Lake Jocassee - World Class Trout Fishing
Named "Place of the Lost One" because of the legend of the Indian maiden, Jocassee, who was said to have drowned herself in grief over the murder of her lover, this popular recreation area is surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. Waterfalls abound, most notable Whitewater Falls and Laurel Creek Falls.
Lake Jocassee consisting of 7,656 acres was created by damming the tributaries of the Keowee River by Duke Power. Since its waters come directly from cold, clear, protected Appalachian streams, the lake remains cold and clear throughout the year. Around the lake, there is very little development. Most of the surrounding land is untouched by man. Devil's Fork State Park is the only park located on the lake.
In addition to its scenic beauty, Jocassee also offers fisherman the opportunities to catch trout and smallmouth bass, fish species that other South Carolina Lakes don't have. Lake Jocassee is a relatively cool warm-monomictic reservoir. It supports a "two-story" fishery with warmwater fishes in the shallows and rainbow and brown trout in the cooler hypolimnetic waters. Trouts are stocked by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Warmwater fishes include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, redeye bass, crappies and several species of sunfish. South Carolina's state record brown trout and rainbow trout came from Lake Jocassee.
Duke Energy Company began construction of Lake Jocassee in the early 1960's. The Jocassee hydroelectric station began producing electricity in 1973 and flooding of the Lake Jocassee watershed created tremendous recreational opportunities. Lake Jocassee is home to the Jocassee Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Station built in 1973. The dam is 385 feet high and 1,750 feet long. Lake Jocassee has 7,656 acres of water and 75 miles of shoreline. Full pond elevation at Lake Jocassee is 1,110 feet. The station's generators have a total capacity of 610,000 kilowatts of electricity.
Maximum Depth: 326 feet
Mean Depth: 157.7 feet
The lakes Jocassee and Keowee get their source waters from the Toxaway, Whitewater and Thompson Rivers and a number of lesser streams, some of which cascade directly into the basin of Jocassee. Part of the Keowee-Toxaway Complex, which includes Oconee Nuclear Station, Keowee and Jocassee Hydroelectric Stations and Duke Power's World of Energy, Jocassee has 7,500 acres of deep water and 75 miles of shoreline.
Jocassee is a popular recreation area surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. The name means "Place of the Lost Ones" and comes from the legend of the Indian maiden, Jocassee, who was said to have drowned herself in grief over the murder of her lover. Constructed by Duke Power Company to generate hydroelectric power, Lake Keowee covers Keowee Town, site of the capital of the Lower Cherokee Nation. Keowee, meaning 'Place of the Mulberries', was visited by Spanish explorer DeSoto when he came through the area in 1540. A 300 mile shoreline and 18,500 acres of water make Keowee a popular place for boating, fishing, water-skiing, swimming, camping and picnicking. Both lakes are located in Oconee and Pickens counties.
Duke Power Company (DPC) announced construction of the Keowee Toxaway Project on January 2, 1965, and began development in 1967. The construction resulted in the formation of Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee. Crescent Resources has managed the Jocassee property since that time. Under Crescent's management, consideration was given to social and environmental concerns for the first time. At that time, Crescent Resources continued to harvest timber and began reforestation efforts to meet future forest products needs. In December 1964, the South Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (currently the SC Department of Natural Resources) negotiated a formal agreement with Duke Power Company and Crescent Resources Inc. to include the lands of Jocassee Gorges in the Department's Game Management Area Program (currently WMA Program).
Although past timber companies had allowed access to hunting and fishing, this landmark agreement established formal public access and led to more intensive wildlife management programs. Biologists have long recognized the tremendous biodiversity of plant and animal life in the Jocassee Gorges area. They have conducted preliminary surveys of plant and animal communities and have documented the occurrence of rare, threatened and endangered elements. The positive relationship between the WMA and Duke Energy fostered the Jocassee Gorges land acquisition project for the state of South Carolina. For information on the development of Lakes Keowee and Jocassee, contact the World of Energy at 800.777.1004.
