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Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell is a 56,000-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the southeast's largest and most popular recreation lakes, and it offers good fishing, particularly for bass and stripers. Three recent Bassmaster Classic tournaments have been held at Hartwell. The lake is created by Hartwell Dam located on the Savannah River 7 miles below the point where the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers join to form the Savannah. Interstate 85 crosses Lake Hartwell at the Georgia-South Carolina line.
Lake Hartwell Resources
Hartwell: Level: 1 foot below 660. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Trent Gober, with Fish Hartwell Guide Service, said the topwater bite over brush and canepiles is on fire. Cast a chrome Gunfish or a chrome One Knocker Spook over brush that tops out within 20 feet of the surface. Crazy chrome and rainbow-shad Super Flukes are also catching fish. Keep the Fluke moving fast to trigger a bite. A Fickle hard swimbait reeled fast is also drawing vicious strikes. Wind helps the surface bite a lot. If the water is slick, put a Zoom green-pumpkin Trick Worm on a 3/16-oz. shaky head and use a 10-lb. fluorocarbon leader tied to 10-lb. Seaguar braid. Drop it straight down, and doodle it in front of the fish. Brush 20 to 30 feet deep is best for this type of fishing. The topwater bite will hold until the water gets in…
Read MoreLake Hartwell Fishing Articles
July bass fishing is hot on Lake Hartwell —in more ways than one. Hartwell largemouth and spots set up on brush and canepiles on the main lake, and you can catch numbers and quality on a variety of baits. Hartwell’s 55,000 acres make it our second-biggest lake. It is located at the beginning of the…
With a three-day total weight of 44-lbs., 1-oz., Mike Corbishley takes the victory at stop No. 2 of the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) season at Lake Hartwell, hosted by Anderson County, S.C. Corbishley had his toughest day of the week with 12-lbs., 9-ozs., on Day 1, added 17-lbs., 7-ozs. on Day 2, and 14-lbs.,…
Making a key decision to change his approach first thing this morning, Alabama pro Kyle Welcher takes the Day 1 NPFL lead at Lake Hartwell with 16-lbs., 11-ozs. His effort gives him a 7-oz. cushion over Will Harkins going into Day 2. “I gambled a little bit this morning and decided I was going to…
Brian Tidwell, of Seneca, S.C., caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds even Saturday to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. Hosted by the City of Lavonia, the tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Savannah River Division. Tidwell earned $3,684 for his…
The Association of Collegiate Anglers is set to begin the 2024 season on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series at Lake Hartwell. The Hartwell Slam will take place on April 13-14, 2024. This no-entry-fee event also includes media coverage on a variety of streaming platforms, live coverage, social media promotions and is nationally…
Lake Hartwell Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 12-lbs., 6.5-ozs. | Jack Breshears | 03/08/76 |
| Spotted Bass | 5-lbs., 6.08-ozs. | Raulie Bleech | 03/18/07 |
| Redeye Bass | 3-lbs., 7-ozs. | Steve Williams | 04/17/04 |
| Striped Bass | 59-lbs., 8-ozs. | Terry McConnell | 02/03/02 |
| Hybrid Bass | 20-lbs., 1-oz. | Buster Green | ----- |
| White Bass | 4-lbs., 5-ozs. | H.T. Davis | 02/06/67 |
| White Crappie | 4-lb., 4-ozs. | Charles McCullough | 04/27/68 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 1.76-ozs. | Jimmy Burns | 03/02/22 |
| Walleye | 9-lbs. | T.O. Sherriff | 1974 |
| Blue Catfish | 30-lbs., 8-ozs. | Melvin Wall | 06/26/03 |
| Flathead Catfish | 66-lbs. | Darrin Sealey | 04/04/10 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 4.16-ozs. | DJ Hill | 05/13/23 |
| Chain Pickerel | 2-lbs., 5-ozs. | Jay Franklin | 03/16/23 |