Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – October 2008

Hartwell: Level: 14.7 feet below full pool. Temp: Low to mid 80 degrees. Clarity: The main lake is clear.

Bass: Good. Bass fishing has been good on Lake Hartwell over the past few weeks, and it should get better as the water begins to cool down, said Hartwell fishing guide Josh Fowler. “The fish are still bunched up on the offshore structure, and you can catch them by fishing topwater baits. On Sept. 6, my team partner Greg Kellum and I won the Saturday open tournament with 15 pounds by using the famous run-and-gun topwater technique Hartwell is famous for. Your best bet is to fish flukes and Sammys over humps and points to draw the fish up to your baits. You have the potential to catch 20 to 30 fish in a day’s time and usually have that many more to hit the bait and not get hooked. This bite will hold up until the lake begins to turn over sometime in October. If the wind isn’t blowing, the topwater bite will be tough, and then you may have to consider a finesse approach. You can stay on the same places, and watch your electronics for any activity. A drop shot or a Spot Remover fished vertically will work for this deep-water sight fishing.”

Stripers: Josh said if you aren’t tournament fishing for bass, you can have a ball with the stripers and hybrids right now. “If we get an overcast day these fish will school on top all day,” said Josh. “We have been catching plenty of these fish in the 2- to 5-lb. range, and they will bite just about anything you can get in them. Look for this activity to get better as we move into October. Just get on the water and start riding, and you can see these fish busting from a long way off.”

Crappie: Good. The trolling bite back on the creek channels has just begun. Good catches are coming off bridge pilings, day or night, and brush in the 20-foot range.