I’m from S.C and I’ve fished Headwaters a half dozen times, beginning the following March after JT made this video, and I can tell you that it’s gone downhill fairly quickly, and the reason is simply the pressure that’s been put on the fish. EVERY SINGLE TIME I’ve been there’s been a line to the ramp that stretches to the road, and had to park in the overflow sections out on the road away from the “regular” lot. The lake will be, if it isn’t already, just another lake before the end of 2025. One of the reasons that I stopped fishing there was because of all the shiner fishing. A ton, and I mean a ton of BIG fish have been caught and released by fishermen using shiners. Last time there I literally saw two fish that were ten plus belly up, and another over eight the same way. So sad watching it be trashed.
I fished this body of water in my kayak well before there was anybody else fishing it. Holy crap, the numbers and big fish I caught. Like any other body of water that is too good to be true, it will not last long as long and it hasn't. It's still an amazing fishery, but it has slowed.
I sure as hell hope they put special regulations on the lake so they cannot EVER have a tournament where they put bass in the livewells at all. That will kill the lake faster than a red tide.