Lake Russell Fishing Report September 2012

Russell: Level: 1.9 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson said there are spotted bass following threadfin shad around in 20 to 30 feet of water in and around some of the larger creeks. They will come up from time to time to school on top. The easiest way to catch them is a on a Little George or a small fluke when they come up. When you aren’t seeing any schooling activity, Find isolated brush in the same areas and drop a shaky head or drop-shot finesse worm to them. Any shade of green will do, but Wendell likes the cotton-candy color. If you’re after a bigger bite, there are some good largemouths mixed in with spots upriver toward the Hartwell Dam. They are on river ledges that drop 5 to 10 feet around big stumps. Wendell likes to call them up with a Spook, but jigs are a good option if you can’t bring them to the top.

Stripers: Fair. Wendell said the best action has been on the upper end near the dam. Focus your time from Sanders Ferry Bridge north, and find some kind of current break on the main river channel. The best bait has been a freelined live herring.

Crappie: Fair. Crappie are in 25-foot brush, and they’re biting medium minnows or threadfin shad tightlined in the brush. While you’re crappie fishing, you can also catch good numbers of white perch, which will fall for the same tactic. You just need to move your minnow a little way off the brushpile the crappie are in, and drop it all the way to the bottom.