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South Carolina’s history and geography are near and dear to my heart. All South Carolina third-graders used to spend the year learning about Carolina Wrens, Striped Bass, and our famous state dance, the Shag. Regarding our state geography, we would learn about regions such as the Upstate, sandhills, coastal plains, and a weird minor one: the Waxhaws. 

After four decades, all I knew of this area was that it was south of Charlotte, north of Columbia, and a president was born there. Little did I know what adventures the Waxhaws and surrounding areas had to offer.

While the true Waxhaw region is made up of three counties spanning the border of North and South Carolina, the whole region that I-77 bisects in South Carolina gets very little attention. Preparing for this trip, I learned of two large bodies of water, Lake Wateree and Lake Wylie, that were great fisheries. I also quickly found out the rivers that fill these lakes contain something else: rapids. 

Near the town of Great Falls, SC, is a new whitewater park that has a little bit for everyone. Being a recovering river rat, the rapids started to call my name. But after much deliberation, I left the rapids for another trip and returned to the ole’ standby: Fishing.

Instead of going out on my own, we fished with two veteran guides. Jason Wolfe fishes 

wherever the fish are biting throughout the state. Lake Wateree was his choice for a morning full of catfish, and big catfish at that. He also targets striped bass, but Helene was still making the waters muddy, making them hard to target.

Our next guide was Roger Taylor on Lake Wylie. This was the first catfish trip my wife and children had ever taken. We met with our guide at a newly renovated county park in York County. Our rods were bending in no time, and the kids were fighting catfish that were trying to pull them into the water. 

Throughout the day on Lake Wylie, I noticed a constant line of airplanes in the sky, which never seemed to stop for six hours. Finally, it occurred to me that Charlotte’s airport was close to Lake Wylie. I have lived near this lake all my life and never realized what a great fishing lake it is for a family.

On the ride back to the landing in the boat, it was hard to believe I had never visited this area before. Towns like Chester, Richburg, Great Falls, and Lancaster were tucked away from main thoroughfares connecting the mountains to the beach. This isolation has allowed the area to keep its small-town charm on display while delivering adventures for any family. 

Let’s just say I now know where the Waxhaws are, and we will be back.

For more information about visiting this area, check out oldeenglishdistrict.com

If you want to take your family fishing with some great guides contact Jason Wolfe: wolfesguideservice.com and Roger Taylor: catfishon.com