Lake Hartwell Fishing Report July 2014

Hartwell: Level: 0.3 feet above full pool. Temp: 83 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament pro and guide Trad Whaley said the daytime bite is very good, but the night bite has been slow to develop this summer. “The spotted bass are loaded up in the brush on the reef markers and main-lake humps and points. First try topwater like a chrome Sammy or fluke, and then get right over the brush and drop-shot. You can catch a bigger largemouth over the brush every once in a while,” Trad said. “Pop-Rs and little swimbaits around the docks are always a good summer pattern on Hartwell. The shallow largemouth bite is still good with the water still up. Fish are starting to get where they’re living in the shallow bushes and shoreline stuff again. If they’d leave the water up, our lakes would be superstars again. One thing I tell folks when fishing shallow—the perfect cast is the best tool for an angler.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “Stripers and hybrids have been eating herring on both downlines and freelines. As we go into July, I will go to downlines and put up the freelines. Fish have been at 30 to 40 feet deep. As we go into July, I will look for fish deeper. I have been fishing up the lake toward Clemson most of this year. I will be looking for the fish migrating south down the rivers as the thermocline sets up. The fish will be suspended above the thermocline as they head south toward better water quality in the lower lake. A good graph is important this time of year to see the fish. By late July, most fish will be in the lower lake near the dam. Keep a topwater plug ready in case they come up and chase bait on the surface. If you don’t like to fish with live bait, try power reeling with a big 1-oz. jig head and a 5-inch swimbait. When you mark fish on the graph, reel the swimbait through the fish at a fast speed.”