal in a single day.
02
At the tailrace, work the first soft current off the main push before you start bombing long casts across the whole river.
03
On float days, stop where the shoal feeds into a darker pool or a bank eddy rather than wasting time on uniform fast water.
04
If the rocks start getting slick enough that landing a fish feels secondary to staying upright, back out and change the plan.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Broad River. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: Jun 2, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
flowRiverReports: Broad River near BlacksburgflowUSGS Broad River near Blacksburg, SC 02153200accessSCDNR Broad Scenic RiverbackgroundSCDNR Smallmouth Bass species profileregulationSouth Carolina freshwater game fishing regulationsaccessSouth Carolina Public Fishing AccesssafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Blacksburg
Common questions
Before you leave.
Where should I start on the Broad River in South Carolina?+
The clearest public start is the Ninety-Nine Islands tailrace access because SCDNR specifically lists the boat ramp, bank-fishing trail, and canoe portage there.
What flow should I watch for Broad River trips?+
Use RiverReports for the live chart and keep USGS site 02153200 near Blacksburg open as the official flow backstop before committing to either wading or floating.
Is this a wade river or a float river?+
It can be both, but the safest default is a short tailrace bank-and-edge session or a clearly planned float between public ramps. It is not a good river for improvising exits once you are committed.