Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – July 2024

Hartwell: Level: 1 foot below 660. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Trent Gober, with Fish Hartwell Guide Service,  said the topwater bite over brush and canepiles is on fire. Cast a chrome Gunfish or a chrome One Knocker Spook over brush that tops out within 20 feet of the surface. Crazy chrome and rainbow-shad Super Flukes are also catching fish. Keep the Fluke moving fast to trigger a bite. A Fickle hard swimbait reeled fast is also drawing vicious strikes. Wind helps the surface bite a lot. If the water is slick, put a Zoom green-pumpkin Trick Worm on a 3/16-oz. shaky head and use a 10-lb. fluorocarbon leader tied to 10-lb. Seaguar braid. Drop it straight down, and doodle it in front of the fish. Brush 20 to 30 feet deep is best for this type of fishing. The topwater bite will hold until the water gets in the upper 80s toward the end of the month. There are always some fish shallow, and you can catch them around docks, shallow brush and bream beds this month. Fish a topwater popper over bedding areas, and work a weightless Senko around docks and shallow brush. Remember that these fish are coming from much cooler water down deep. If putting them in the livewell, use additives like G-Juice and an oxygen generator. Add ice to cool the water so you will have live fish to weigh in. Check out the Map of the Month article in this July, 2024 issue of GON for more details and 10 GPS locations to try these patterns.

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