Lake Hartwell Fishing Reports – July 2020

Hartwell: Level: Full pool. Temp: 78-84 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Matt Justice reports, “Boat traffic has been worse than usual this year, so getting out early is the biggest thing. A shallow water topwater bite is still good around bream beds and willows. The canepile bite is getting better and will continue all the way through September. Look for brush on points in 15 to 30 feet of water. Use your electronics to look for fish in these brushpiles. Once located, using a Spook, Sammy or Fluke can draw topwater strikes. Dropping your drop shot directly on canepiles can produce numbers of fish. Try throwing a big worm around piles to get a big bite. The night fishing has been spectacular fishing crankbaits and worms around rocks and lights.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “July can be hot, but the fishing can be hotter. July means looking deeper and farther down the lake for stripers and hybrids. Look for stripers and hybrids from mid lake to the dam. In June, the thermocline forms in the creeks and up the river arms. The stripers and hybrids migrate down the lake looking for cool, oxygenated water. They group up in big schools. A good sonar unit is important to finding the schools in deep water. They will eat a lively herring lowered to right above the fish. Artificials that will work include a big spoon or a 1-oz. jig and a 5-inch swimbait.”

GON’s Lake Hartwell Page