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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: 0.3 feet above 660. Temp: Upper 70s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Cole Wilson, with Spot Chaser Guide Service, reports, “It’s summertime, which means it’s topwater time. Look for brushpiles on points in 20 to 40 feet of water, and you will see the fish. They will be roaming around them on cloudy days and sitting on top of them on sunny days. The chrome Ima Little Stik or Heddon Zara Spook are two of the best topwater walking baits to throw. If you can’t find the brush, drag a jig or green-pumpkin Senko or lizard on a Carolina rig across points in 15 to 30 feet of water.” Lake Hartwell Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports
Read MoreLake Hartwell Fishing Articles
Stripers and hybrids can seem like aquatic nomads in a vast ocean of water, says Capt. Cefus McRae, an expert fishing guide who operates on Lakes Hartwell, Lanier and Clark Hill. Cefus is also the producer and on-screen personality for the “Nuts & Bolts Of Fishing” TV show that airs on FOX Sports South and CarbonTV.…
The team of Shaun Flanagan and Curt Poggenpohl put in three good days to win the 32nd annual Military Team Bass Tournament, presented by American Bass Anglers and Caymas Boats, held May 3-5 on Lake Hartwell. Launching at Green Pond Landing in Anderson, S.C., Flanagan and Poggenpohl landed three consecutive daily tournament limits of five…
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…
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 |