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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: 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…
Read MoreLake Hartwell Fishing Articles
Blueback herring are spawning at Hartwell in May, and that means all month long bass are feeding on main-lake and creek humps and points, gorging themselves on their favorite prey. You can catch bass on a variety of lures, and according to tournament angler Justin Kimmel, you can also keep it simple with just three…
It is said most people will have 15 minutes of fame at some point in their lives. For 4-year old Scott James (Jay) Franklin III, the afternoon of March 16, 2023 led directly to the fulfillment of that adage. More importantly, history will remember Jay’s name fondly. Fishing with his father Jake in a cove…
As a resident of Upstate South Carolina, Lowell Brannan has spent many days on Lake Hartwell. But the two days he spent fishing the Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX might have been his best two yet. With a two-day total of 183.5 inches—92 inches on Day 1 and 91.5 on Day 2—Brannan…
The Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation held its high school and middle school tournaments on Lake Hartwell this past weekend and the top participants had no problem with catching fish. The Irwin County duo of Peyton Dunn and Gavin Guy was the top high-school team with a five-fish limit weighing 18.13, followed by the Dawson County team…
ANDERSON, S.C. — Ty Trentham and Chase McCarter recovered from a slow start to catch 17-lbs., 15-ozs. to take the lead on Day 1 of the Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors on Lake Hartwell. The Sevier County High School juniors hold a 2-oz. lead on Livingston…
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 |