Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – December 2021

Hartwell: Level: 1.1 feet below full. Temp: 60 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “December is one of my favorite months to fish Lake Hartwell. The fall turnover should be complete. The water turns a pretty green color. The fish go on a feeding spree with the onset of winter coming. The seagulls arrive to lead you to active feeding schools. Stripers and hybrids can be anywhere from the dam to the upper reaches of the lake. Some days are better than others. The days before a front are best. The days after a front are the worst. Calm, cloudy days are my favorite. Blueback herring work, but I like to fish a small bucktail jig with a small fluke. I also like a small scrounger jig head with a small Zoom Fluke in colors white ice, green albino or Arkansas shad. Largemouth and spotted bass are also active and are shallow. They move back into the creeks feeding up in preparation for winter. All game fish feed well until the water temp gets below 48 degrees. This usually happens in early January. Then their metabolism slows down. The exception is the crappie. They will eat all winter.”