Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – April 2022

Hartwell: Level: Full. Temp: 59 degrees. Clarity: Clean in the main lake and stained in the backs of creeks.

Bass: Guide Matt Justice reports, “Fishing has been good with fish pulling up on the bank and secondary points. Throwing a 1/8-oz. shaky head in 1 to 4 feet of water is the best way to catch numbers and size. Skip boat docks and throw around laydowns and rip-rap. Fish should be on bed the whole month but will focus around the full moon. Sight fishing can produce large bass, but patience is key. Later in the month, shad and herring will begin spawning on points, where a topwater wake bait and fluke are perfect baits. Expect a frog bite to pick up with all the flooded bushes in the lake.”

Linesides & Crappie: Guide Preston Harden, of Bucktail Guide Service, reports, “Fish are moving shallow. Fish are preparing to spawn. Fishing gets easy as so many fish are up shallow. Lots of hybrids and stripers make a spawning run up the main rivers, but many will stay down the lake and drop their eggs in shallow water. For hybrids and stripers, live blueback herring on freelines make fishing easy, especially around main points, shoals and other ambush locations. When we move into April, the mornings become as good as the afternoons. By mid April, the mornings become better, but the fish can be shallow and active all day. Crappie fishing peaks as they spawn around wood, rocks and other shallow structure.”

Lake Hartwell Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports