Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – May 2008

Hartwell: Level: 6 feet below full pool. Temp: 66-70 degrees. Clarity: The main lake and the rivers are clear, the creeks are a good color.

Bass: Good, said Hartwell guide Josh Fowler. “The past two weeks it has taken 14 pounds to win the Saturday pot tournament, and most of the guys are catching the fish that are around the beds. For these fish try casting a Spot Remover jig head rigged with a V&M Mud Bug in a pearl color around the bed; however, if you can’t see the bed try casting a floating worm in a bubblegum color in the spawning pockets. The fish are in all stages right now on Lake Hartwell, some are spawning and others have already spawned. We are right on the verge of the topwater bite really taking off. The famous run-and-gun tactic is about to start. When this gets going, you will need to have plenty of soft plastic jerkbaits like a V&M Pork Shad in the new blueback-herring color ready to cast around the shoal markers. The key will be finding the shoal markers that the blueback herring are using to spawn. Other baits that work well are a Spook, Sammy or a Buckeye Lures Wake Up. Once this bite takes off, it will last all summer,” Josh said.

Linesides: Hot and cold, according to Hartwell fishing guide Buster Green. “On Wednesday (April 23) we caught 35,” said Buster. “Yesterday we caught six. The fish have been hitting freelined herring, and they are up on the banks early — from about 4 a.m. until daylight. Some of the other guys are catching them with cut bait and live bait on red-clay banks.” Buster said the schooling activity is picking up. “We had about a half-acre of fish come up yesterday,” he said, “but it’s off compared to last year.”

Crappie: Good, said Buster. “The fish are pulling off the banks. You can catch them in brushpiles with minnows or jigs.”