Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – June 2010

Hartwell: Level: 1.6 feet above full pool. Temp: 76 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Josh Fowler reports, “Bass fishing on Lake Hartwell is starting to improve. On Saturday, May 15, it took 22 pounds to win the NSA Team Trail Tournament, and I expect these kinds of weights to hold up over the next few weeks. The biggest factor right now is being on the right points during the first three hours of the day. The bass are busting the bluebacks during the low-light period, and once the sun gets above the trees the bite is over. The bass are totally focused on the bluebacks, and when they move off the point it’s like you turned off the switch. A variety of baits will catch the fish when they are feeding, but I am doing the best on a Lucky Craft Sammy 100, a 3/4-oz. Buckeye Lures spinnerbait with a single No. 6 willowleaf blade and a Zoom Super Fluke. If the fish are there, they will bite quick, so don’t waste any time on a point if you’re not getting bit. As the day moves along, it gets tougher and you really have to work to catch a fish of any size. You can still find a few postspawn fish holding in the shallow pockets, but they are very spooky. Try to stay back, and make long casts toward the backs of the pockets with finesse lures like a 3/16-oz. Spot Remover rigged with a Zoom Trick Worm or a slow-moving topwater bait like a Lucky Craft Splash Tail prop bait. As we get into June, I expect to see the offshore topwater bite continue to get stronger. Once the bluebacks are finished spawning, they will move offshore, and the bass will follow them out. You can concentrate on the deeper points, humps and ledges with topwater baits to draw the fish to the surface.”

Striper: Preston Harden reports, “Fishing seems to get better every day. Fish are shallow early and late. They drop down to 35 to 45 feet deep during high sun. The last week has had more surface activity than I’ve seen all spring. They are spread out all over the lake and moving. The best times to see surface activity is 6-8 a.m. and 7-9 p.m. The shoal markers on the main lake all hold fish early morning. The bass fishermen can’t catch bass until the sun comes up and the stripers go deeper. Pull freeline herring and cast flukes to the shallowest water on the shoals and points.”