Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – April 2021

Hartwell: Level: 2.2 feet above full pool. Temp: 62-66 degrees. Clarity: The creeks and rivers are muddy from the rainfall, but the main lake remains clear.

Bass: Guide and tournament pro Matt Justice reports, “A full moon at the beginning of this month has most of the fish spawning or in postspawn. Some fish are still in prespawn. Look for fish on beds in protected pockets. Casting a Texas-rigged watermelon-red Baby Brush Hog is the best bet for making these fish bite. Fish should be quickly moving to herring spawn areas, so look on main-lake flat points with bushes. Fishing topwaters and flukes for these fish can be very productive. Fishing boat docks with shaky heads and wacky-rigged worms will remain a productive pattern for the next few months.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “Hybrids and stripers try to spawn in April. Even though hybrids are sterile and stripers don’t spawn successfully, they still release eggs. Lots of hybrid and stripers run up the Tugaloo and Keowee rivers. Lots of them release their eggs down lake in shallow water. All these game fish will eat. They are easy to target in shallow water, so stay shallow where the gang will be. Crappie attach their eggs to wood and rock structure. They are very shallow now and can be caught with a small jig under a float worked around shallow structure. Bass make beds and hang around for days. Most are caught by provoking a reaction strike to remove a lure from their bed. Not all bass spawn at the same time. Some spawn in March, and some spawn in May, but April is prime time. Largemouth bass spawn in very shallow water, and spots spawn deeper in maybe 3 to 4 feet of water.”