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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
The Savannah River chain of reservoirs have long been known for producing good fishing for redear sunfish, commonly known as shellcrackers. So it is fitting that a lake record has finally been established on Lake Hartwell. Meka Ashe, of Franklin, N.C., was fishing on Lake Hartwell May 2 when she caught a big redear. She…
Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons Saving the best for last, Drew Six weighed in his biggest bag of the tournament on Showdown Saturday to capture his first National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) victory. With 17-lbs., 7-ozs. on day one, 14-lbs., 13-ozs. on day two and 19-lbs., 1-oz. on day…
A Lake Hartwell black crappie just broke a record that has stood for almost 25 years. Jimmy Burns, of Fair Play, S.C., was fishing off a dock on March 2 with his friend Neal Boggs when he caught the new record slab. The black crappie was certified at 3-lbs., 1.76-ozs. Jimmy and Neal were fishing…
More water and warmth may be the key factors when the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk visits Lake Hartwell for the fourth time in the event’s storied history. Competition days will be March 4-6 with daily takeoffs from the legendary Green Pond Landing & Event Center in Anderson at 7…
The world’s most prestigious professional bass tournament will be returning next year to the site of some of the best moments in the sport’s famed history. B.A.S.S. officials, along with Visit Anderson and VisitGreenvilleSC, announced on March 30 that the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk will be held for 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 |