Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – August 2007

Level: 5 feet below full pool. Temp: 85 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. Fishing Guide Mark Waller said this time of the year the topwater bite is all day long. You have to find the standing timber near the river channel to find the fish though. Mark said, “I’m a topwater fanatic, just throw Spooks and Bass Assassin Flukes all day long over the standing timber, and you’re going to catch fish. It will be fewer fish than if you went to the creeks, but these will all be tournament-quality fish.” Mark said if the wind is blowing the bite will be better. At night Mark moves to the humps in 15 to 20 feet of water. He likes a green-pumpkin lizard behind a 3/4-oz. to 1-oz. weight on a 3-foot leader for this type of fishing. He said you’ve just got to feel the weight across the bottom and just wait for strikes.

Linesides: Good. Striper Guide Buster Greene said the night fishing is pretty good right now. He runs a big street light with a generator on the boat to attract baitfish which in turn brings in the big boys. He said to put the boat in 150 to 155 feet of water in the river channel anywhere from mid-lake to the dam. Buster uses live bluebacks on a wide-bend 2/0 hook about 40 to 60 feet deep over the channels. He said there isn’t any particular time at night that’s better than the other, it’s pretty much an all-night affair once you get out there. Buster has been catching both good hybrids and stripers lately. He said an average night produces 15 to 20 fish, and most of them are good fish in the 7- to 12-lb. range, but they also have their share of the occasional fish over 20 pounds.