Bowman, SC Fishing: An Escape Between Cities

One can find the town of Bowman in Orangeburg County in central South Carolina. It is nestled between the historic port city of Charleston and Columbia's capital city. It is a small, striving town home to just around a thousand people. In the late 1800s, Bowman was built to develop and exploit an area’s agricultural and lumbering potential that had remained relatively dormant since the American Civil War. But, before that, the site was in the heart of a rice farming country that later transformed into a major cotton-producing area where the land was ideal for this and other crops due to its clay subsoil. Bowman was situated on an old road used by people traveling from Charleston to Orangeburg in the colonial era. The area was also known as Oak Ridge, a plateau about ten miles long and five miles wide. Bowman was eventually chartered in 1894.

Bowman boasts a convenient location that can access two interstate highways and great places like Orangeburg, Branchville, St. Matthews, St. George, Columbia, Charleston, Santee, Holly Hill, and Elloree. Like its neighboring towns and cities, Bowman possesses a healthy combination of pine and oak trees, showcasing the American South's natural beauty. It is also home to a few attractions, including parks, roadside attractions,  museums, and war memorials. If one is looking for angling opportunities in Bowman, one need not worry. The town has ready access to some of the state’s most prominent fishing spots. Lakes, creeks, branches, and even the Atlantic Coast are just a few miles away.

Bowman Fishing

Bowman acts as a great starting point when heading to excellent fishing spots. This is because it has access to some of the most popular places in fish states. Onshore fishing and offshore fishing opportunities abound around this thriving community, making it a great escape for anglers who want to take a break from fishing in cities and large communities.

Bowman has the advantage of being close to the state’s largest and third-largest lakes, Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie. Both lakes, which make up the Santee Cooper Reservoir, are located to the township’s east. Lake Marion presents a diverse offering of freshwater fishing opportunities. The lake has a distinctive habitat where many fish species can thrive. It contains abundant fish cover, aquatic vegetation, submerged stumps, and looming cypress trees where some species like to hide or gather. Some parts of the lake are made up of forested wetlands and swamps. Anglers fishing in its vast waters can target species such as largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, warmouth, white perch, yellow perch, and chain pickerel. Fishing piers, docks, man-made structures, and designated spots provide onshore fishing access along the lake’s 300 miles of shoreline. For boat anglers, there are 16 boat launch areas. Boats, kayaks, and canoes can be portaged from boat ramps. The nearest boat launch area to Bowman is in Santee State Park, on the west side of the lake. Navigational aids have been placed throughout the lake to assist boaters. Fishing in Lake Marion likely means that one is expecting to hook and reel in either big bass, monster catfish, or plenty of shellcrackers (redear sunfish). Most fish can be found in and around large woody debris left by the cancellation of the construction of Lake Marion Dam. Thousands of stumps, dead tree trunks, and live cypress trees are what most fish in the lake used as habitat, especially bream, crappie, and catfish. In gently sloping shorelines and backwater sloughs, native aquatic vegetation houses an abundance of bass, pickerel, bream, and other species. Anglers can further enhance their fishing experience in the lake as it is surrounded by marinas, lodging, boat rental services, and bait and tackle shops.

Like Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie is another spot that offers a unique freshwater environment where plenty of the same species also found in the larger upper lake can grow and thrive. The 6.5-mile-long Diversion Canal connects the two lakes and provides a productive and weather-protected area for anglers. Lake Moultrie’s dams, St. Stephen Dam, and Pinopolis Dam allow the anadromous passage of sea-run species of American shad and blueback herring sea-run species. A 900-acre hatchery section in the lake holds plenty of game. Caution is urged when navigating shallow waters due to the many submerged stumps on its sloping shorelines. Bowman’s nearest boat ramp one can access is the Fred L. Day Boat Ramp. Fish attractors throughout the lake have strengthened various fish and baitfish's growth and development. Remnants of the hatchery dike provide enough shelter to let aquatic vegetation grow, acting as a popular habitat for bass, pickerel, bream, and other species. The lake is ideal for boat anglers and pleasure boaters, with underwater humps and contour breaks to ensure everyone's safety. It is also surrounded by marinas, lodging, boat rental services, and bait and tackle shops. 

In Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie, anglers can use various fishing techniques such as baitcasting, spinning, jigging, bottom fishing, and drift fishing. These methods effectively target bass, catfish, crappie, and bream.

Encircling half of Bowman’s borders is Cow Castle Creek. This small stream is the perfect place for anglers who want to do some light bream fishing. One can find bluegill and redear sunfish here. The stream can be accessed from State Roads on the west and south of Bowman. 

Top 10 Fish Species in Bowman, SC

The top 10 fish species found in Bowman, SC, are largemouth bass, striped bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, and chain pickerel. 

Seasonal Fishing 

Each spring, local waters draw in anglers who target largemouth bass and redear sunfish that grow very large in that season. When they spawn between April to June, it is a great time to fish for bass species. Catfish anglers will have a terrific time targeting game from mid-May to mid-July. This is when catfish are mostly found around hollow logs and undercut banks. The prime time for crappie and chain pickerel fishing is in March and April, but they can be caught all year. Bream and sunfish species like bluegill, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, and pumpkinseed can also be caught throughout the year as they can tolerate many water temperatures. The best time to target them is spring and summer, specifically from May to August, when they spawn. 

Sightseeing in Bowman

Bowman is a great place to escape when one is looking to take a break from cities and crowded areas but still wants easy access to them.

1. Book a Fishing Charter

Because Bowman’s proximity to prominent lakes and even the Atlantic Coast further south, fishing is a popular pastime and livelihood for locals. Booking a fishing charter provides anglers with knowledgeable tips and tricks that experts and locals only know about the local fishing spots in the area. Charters can also provide anglers with needed gear and equipment and boat rental services, and what bait or lures to use.

2. Check Out a Rest Stop for UFOs

Bowman is home to the UFO Welcome Center, a roadside tourist curiosity built in the backyard of self-proclaimed alien ambassador Jody Pendarvis. It has a 42-foot-wide flying saucer made of wood, plastic, and fiberglass. It is mounted on four columns and raises and lowers because of installed motors. Construction of this attraction began in 1994 and has long since become a compelling tourist attraction. Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert also featured it.

3. Visit Bowman Nature Park

Bowman Nature Park offers visitors a peaceful place to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the locality. It has a shelter facility that can be rented for events such as family gatherings, picnics, meetings, birthday parties, and more. There is a play area for kids, a walking trail, two gazebos, and two tennis courts.