Lake Hartwell Fishing Report June 2015

Hartwell: Level: 0.2 feet above full pool. Temp: 78-81 degrees. Clarity: Clear and some stain in the creeks.

Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing has been good the past couple weeks with the blueback herring spawn keeping the bass shallow and feeding up before moving out for the summer. Early in the mornings, throw a Zoom Super Fluke and topwater plugs for schooling bass on main-lake points and humps. Once the topwater bite slows down, start looking for the bass to bunch up on brush and rock off the channel breaks, and use a drop shot with a Zoom Z-Drop or finesse worm. As we move into June, the bass will start to migrate out to deeper water with the baitfish but will still feed early and late in the day on topwater. Also in June look for the fish to begin to suspend in the water column as the thermocline sets up and the baitfish stack up.” Guide Preston Harden said, “Look for largemouth bass and Kentucky spotted bass around brushpiles off the main-lake points and humps near open water. If you know where the brush is, throw a topwater first, and then get on top of the brush, and drop a worm around the brushpiles. Look at depths of 10 to 20 feet for the brush that should be holding bass right now.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “June is a month I look forward to all year. The spawn is over, and the fish are hungry.” Striped bass can be caught on both live bait and artificials. “Blueback herring are the top bait,” Preston said. “My favorite artificial for surface feeding is a Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost-minnow color. Stripers start to group up in large schools in June. They are migrating out of the creeks and down the rivers, heading toward the lower lake. The thermocline forms in the creeks and pushes them down the rivers. Look for them to be suspended above the thermocline. If you can find the schools of striped bass with your electronics, they will eat herring with gusto. They will also eat a big swimbait on a jig head reeled through the school. If you see them chasing bait on the surface, have a topwater bait or a large fluke, like a Zoom Super Fluke in the pearl color, ready to throw where you see them on top.”

Catfish: Guide Donnie Simpson reports, “The catfishing is on fire! We are catching fish from daylight until about 11 a.m., and then from 4 p.m. until about 11 p.m. Fish points and flats in about 5 to 10 feet at daylight, and move deeper as the sun comes up and the temps rise. Overcast days are great, and the catfish feed most of the day. Use just about any type of bait. Stink bait works well for blues and channels, while live shad, herring, bream or perch are a flathead’s favorite. Bowfishing will slow down a bit as the water temps rise, but there are still plenty of fish to shoot at. The main lake will be the most productive and offer the bigger fish while bowfishing in June.”