Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – May 2010

Hartwell: Level: 1.1 feet above full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Slight stain in the creeks.

Bass: Fair. Josh Fowler reports, “The largemouths are in all stages of the spawn, and they are very finicky. The sight bite is about the only way to catch the largemouths, and you really have to work to catch them. The typical sight-fishing techniques will work when you see the fish around the beds. If the wind is blowing or the pollen is too thick, you can try blind casting into the spawning pockets with a Zoom Trick Worm or lizard rigged on a 3/16-oz. Buckeye Lures Spot Remover jig head. As we move into May, you can expect everything to change, and the offshore topwater bite will be the ticket to catching the quality fish. Once the fish move out of the pockets, they will be focused on the blueback herring, and you will have to pattern the bait to stay on the fish. In May, the bluebacks will be spawning around the bridges and the long, flat points near the mouths of the major creeks. Topwater baits like a Lucky Craft Sammy or Gunfish will be my go-to baits for working the shallow points and the rip-rap around the bridges. Be ready to move around, and try to fish as many shallow points as you can in search of the active fish. When you get on the right point, you can catch several fish quickly.”