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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
Logan Fisher and Will Hart spent hundreds of hours on Lake Hartwell during the past five-plus months of shutdowns and social distancing, and they proved the time spent was anything but a diversion. Fisher and Hart, who live in Danielsville, won the Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series event at Lake Hartwell presented by…
The country’s best college anglers will resume their quest for a national championship title and Bassmaster Classic berth on Lake Hartwell when the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops competes Aug. 27-29. According to Bassmaster Elite Series angler Jason Williamson, of Wagener, S.C., Lake Hartwell will produce plenty of action for the…
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began a “phased reopening” of some campgrounds and additional boat ramps at reservoirs along the Savannah River the third week of May. “The gradual reopening will vary based on the ability to ensure visitors and Corps of Engineers staff remain safe and can continue to reduce the spread of…
Evergreen trees aren’t typically considered aquatic vegetation, but if they’re used as Christmas trees in the Savannah River Basin, chances are they’ll continue “bearing fruit” under water. Rather than have old Christmas trees go to the landfill, rangers with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs at Hartwell and J. Strom Thurmond (Clarks Hill)…
Lake Hartwell will host its fourth B.A.S.S. championship event in the last four years with the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Championship scheduled for Nov. 6-8, 2019. The 56,000-acre lake situated along the South Carolina/Georgia border was the site of the 2015 and 2018 Bassmaster Classics and the 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. “It is a great…
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 |