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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…
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The carp finning through the shallows of Lake Russell fairly glowed in the glare of floodlights lighting up the dark. The fish was in range. Jason Cathey drew his bow, aimed some- where under the moving fish and released his arrow. The white fiberglass shaft launched from the bow like a white Polaris missile, a…
If you are looking for a lake that has a natural shoreline, limited access and is full of spotted bass you should head to Lake Russell. This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake has very restricted shoreline development, and you can fish for miles without seeing a dock or house. You will see spots though,…
In tournament fishing, the name of the game is to come in with five bass that weigh more than the five bass anyone else on the lake has caught. When Trad Whaley fishes a tournament on Russell, he says he’s swinging for the fences — and he has often been successful bringing five, big, difficult-to-catch…
I gave my line slack, and somewhere down in the tangle of tree trunks and branches 40 feet below the boat, my jigging spoon fluttered down like a dying shad sinking toward the bottom. When I pulled upward the jig felt like it bumped something. I pulled up gently, maintaining pressure, watching the rod tip.…
Mike and Sabrina Millsaps earned another 10 points in the Team Power Ranking race after their May 20 win on Russell at the Southern Bassin’ Couples tournament. “The last time I fished Russell was six years ago, I’ve fished it twice in my life,” said Mike. “Thursday and Friday all I caught was short fish.…
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 |