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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: Full at 660. Temp: 62-64 degrees. Clarity: Clear except for some runoff in the creeks. The Potato Creek Bass Masters club fished a two-day tournament at Hartwell on Friday and Saturday. Raymond English won with 10 keepers that weighed 32.33 pounds. He had five at 21.41 on Friday, including a 5.77-lb. kicker. His big one hit a Trick Worm. All others hit a Carolina rig. I had big fish with a 6.63-lb. largemouth that looked postspawn. It hit a wacky-rigged Zoom Fluke Stick with the tails dipped in chartreuse J.J.’s Magic. Fish were caught in a number of ways: topwater, crankbaits, jigs and flukes. Many fish were bedding and cruising. I got on a fun pattern Saturday. I fished a Fluke Stick on clay with rocks on sloping banks for 2-lb. spots. They were in 8 to 12 feet of water. They were fun but not tournament-winning fish.…
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 | 6-lbs., 4-ozs. | Chad Mrazek | 03/16/25 |
| 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 |