Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – September 2008

Hartwell: Level: 14.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Low to mid 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Guide Josh Fowler said, “Last year at this time we couldn’t buy a topwater bite, but this year with the milder temperatures it’s been wide open. We have been catching 15 to 25 fish per day, and all of them are coming on topwater baits. If the weather remains mild, I would expect to see some 20-lb. sacks start to show up. Since the first of August I have caught more 3- to 4-lb. fish than I have caught all year. The fish are bunched up on the offshore structure, and when you work a bait across the surface, a whole school of fish will shoot up and try to eat it. The best bite is going on right in the middle of the day, and if you can be on the water during generation hours, it gets crazy. Almost every point or hump you stop on will produce when they are generating and you will see plenty of fish breaking on the surface. All you need up here right now is the old reliable Spooks, flukes and Sammys. You need a good chop on the water. If the wind doesn’t blow, you can just about forget it. You may have to finesse fish with a drop shot or a Spot Remover. You can stay on the offshore stuff and sight fish with your electronics.”

Stripers: Wayne White has been bringing in good catches, just few big fish. “The fish are running 2 or 3 pounds, with an occasional 4- or 5-lb. fish,” he said. Fish downlined bluebacks over humps 30 to 40 feet deep. Fish are schooling in front of the dam, and so are the fishing boats. Wayne said that as the water temperature drops, the level of surface activity will pick up.