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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: 3.5 feet below 660. Temp: Mid 50s to low 60s. Clarity: Clear. Bass & Stripers: Trent Gober, with Fish Hartwell Guide Service, said the bait is moving into the creeks and ditches, and bass and stripers will follow. Look for both back in ditches where the 20 to 25 foot deep water ends. Drag a green-pumpkin Senko on a 1/4-oz. Gamakatsu jig head or a jig ’n pig on the bottom for bass. Everything will be bottom related. Find rockpiles or rock ridges that concentrate the bass at that depth. A Fish Head Spin will also catch fish when reeled slowly along the bottom under bait, as will a spoon dropped under the bait balls. For stripers, get in areas of bait and fish live bait in very shallow water. The big stripers often cruise in 5 feet of water looking for food. Cast your bait to the…
Read MoreLake Hartwell Fishing Articles
Die-hard bass fishermen hope most folks are enjoying watching football and hunting deer—that just means fewer boats on the water during one of the best months of the year for bass fishing. At Lake Hartwell, both largemouth and spotted bass feed heavily in October, and anglers can catch bass using a variety of techniques. Lake…
“Show up and dominate” is the motto of high school bass tournament partners Dylan Parham and Thomas Zaczek. The pair fishes for Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County and are currently practicing for the B.A.S.S. Nation State Classic Oct. 17-18 at Lake Hartwell. To qualify for the State Classic at Hartwell, anglers must fish…
Think it is too hot to go fishing during the day in July? Big bass busting on top will make you forget how hot it is. Plan a trip to Lake Hartwell, and enjoy catching quality fish on topwater plugs. Lake Hartwell is a sprawling 56,000-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake on the Savannah…
According to bassmaster.com, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro likely saved a man’s life after pulling him from the frigid waters of Lake Hartwell on Sunday, Feb. 15. David Walker, of Sevierville, Tenn., was practicing for this week’s Bassmaster Classic when he noticed a man in the water. David was able to quickly get to the…
Kerry Partain learned a long time ago that February fishing at Lake Hartwell has its own set of rules. “One of the first things you have to do is see what kind of mood they’re in,” he said. “They might be feeding—or they may not be doing much of anything and just sitting on the…
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 |