Lake Hartwell Fishing Report March 2012

Hartwell: Level: 7.6 feet below full pool. Temp: 53-54 degress in the mornings and warming. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Tournament pro Trad Whaley said there’s a good shallow bite on the ditches in the stained pockets, especially on the warm, sunny days. Use a Pulse Jig, spinnerbait or square-billed crankbait. Also on sunny days, look for docks with black floats and skip a jig under them for suspended bass. “Right now it’s all about warming those eggs,” Trad said. “If it’s sunny, they’re going to be pulled up shallow.” Another pattern that is good and will be even better the next couple of weeks is jerkbaits in the pockets. Also, Trad said to look for a wave of spawning spotted bass to be on the main-lake points in 8 to 10 feet of water during the full moon in March. Throw jerkbaits or swim a grub for these aggressive spots.

Linesides: Very good. Guide Preston Harden reports, “Striper fishing has been good to great all winter with the water staying in the low 50s. The fish feed better on warm, calm days before a front comes through. Fish have been in the rivers moving in and out of creeks. As we move toward early spring, the fish will stay longer in the creeks. The fish have wanted small offerings such as 1/8-oz. jig heads and tiny flukes or other artificials that resemble threadfin shad. I have been throwing a 1/8-oz. Scrounger jig head with a Zoom Tiny Fluke in green-albino color. They will hit softly on a free fall with a tight line. Others are catching fish trolling umbrella rigs with small jigs. Another option is to pull big gizzard shad in the backs of major creeks. The backs of creeks are stained, and that water will warm faster. With the longer days ahead, look for fish to move close to the banks as the water warms during the day. Don’t be in a hurry in the morning, but don’t leave the water early. The best fishing in March will be in the late afternoon. As the water warms this month, hopefully the fish will start eating bigger baits such as a 1/4-oz. bucktail with a soft plastic. Don’t expect the herring bite until April.”