Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – August 2019

Hartwell: Level: Full pool. Temp: 85-88 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing on Hartwell has been tough, and the fish seem to be more scattered than usual for this time of year. We have been catching a few fish on topwater and Zoom Super Flukes, but you have to run and gun a lot until you run into them. There are some fish out deeper on the humps and main-lake points around brush and timber, but they have been inconsistent and hard to get to bite. As we move into August, the baitfish should be more bunched up, and hopefully the bass will be, too. Some of the bass will still be shallow in August in the creeks and pockets as the bream continue to spawn and roam around the shallows.” Guide Preston Harden reports, “Bass have moved off the banks and are hanging around brushpiles 20 to 30 feet deep. The spots school up like stripers, and when you find a school, there may be a bunch of them. We have been catching them every day. After we catch a limit of hybrids and stripers, we throw topwaters around the schools of spots.” Tournament pro and guide Trad Whaley of Hartwell Outdoor Center reports, “The bass are starting to school a little bit better, but a good bite is to look for the wolf pack fish up shallow on the flats. Throw walking baits or flukes if you see them before they see you—that’s the key. The cane pile bite has been up and down. You have to find the bait. The better bite is down toward the dam, that’s where the bait is headed, down around Big Oaks and Whispering Pines. Throw a chrome Sammy or fluke, and try a wake bait when if it gets calm. If they’re sitting on the bottom, they won’t bite.” 

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “As of mid July, hybrids and stripers are heading toward the lower lake. We have been catching lots of fish heading down the rivers toward the dam. They have been about 30 or 40 feet deep over the river channel. The thermocline forms up the lake, and the fish ride on top of the thermocline heading toward the lower lake. The thermocline settles out about mid-lake most years. The water quality gets better toward the lower lake, and the better fish will be concentrated in the deep water near the dam. Good electronics will show the fish, sometimes deeper than 100 feet. Last year, August was my best month with lots of big fish coming in the boat. Live herring worked great. Power reeling with big spoons or a 1-oz. jig head and a  5-inch swimbait also catches lots of fish. The key is to locate a school on your sonar.”