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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: 1.6 feet below 475. Temp: Mid 50s. Clarity: The main lake is clear, but there is some stain in the creeks. Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing is good and should continue to get better as we head into the winter pattern. Right now, the baitfish are beginning to stack up in the creeks and main-lake pockets, so the bass are feeding up heavy. I use my Lowrance electronics to find areas holding large concentrations of bait and rotate through a variety of lures to target active fish. As we head into January, the fishing will continue to be good, and the big fish will start showing up more frequently. Early in the mornings, you can catch some aggressive fish a little shallower on spinnerbaits and a Fish Head Spin with a Zoom Fluke or Swimming Fluke Jr. As the sun gets a little higher…
Read MoreLake Russell Articles
On April 3, Eastanollee’s Terry McConnell caught a Lake Russell striper that pulled a set of certified propane scales to 63 1/4 pounds. That translates to 63-lbs., 4-ozs., which would beat the current Georgia state record. However, because the scales did not read in 1-oz. graduations, Georgia DNR may not accept Terry’s fish as the…
This is the month bass fishermen dream about all year long. Shallow bass are feeding and fanning beds, and fishing is good. The weather is nice and comfortable most days, and it just feels good to get on the water. Lake Russell is a great lake to take advantage of the weather and the bass…
Only one big lake in Georgia offers undeveloped shorelines, lots of largemouth and spotted bass and relatively peaceful fishing. Lake Russell has everything a bass fisherman could want, and October is one of the best months to take advantage of a great shallow bite there. Russell is a 26,650-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake…
Two Elite 8 Skeeter Eliminator Series tournaments took place last month, sending two anglers to semi-finals matches in June. Shawn Malcom advanced after a West Point win against Tim Peek on Friday, April 18. Shawn spent the two days prior to the tournament practicing. He had 15 pounds Wednesday, but only boated one keeper Thursday,…
With cooler nights and dropping temperatures on the state’s reservoirs, the crappie fishing is getting ready to pick up from the doldrums of summer, when it’s hard to catch these tasty fish, unless you’re willing to stay out all night. Expert anglers around the state are wiping the dust off of their ultra-light gear,…
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 |