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Lake Russell
Lake Russell is one of Georgia's youngest reservoirs, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1983 with construction of the Richard B. Russell Dam on the Savannah River bordering Elbert County, Georgia and Abbeville and Anderson counties in South Carolina. Lake Russell is 26,650 acres and sits between Lake Hartwell to the north and Clarks Hill Lake to the south. As a newer reservoir, environmental laws impacted construction, one factor being that thousands of acres of standing timber were left. Lake levels don't fluctuate much more than 5 feet. Pumpback features at Russell Dam can both pull and release water into and from the tailrace. In addition to the Savannah River, major tributaries include Beaverdam Creek on the Georgia side and Rocky River in South Carolina.
Lake Russell Resources
Russell: Level: 0.8 feet below 475. Temp: 64 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Trad Whaley reports, “The shallow bite is tough, but the spots are starting to set up in their winter patterns. The key, as always, is finding the bait. The birds are just starting to show up. We have been catching a mixture of spots and really nice stripers on A-rigs and small swimbaits and Damiki rigs. The smaller spots seem to be on every brushpile and point in 10 to 20 feet of water. Jerkbaits, shaky heads and swimbaits get the call. There are some nice ones mixed in. We have found the better spots and some largemouth in 28 to 35 feet on jigging spoons and drop shots. Try the middle of the creeks and the edges of the timber. Fishing jigs in channel turns is also starting to heat up. Russell is a fun lake…
Read MoreLake Russell Articles
Lake Russell spotted bass are feeding up as the water cools down, and you can catch a bunch from topwater down to deep brush—and everything in between. Choosing the right places to fish in October will increase your numbers and size. Russell is a 26,650-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Savannah River…
Georgia’s eastern flank offers some of the best freshwater fishing in the state, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) works to improve bass habitat at the Savannah River reservoirs. The USACE operates three major lakes along Georgia’s border with South Carolina: Lake Hartwell, Richard B. Russell Lake and Clarks Hill Lake. Administratively,…
Kids can take part in a special day of fishing at Lake Russell, win prizes, and participate in other fun activities including archery, but space is limited, and registration is required. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Richard B. Russell Project Office, is hosting the 32nd Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, April 30, 2022,…
August in Georgia… it’s hot, fish don’t bite very well, and boat traffic is awful on most lakes. Many of us aren’t going to stop fishing, and a good option to avoid the boat traffic and feel some bass bites is at Lake Russell. You can catch as many spotted bass as you want on…
If you are looking for an uncrowded lake with lots of spots feeding on rocks and drops, plus a good largemouth bite after a rain, head to Lake Russell. Spotted bass at Russell bite good no matter how cold it is, and if you want to keep some to eat, the lake is overrun with…
Lake Russell Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 13-lbs., 4-ozs. | Eddy Propes | 03/04/90 |
| Spotted Bass | 6-lbs., 8-ozs. | Mike Strickland | 04/06/13 |
| Striped Bass | 63-lbs. * | Terry McConnell | 04/03/09 |
| White Bass | 4-lbs., 4-ozs. | James L. Payne | 04/12/94 |
| Walleye | 11-lbs., 6-ozs. | Neal Watson | 09/11/95 |
| Brown Trout | 10-lbs., 8-ozs. | Tim Harris | 07/04/93 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 6.08-ozs. | Aaron Jenkins | 02/23/24 |
| White Crappie | 3-lbs. | Tony Baker | 04/03/03 |
| Hybrid Bass | 14-lbs., 9-ozs. | Wayne McCollum | 01/11/04 |
| Yellow Perch | 1-lb., 5-ozs. | Vern Fulmer | 09/27/23 |
| White Perch | 1-lb., 4-ozs. | Eric Young | 01/02/21 |