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Lake Hartwell Fishing Report April 2016

GON Staff | March 30, 2016

Hartwell: Level: 0.4 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 60s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing is changing weekly with the water temperature, but they are biting once you locate them.  The water temperature has pushed a lot of fish to the banks, and you can catch them shallow on several patterns. The last full moon had the first wave of spawn going, and you can expect them to move into the pockets again as the water stabilizes and we get to the next new moon and full moon. When you find them shallow, you can catch them on a variety of plastic baits, but a jig or Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hogs are hard to beat, especially around brush and flooded grass. If the bass are not shallow, you can still catch them good on primary and secondary points on Carolina-rigged lizards and worms. As we move later into April, the fishing should continue to improve, and there will be three stages of bass from prespawn, spawn to postspawn. The main thing to remember this time of year is that water temperature and weather conditions are critical when determining which pattern will work best.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “The stripers and hybrids move shallow early and late in the day. Some stripers and hybrids run up the rivers, but many go to shallow banks down the lake to try to spawn. Think shallow in April, as that is where the water warms first. Largemouth and spots will be on the banks and are easy targets. Crappie are up on the banks spawning. Big blue catfish are in the backs of major creeks feeding on shad.”

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