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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: 0.6 feet above 660. Temp: 68-73 degrees. Clarity: The main lake is clear, some creeks are stained. Bass: Cole Wilson, with Spot Chaser Guide Service, reports, “Fish are in all phases across the lake. It’s a time of year when you can pick your favorite thing to do and go do it. Look for the fish to continue spawning and pushing up to bed, as well as the herring and shad spawns across the lake. Target the herring and shad spawns by fishing shallow, flat clay or sandy points. Lots of times you can see these fish schooling and feeding up early in the morning. A weightless fluke and swimbait, such as a Keitech, are my favorites to target these fish. There is also a brushpile bite starting to happen. This pattern isn’t as effective yet, but it is a good pattern to keep in the back of…
Read MoreLake Hartwell Fishing Articles
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…
Boater Will Hart, of Danielsville, caught a five-bass limit weighing 21-lbs., 8-ozs., Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hartwell. Hosted by Visit Anderson, the tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL South Carolina Division. Hart earned $11,266, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF…
B.A.S.S. officials announced today that the 2024 national championship for the wildly popular Bassmaster College Series will be played out on the waters of Lake Hartwell. The 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops will showcase the nation’s best college anglers Aug. 22-24. Anglers will launch from and weigh in…
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Hartwell Dam and Lake Project, has a campground park attendant contract position open at the Twin Lakes Campground in Pendleton, South Carolina. Lake Hartwell officials are currently looking for an outgoing, active couple who would like to work as paid contract park attendants from April 1 through November…
Will Davis Jr. made history Friday when he won the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for the second consecutive year. Not only did the 31-year-old Sylacauga, Ala., resident become the first angler to win the event in back-to-back seasons, but he started a chain reaction that helped two other anglers receive a bit of B.A.S.S.…
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 |