Lake Hartwell Fishing Report July 2018

Hartwell: Level: Full pool. Temp: 86-90 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing has been a little slower, but they have transitioned to the summer pattern and are a little more predictable as they relate to the deeper water. We have been catching good numbers of bass in 20 to 30 feet on main-lake humps, points and brush using a drop shot rigged with a Zoom Swamp Crawler and finesse worm. There are a few bigger fish hitting topwater, mostly first thing in the mornings and late in the evenings, but we haven’t been getting many bites. As we head into July, the bite always seems to get a little tough, so I expect the drop shot and Carolina-rigged finesse worms to be the better choice, especially on the deeper drops on the main lake and at the mouths of the creeks. I will always have a Zoom Super Fluke rigged up and ready to go for any schooling activity because you never know when or where they will come up chasing blueback herring to the surface as the thermocline really begins to set up around that 20-foot range.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “The water is getting hot on top, and the fish are migrating to deep water. Lots of hybrids and stripers migrated up the lake this spring. Now they are heading back to the lower lake and moving deeper every day. The thermocline is forming in the creeks and up the rivers. There is not a thermocline from the mid-lake to the dam. This is where hybrids and stripers find cool, oxygenated water. By July, most larger hybrids and stripers are at least 30 to 40 feet deep. We have already been catching good fish over 100 feet deep. Good electronics are key to finding these deep-water fish.”