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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: 1 foot below 475. Temp: 75-80 degrees. Clarity: Clear on the main lake, but the creeks are stained. Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing has been a little slower, but they have started to transition to the summer pattern and become a little more predictable as they relate to the deeper water. We have been catching a few good spotted bass in 20 feet on main-lake humps, points and brush. There will still be some fish shallow in the creeks, and a Texas-rigged Zoom Ol’ Monster worm or jig with a Zoom Speed Craw around blowdowns and timber is good for some big largemouth. Right now, the fish seem to be scattered everywhere, but as we head into June, look for them to concentrate more as they begin to setup on the main-lake points around baitfish.” Lake Russell Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has two youth dove hunts scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 and 23 at the Richard B. Russell Project Office. For both hunts, a parent or guardian must accompany youth participants, ages 9-16, and will be permitted to hunt along with the youth hunter. Hunters will be selected…
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…
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 |
| White Catfish | 4-lbs., 6.72-ozs. | Garrett Duncan | 05/06/25 |