Lake Hartwell Fishing Report October 2012

Hartwell: Level: 11.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 76-78 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Kerry Partain reports, “The fishing is excellent. There are a lot of schooling fish from Andersonville Island down to the Hartwell Dam. The bait is making its fall transition to the creeks, and the bass are staged on main-lake points and humps. Fish the Zoom Super Fluke, Pulse Jig and topwater for the bigger fish. The spotted bass seem to be shallower and easier to catch, and the largemouths are schooling out on the deep drops. If you can hit right on them feeding, you can catch them. Keep your eyes on the electronics, and drop shot the brushpiles with a Zoom Finesse worm or a Swamp Crawler. As the weather cools, expect the bait to continue to move in the creeks, and the fishing should continue to improve. The lake is turning over in some areas, so you may have to move around until you find active fish.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “October is a prime month to fish, even as fish transition from deep water. Fishing has been great for big fish in deep water. The big stripers are stacked in deep water near the dam. Most of the big fish for me the last week have come from 70 feet or deeper. Small hybrids have been schooling early and late. As we enter October, they will stay on the surface longer as the water cools. Bigger fish will join the surfacing activity. Throwing topwater plugs to schooling fish is my favorite type fishing, and October is prime time for surface activity. The bigger stripers will still be deep. By late October, the fish will start moving from the lower lake, heading for the creeks. By the end of the month, fishing will get tough as water turnover peaks.”