Lake Hartwell Fishing Report January 2018

Hartwell: Level: 8.3 feet low. Temp: Mid 50s. Clarity: Clear

Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The water has finally cooled down, so the fish are biting and the birds are active. The majority of the fish are deep on the main-lake ditches and in the creek mouths around baitfish. Once you locate a school of bass, you can catch them early in the day on a jigging spoon or a Blade Runner rigged with a Zoom Fluke. Later in the day, the majority of the bass are hitting football jigs and drop shots in the same areas. There are some fish still shallow, and you can catch them on crankbaits and jerkbaits on points and in the coves where the birds and fish have bait pushed up. The fishing should continue to be good through January, unless we get several weeks of really cold weather.”