Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – March 2009

Hartwell: Level: 14.3 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 40s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Josh Fowler reports, “It’s taking 16 to 20 pounds to win a tournament up here, and I expect these weights to hold up as we move along. The key to catching the bigger weights is to be in the right ditch early in the day. The fish are bunched up in ditches, and you can catch them quick when you find them. The bad news is this bite will only last about 45 minutes during the mornings, and once the sun gets up it’s over. If it’s cloudy, it may last longer, but if not you will have to head for the deep timber. The best bet for fishing the ditches is a Buckeye Ditch Blade rigged with a Fluke Jr. When it comes to the timber, I like to cast a 5/16-oz. Spot Remover jig head rigged with a Zoom Speed Craw and work it through the limbs of the submerged timber. A drop shot or jigging spoon will also work if you see any activity on the graph. As we move through March everything will revolve around the weather. I would look for a shallow cranking bite to get fired up early in the month. Shad Raps, jerkbaits and Rat-L-Traps will all be good choices as the fish began to move shallow. If it warms up around the full moon in March, don’t be surprised to see fish cruising the banks. In this case you can fish a Trick Worm or a Senko around boat docks or any shallow cover you can find.”