Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – February 2009

Hartwell: Level: 13.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid to upper 40s. Clarity: Clear on the main lake but stained in the creeks.

Bass: Fair to good. Josh Fowler reports: “The lake has come up a few feet, and we can finally use the ramps again. Through the early part of the month, there was a good shallow bite going, and the fish were running bait in the backs of some of the major creeks. With all the rain, most of these places got very muddy, and now, with the cold temps, this will probably slow down some of this shallow activity. As we move into February, I would look for a deep bite to get going. The fish typically begin to congregate in deep drains or ditches with standing timber. The center of these ditches are usually clean except for some isolated stuff, and the fish will lie right on the bottom in the center of these drains. You can target these fish by casting a Buckeye Mop Jig or Ditch Blade and working your bait slowly through the ditch. The other option you have is to fish vertically with a spoon or drop shot and sight fish with your electronics. I would look for the fish to be anywhere from 25 to 45 feet deep depending on the conditions. If we see some mild conditions, don’t be surprised to see a shallow bite fire back up. If the water continues to rise, there is going to be a ton of shallow cover available. The shallow flats that have been dry for so long are grown up with weeds and grass. If the water ever gets up into all this stuff, the fishing will likely be awesome throughout the spring.”