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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

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report – February 2025

By GON Staff | January 29, 2025

Hartwell: Level: 2.7 feet below 660. Temp: 49-52 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Cole Wilson, with Spot Chaser Guide Service, reports, “February is one of my favorite times of the year to fish Hartwell. Fish are feeding up heavily and are very aggressive. In the creeks, most fish are still being caught in ditches and on rocky points near their staging areas. A crankbait in the red and brown color fished along the points is a great option. Another great bait to throw is a Fish Head Spin paired with a Fluke Jr. slowly rolled along the bottom in the ditches. Keep an eye out for bait in the ditches because the fish will be nearby. Early in the mornings, focus on the backs of the ditches. As the sun rises, the bass will move out and the fish will follow. There is a main-lake bite, as well, that is producing…

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Lake Hartwell Fishing Articles

Hartwell Bass Blowing Up Topwater In May

By the first of May, most of the big Hartwell bass have finished spawning and are waiting on the main-lake points for the blueback herring, which are just moving in to the gravel bars and sandy points for their spawn. May is one of the best times to catch a bunch of grown Hartwell bass, and…

Hartwell Linesides Quick Action In Spring

Lineside fishing guide Greg Beck snatched the rod from the rod holder and reared back to set the hook, but the fish was already gone. Before he could replace the rod, another planer board shuddered on the surface, then surged backwards, signaling a hit on the trailing blueback herring. Greg hurriedly set down the first…

Lake Hartwell Record Black Crappie

Rebecca Crittendon, of Hartwell, Ga., holds her 2-lb., 14-oz. black crappie that set the lake-record mark at Lake Hartwell. Black crappie are not as prevalent as white crappie at Hartwell. The lake-record white crappie from Hartwell was a giant that weighed 4-lbs., 4-ozs., caught by Charles McCullough in 1968. Black crappie typically will be speckled…

Lake Hartwell Record Fish

Largemouth Bass12-lbs., 6.5-ozs.Jack Breshears03/08/76
Spotted Bass5-lbs., 6.08-ozs.Raulie Bleech03/18/07
Redeye Bass3-lbs., 7-ozs.Steve Williams04/17/04
Striped Bass59-lbs., 8-ozs.Terry McConnell02/03/02
Hybrid Bass20-lbs., 1-oz.Buster Green-----
White Bass4-lbs., 5-ozs.H.T. Davis02/06/67
White Crappie4-lb., 4-ozs.Charles McCullough04/27/68
Black Crappie3-lbs., 1.76-ozs.Jimmy Burns03/02/22
Walleye9-lbs.T.O. Sherriff1974
Blue Catfish30-lbs., 8-ozs.Melvin Wall06/26/03
Flathead Catfish66-lbs.Darrin Sealey04/04/10
Shellcracker1-lb., 4.16-ozs.DJ Hill05/13/23
Chain Pickerel2-lbs., 5-ozs.Jay Franklin03/16/23