August 3

Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 657.90 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is very high. Morning surface water temperatures are about 86 degrees. 

The hybrid and striped bass patterns are changing on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that more fish are starting to move towards the dam. The river bite is falling off, while the dam bite is improving, and pretty soon you will have to fish down the lake. Already the sizes are dropping up the rivers indicating that the biggest fish are leaving.

In the dam area there are basically two patterns, with one group of fish just off clean bottoms in 45-60 feet of water. The other group of fish are over trees in 60-100 feet of water, and while they may be deeper in the trees you have to fish for them 30-40 feet down. If you chum a little and get the first fish to bite then the school will ideally move up above the trees where they are easier to target. It’s mostly a down-line bite with herring.

While most of the boats are down near the dam, Chip is still milking the end of the river pattern where he can have the fish to himself. About half of the fish are on the bottom in 45 feet, while half of the fish are suspended at the same depth in about 60 feet. You can fish down-lines but you will get torn up by 1-3 pound channel catfish, and so he is actually pitching free-lines and letting the hybrids and striper get them on the way down. You still catch some catfish but far less than with down-lines.  They also had a 20-pound flathead this week. 

There is also very sporadic schooling activity involving hybrids, striper and spotted bass. While you can pitch herring to these fish they will also take small topwater lures. 

It’s a pretty good bass bite on Hartwell right now, and while Guide Brad Fowler reports that you can certainly happen upon schooling fish offshore they are also having success calling them up. Fishing topwater lures over brush piles and various offshore waypoints they are catching a lot of fish including a good percentage of largemouth, and you can also catch a ton of fish on a drop shot. However, they are mostly smaller.

The dropping water levels are almost certainly helping the offshore bite by pulling fish off the banks and getting them set up at the right depth on traditional cover, but the flip side is that the shallow action has gotten tougher. Brad is still seeing a few fish cruising but not many. 

With stable water conditions there’s very little change with the shellcracker and smaller catfish, but Captain Bill Plumley also reports that he got a nice flathead in the 15-pound range this week. It bit on a small piece of cut herring (!), and it seems like the flatheads are overall biting well right now. To maximize your chances of getting one fish at night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

In 15-20 feet of water he is still catching a mix of small channel catfish and shellcracker on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. As noted there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

Blues are still out in the deep timber.

July 22

Lake Hartwell water levels are way down to 658.80 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is still high. Morning surface water temperatures are back to about 87 degrees. 

There are some changes with the hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that a lot more striper are starting to show up in the catch including some really nice fish.   Some days they are getting mostly striper.  The fish have also moved a little deeper, and before sunrise they are now close to the bottom in 35-38 feet around humps, underwater islands, and long flat points. The bite is wide open first thing.

After daylight the bite is slower but steady, and the fish are staying at the same depths but shifting out to 50-60 feet of water. They are getting in the tops of trees, but suspending baits 28-35 feet down you will often lure fish out of the trees and then the graph will light up in the middle of the screen when the whole school moves up.

There are a small percentage of fish that have made the move down the lake, but with fairly stable water temperatures the majority of the fish are still in about the middle of the rivers. 

With water levels continuing to return to more normal levels on Hartwell the bass fishing is normalizing, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that the offshore topwater bite continues to be pretty good. This is probably because with the lake below full pool fish can set up better on brush piles for surface feeding, but with the overcast weather there have also been fish schooling randomly. Brad is still seeing bass knocking big bait out of the water all over but especially in the mid-lake. Of course you can also catch a lot of offshore fish with drop-shot rigs fished around brush piles in 20-40 feet of water. 

This week Brad has also started to see a few more wolf packs of bass cruising around the banks, and on one steep main lake bank he a saw a group of 7-8 fish in the 2 ½ to 4 ½ pound range.  You can also still target bass feeding around bream beds. Most of the bream beds on Hartwell are away from docks on flat, blank areas or around boat ramps. A Pop-R and a shakey head are both good for targeting these fish. 

Summer water temperatures are keeping some other species deep, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 15-20 feet of water he is catching a mix of small channel catfish and shellcracker on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

There are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

July 14

Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 659.43 (full pool is 660.00) and even with recent rains clarity is still high. Morning surface water temperatures got up to 87 degrees but have now been about 85 for over a week. 

The hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell have really settled into early summer patterns on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that before sunrise you can still catch some fish that are close to the bottom in 25-35 feet of water on a mix of free-lines and downs. However, as soon as the sun gets up they are moving deeper into 45-60 feet of water around trees. Fish that are in the trees are uncatchable, but suspending baits 28-35 feet down you will often lure fish out of the trees and then the graph will light up in the middle of the screen when the whole school moves up.

There are a small percentage of fish that have made the move down the lake, but with stable water temperatures the majority of the fish are still in about the middle of the rivers. 

With water levels returning to more normal levels on Hartwell the bass fishing has picked up, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that in particular the offshore topwater bite has improved. This is probably because with the lake below full pool fish can set up better on brush piles for surface feeding, but with the overcast weather there have also been fish schooling randomly. Just riding around Brad has seen bass knocking big bait out of the water all over but especially in the mid-lake. Of course you can also catch a lot of offshore fish with drop-shot rigs fished around brush piles in 20-40 feet of water. 

Brad has seen a few wolf packs cruising shallow water but nothing remarkable, and the best bet for a shallow bite is still to target bass feeding around bream beds. Most of the bream beds on Hartwell are away from docks on flat, blank areas or around boat ramps. A Pop-R and a shakey head are both good for targeting these fish. 

Summer water temperatures have pushed fish deeper, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that now in 15-20 feet of water he is catching a mix of small channel catfish and shellcracker on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

There are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

July 1

Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 659.54 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is still high. Morning surface water temperatures got up to 86 degrees but have now dropped back to about 84. 

Pre-summer patterns for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell are fading into the rearview mirror as we get into full summer fishing, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that before sunrise you can catch some fish close to the bottom in 25-35 feet of water but when the sun gets up they immediately go deeper. 

When that happens fish are moving out to 45-60 feet of water and getting around the trees or right beside them. Fish that are in the trees are uncatchable, but suspending baits 28-35 feet down you will often lure fish out of the trees and then the graph will light up in the middle of the screen when the whole school moves up.

Most of the fish are still in the middle of the rivers but they should be starting to move down the lake soon. 

It’s a stable time for bass fishing on Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that particularly for the next week when you fish at times with minimal boat traffic the bite will be better. There has been a pretty good topwater bite calling up fish over long points and other offshore structure, and at times they have been schooling. You can also catch a lot of fish with drop-shot rigs fished around brush piles in 20-40 feet of water. 

The best bet for a shallow bite is still to target bass feeding around bream beds. Brad points out that most of the bream beds on Hartwell are away from docks on flat, blank areas or around boat ramps. A Pop-R and a shakey head are both good for targeting these fish. 

While you can certainly find them deeper, Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 8-10 feet of water he is catching a mix of small channel catfish and shellcracker on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

With warm summer temperatures there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

June 23

Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 660.46 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is about as high as Lake Hartwell gets. With no more than brief rain showers recently, except for the very back of some creeks the water is clear.   Morning surface water temperatures are 84-85 degrees. 

There’s been a bit of a change with the hybrid and striped bass this week on Lake Hartwell, and even as the fish are still basically in the mid-rivers and have not moved down the lake much  Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that there has been some movement deeper.  In addition to pre-summer patterns the fish are also starting to set up in summer patterns. 

For the pre-summer pattern, early in the morning for about the first hour and a half of daylight fish are suspended about 20 feet down over 35-40 feet on clean bottoms. At times they will take free-lines pitched out the boat while on other days they will eat down-lines better.

Some mornings you can limit out on the early feed, but if that doesn’t happen then the fish are starting to pull out to 48-60 feet of water and get in the trees in a typical summer pattern. There are fish in the trees as well as some suspended just over them, but the fish that are down in the trees are uncatchable. Suspending baits 28-35 feet down you will often lure fish out of the trees, and then the graph will light up in the middle of the screen when the whole school moves up. 

June is the month when striper guides run into the most catfish, and Chip reports that these are mostly channel catfish in the 1-4 pound range although they do get some flatheads. Today they had two 5-pound flatties. The hybrids and catfish are often feeding in the same areas, with the cats picking up scraps below the other fish, and on mornings when the hybrid bite is slower (giving them time) or when you have to fish down-rods early you will often catch a ton of catfish – as many as 3 catfish for 1 hybrid. 

While as he has been pointing out for weeks you can certainly find them deeper, Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 8-10 feet of water he is catching a mix of small channel catfish and shellcracker on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

With warm summer temperatures there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

Overall Guide Brad Fowler reports that it’s a pretty normal summertime bite for bass on Lake Hartwell, although he notes that weekdays continue to fish much better than weekends when there is so much boat traffic. At least during the week Brad has found a pretty good topwater bite calling up fish over long points and other offshore structure, and at times they have been schooling. You can also catch a lot of fish with drop-shot rigs fished around brush piles in 20-40 feet of water. 

With water levels dropping a little and the intense heat Brad has not even looked shallow, but the best bet for a shallow bite is still to target bass feeding around bream beds. Brad points out that most of the bream beds on Hartwell are away from docks on flat, blank areas or around boat ramps. A Pop-R and a shakey head are both good for targeting these fish. 

June 17

Lake Hartwell water levels are well above full at 660.71 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 84 first thing.

June is usually a good month for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that even though it’s a transition period as the spawns fades into a memory and they move towards summer haunts the fish always seem to feed well. However, the last week or so has been particularly outstanding. 

From just before sunrise until about 8:00 they are slaying the fish in 35-45 feet of water.  The most aggressive fish are suspended off the bottom around 20-25 feet down around ridges and shoals, and pitching a free-line to them has still been the best way to catch them. Some days the bait wants to stay up and you need to add split shot.  

After the sun starts to get up then the bite is still dropping off, but they are still catching some fish up until about 10:00 on down-lines fished in 35 feet on the bottom in deep coves off the main body of water. 

After 11:00 it’s hard to catch much besides catfish and perch. 

The fish are still about halfway down the rivers, and while they will move from one ridge to another they are basically staying in the same areas. Soon they should start to make their way deeper and then south towards the dam. 

There is still a pretty good bite for shellcracker and channel catfish on Hartwell, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 7-8 feet of water he is catching a mix of the two species on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

With warm summer temperatures there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

June 14

Lake Hartwell water levels are well above full at 661.07 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity remains very high.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s over most of the lake. 

With a poker run as well as “normal” summer boat traffic it was a really busy weekend on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler who was out on the water both days reports that does nothing to help the bass fishing. But truthfully it’s hard to find a quiet weekend day in the summer on Hartwell these days, especially once the sun is up. 

Clear water and hot temperatures are pushing most of the fish deep, and the best way to target fish right now is drop-shotting around deep brush piles. You can also fish topwater lures over offshore structure, but perhaps because of the boat traffic that pattern has not been very good. 

About the only chance for a good shallow bite is to target bream beds, and with a full moon today there should be some bass up shallow feeding. A couple of weeks ago this bite was good on the last spawning wave. Brad points out that most of the bream beds on Hartwell are away from docks on flat, blank areas or around boat ramps.  A Pop-R and a shakey head are both good for targeting these fish. 

June 9

Lake Hartwell water levels are well above full at 661.32 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is very high.  Morning surface water temperatures are 80-81 degrees over most of the lake. 

The hybrid and striped bass are in some pretty reliable patterns right now on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that from just before sunrise until about 8:00 he is catching them on free-lines fished over 15-20 feet of water mostly around long ridges and shoal signs. Before 8:00 fish will start to inch out towards 25 feet, and after 8:00 they will go deeper. This morning he did find some good fish schooling in the back of a cove but that has not been the norm.

After the sun starts to get up then the bite really drops off, but they are still catching some fish up until about 10:00 on down-lines fished in 35 feet on the bottom in deep coves off the main body of water. Interestingly the fish are moving a lot and won’t sit under the boat very long, unusual for this time of year. Guides all over the lake report this and say that fish are acting more like they usually do in the fall. It should be too early for them to be boat-shy. 

After 11:00 it’s hard to catch much besides catfish and perch. 

The fish are still about halfway down the rivers, and while they will move from one ridge to another they are basically staying in the same areas. They will move down the rivers as it gets warmer. 

There is still a pretty good bite for shellcracker and channel catfish on Hartwell, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 7-8 feet of water he is catching a mix of the two species on nightcrawlers. They are holding in sandy areas. 

With warm summer temperatures there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet. They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While the blues are gone to the deep timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

Bass report to follow. 

May 24

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.32 (full pool is 660.00) and even after a bunch of rain most of the lake is still very clear. Morning surface water temperatures got as high as 78 or 79 but they have since dropped to about 74. 

Even with dropping temperatures Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports it continues to be an excellent bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and the most exciting development this week is that there has been a ton of schooling activity.  Today they caught about half of their fish when they were schooling, and you can throw topwaters or pitch free-lines to them.

Other than that the pattern is mostly unchanged, and the fish are feeding early around points in 6-7 feet of water or even shallower. After the sun comes up the fish are pulling out to 15-20 feet of water on ridges, and they are catching them on free-lines as well as some down down-lines.

The fish are still about halfway down the rivers, and while they will move from one ridge to another they are basically staying in the same areas. They will move down the rivers as it gets warmer. 

There are several different ways to catch bass on Hartwell right now, and fresh off a two-day tournament with his partner Brock Taylor Guide Brad Fowler has seen most of them. While they did not find any bass keying on spawning herring, they did find a couple of bass that were actually still spawning themselves. That bite is certainly dying out though.

Their main pattern this weekend was fishing for bass around bream beds, and while there were not that many bass on this pattern, and they were only in certain places, the biggest fish they saw were there. How they approach the bream beds depends on how the bass were acting, but at different times they cast at them with a frog, Pop-R or even shakey head. They saw a lot of wolf packs up shallow. 

There is also a pretty good offshore topwater bite, and while there are a lot of spots out there they also had some big largemouth come up to chase baits on offshore spots. A benefit tournament was won Saturday on this pattern. 

There are also some fish schooling around bridges, and of course you can catch spotted bass drop-shotting around timber. 

There has been a pretty good bite for shellcracker and channel catfish on Hartwell, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 8-12 feet of water he has been catching a mix of the two species on nightcrawlers. This morning he caught more than a dozen shellcracker to go with 7 or 8 channels, and some really big redbreasts up to 10 inches were also mixed in! While the majority of the shellcracker have already spawned others still have to go or will do it again.

With the water getting hot there are also channels out as deep as 40 or 50 feet.  They are still scattered and in addition to worms will eat cut herring, shrimp, dip baits and more. 

While Bill has not caught a blue in almost a month and believes most of them are out in the timber, there are plenty of hungry flatheads that are accessible. At night with live bream, perch or any very fresh cut bait you can catch them in 10-30 feet around points and bends back in the creeks. While brush helps they will not always be around it. 

May 19

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.29 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are up to about 76 or 77 degrees. 

With the herring spawn now wide open in the areas he is fishing Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports an excellent bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and in particular the very early bite has been phenomenal. The herring are spawning around points in 6-7 feet of water or even shallower, and pitching free-lines to the striper feeding on them is getting a ton of fish. After the sun comes up the fish are pulling out to 15-20 feet of water on ridges, and they are catching them on free-lines as well as some down down-lines.

The fish are still about halfway down the rivers, and while they will move from one ridge to another they are basically staying in the same areas. They will move down the rivers as it gets warmer. 

The bite should get even better before it drops off when the herring spawn winds down.   

In contrast Guide Brad Fowler reports that the bass fishing has already gotten tough, and he and his tournament partner Brock Taylor can’t seem to find much of a shallow bite. They have seen one small bream bed with a couple of bass on it, but they can’t find many fish relating to shallow herring.

Instead they are having to fish deeper patterns, and they have caught some fish on topwater lures off deep points and over brush. They are also already having to break out a drop shot rig. 

While he has been fishing at Santee most of the past couple of weeks, back on Hartwell after the catfish Captain Bill Plumley reports that it looks like the blue catfish have returned to the deep timber while the channel catfish action is really good. They are being caught everywhere from 5-50 feet of water. They are still scattered and very hungry, and they will eat cut herring, red worms, nightcrawlers, dip baits and more. 

The flathead action is also good, and early, late and at night they can be caught around brush in 5-20 feet of water. At night they will move up, and when it is hotter they will go deeper. They will take a wide variety of live baits. 

May 12

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.27 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures dropped to about 70 degrees but have now rebounded to about 74. 

This week the cold front made them work a little harder to catch hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that they have still caught a ton of fish. The herring spawn is still only sporadic at best, but early every morning they are still catching a few fish pulling up near points and then casting shallow free lines into 4-8 feet of water.  After that they are fishing free-lines in 10-20 feet of water, but they are also starting to catch some on down-lines in the 25-30 foot range. 

Fish are still about halfway down the rivers, and Chip expects them to stay in this zone until July. They will move around, but basically be between the backs and the mouths.  

While it’s possible that the herring spawn could be wide open at some point, Guide Brad Fowler reports that from what he has seen it has been a slow trickle for some time now and he wonders if it will ever get really good. In fact, he thinks we are on the back side of the herring spawn and thinks that bass are starting to bleed into summer patterns.

Fish are starting to get on offshore topwater spots well out from points, and you can also find them fishing a drop-shot around trees and brush. 

With high water levels and an upcoming bream spawn there should also be some fish shallow, and there could even be some late bass still spawning. However, Brad has not seen any shallow pattern lately. 

The bite for big blue catfish is still slower on Lake Hartwell, and Captain Bill Plumley reports it may be due to the spawn and fish not eating as much. This probably marks the end of the season for the blues, as once the water gets very warm they will head out to deep timber where they are essentially uncatchable.

Meanwhile the channel catfish action has really come on, and they are being caught everywhere from 5-50 feet of water. They are still scattered and very hungry, and they will eat cut herring, red worms, nightcrawlers, dip baits and more. 

The flathead action is continuing to pick up as well, and early, late and at night they can be caught around brush in 5-20 feet of water. At night they will move up, and when it is hotter they will go deeper. They will take a wide variety of live baits. 

May 4

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.45 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is basically clear everywhere again as it has gotten very dry. Morning surface water temperatures are about 73 degrees over much of the lake. 

It’s still a very good bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that fish are starting to move out of the rivers. There are still some up the Tugaloo, but they have mostly come out of the Seneca. The early bite along the banks has slowed a little as the striper have finished spawning, but when the herring spawn really gets underway they will be on the banks more again. A few herring have started to spawn but it’s not yet wide open. 

The best pattern right now is pulling free lines along ridges near the creek channels, main lake points and shoals. Outside very early the target depth is 20-25 feet of water, and with fish suspended 15-18 feet down they are at a perfect depth for coming up to get free lines. Planer boards are also working but not quite as well. 

The fish that are on the bottom are mainly perch. 

There’s agreement from tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley that the herring spawn hasn’t really gotten hot yet, but recently he has been able to find bass which were feeding on spawning shad. They are around points, shoals and marina docks, and it’s been almost exclusively a topwater bait pattern for Joe. While early in the morning has been best, he caught his biggest fish in the BFL Saturday at 2:00. Swim jigs and swimbaits have also been effective. 

The bite for big blue catfish has slowed down on Lake Hartwell, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that he thinks they are starting to spawn and not eat as much. That probably marks the end of the season for the blues, as once the water gets very warm they will head out to deep timber where they are essentially uncatchable.

Meanwhile the channel catfish action has really come on, and they are being caught everywhere from 5-50 feet of water. They are scattered and very hungry, and they will eat cut herring, red worms, nightcrawlers, dip baits and more. 

The flathead action is starting to pick up as well, and early, late and at night they can be caught around brush in 5-20 feet of water. At night they will move up, and when it is hotter they will go deeper. Bill recently caught a good one on bream but they will take a wide variety of live baits. 

April 21

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.26 (full pool is 660.00) and the backs of some creeks are Clemson orange after recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures range from 58 in cooler creeks to 62 on the main lake to 66 or 67 up warmer rivers. 

It’s been a great week, and today was a fantastic day, for hybrid and striped bass fishing on Lake Hartwell.  Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that they are getting limits about every day, the question is just how hard they have to work for them. With the rivers taking their time to warm up the fish are still in them, and first thing Chip’s boat is pulling or tossing free-lines in 6-12 feet of water along the banks. If he doesn’t know where to find a group of fish he will often look off a point, but often if he does know where a school is it will be related to something else and sometimes even a blank stretch of bank. 

Once the sun gets up over the trees and starts to beat down on the water the bite completely changes, and then they are catching the fish on down rods in 20-30 feet of water where they are hugging the bottom.  

Every morning there are fish popping on the surface and they can pitch free lines to them, but this morning they saw some fantastic schooling mid-morning – where they quickly filled out several limits. 

The fish will make their move out of the rivers when the herring spawn really gets underway on main lake points, but for now that is not yet wide open.  

There’s not much disagreement from Guide Brad Fowler about that, and Brad reports that the lake is just not as warm as normal for this time of year. And while he is seeing a little bit of a herring spawn getting started, perhaps because of high water levels that spread them out you are just as apt to find the herring down a bank or in a cove as out on a main lake point.

There are at least two ways to catch bass right now, and with a bunch of fish still on beds one way to catch them is targeting spawning fish. Another way to catch them is to fish points where the herring will spawn, because even if the bait is not up there yet in a lot of places the bass are already there looking. Brad is already seeing a lot of fish trying to chase bait. 

For right now Brad is more likely to throw subsurface baits like flukes, spinnerbaits, and Sebilles, but soon topwater lures will also work. 

It continues to be a very good bite for big catfish, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 32-35 feet of water they are still finding big blue catfish. The numbers are not as high as on lakes like Santee, but yesterday he caught 4 fish up to 21 pounds with the smallest being 10 pounds. The best bait has actually been carp.

They are also starting to catch some nice channel catfish including some very big ones in less than ten feet of water, but it’s still a little cold for flatheads. 

April 8

Lake Hartwell water levels are at 660.66 (full pool is 660.00) and the backs of creeks are muddy with recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures have risen into the lower 60s. 

There has been some significant improvement in the hybrid and striped bass fishing this week on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that after a lull last week they are catching very strong numbers of fish again. They are getting 30-40 fish hybrids and stripers each day to go along with a handful of other species. This is likely a result of the water temperatures getting back into the 60s. 

The fish are still up the rivers making their spawning run, and early in the morning they are still in 15-20 feet of water around points and the creek edges.  Free-lines are working the best early, and they will also come up and school some. When the sun gets up the fish pull back out to 25-30 feet of water close to the bottom, and then Chip’s boat switches over to down-lines. 

The bait is not spawning yet and that usually comes later in April, at which time the striper will move very shallow.  

There are still plenty of bass on beds on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports that should continue for some time. The full moon in April should see a really good wave of spawning activity. 

At the same time the herring are starting to move up shallower in preparation for their spawn, and there is starting to be more and more bait in some shallower places. There are also some bass that are starting to sit off points in areas where they know the herring will eventually spawn, but for right now the two don’t seem to be crossing. If there is bait there are usually not bass, and vice versa.

With water temperatures still low for the herring spawn subsurface baits are working the best for fish looking for herring, including spinnerbaits, flukes and Sebilles. The topwater bite will come later. 

It continues to be a good bite for big catfish, and Captain Bill Plumley reports that in 35-40 feet of water they are still finding big fish in the 30-plus pound range as well as lots of channel catfish and white perch. With live bait they are also picking up some spotted bass deep. 

April 1

Lake Hartwell water levels are at 661.16 (full pool is 660.00) and the creeks are still dirty. Morning surface water temperatures up the rivers have dropped back into the upper 50s. 

The fronts this week had an unusually significant effect on the fishing, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that hybrid and striped bass really slowed this week. They went from catching 25 plus linesides each day to struggling to get double digits, and it was only the spotted bass – voracious eating machines that they are – which kept lines consistently tight. 

While the bite slowed the fish did not move and they could still mark the same numbers in all the same areas up the rivers following the bait. The fish are still in 15-20 feet of water around points and the creek edges. Free-lines continue to out-fish down-lines. 

While the front temporarily set the bite back, it should not be long until the fish start feeding much better again. And then when the bait begins to spawn they should go very shallow. 

Chip notes that the smallest fish seem to be deepest right now. 

While the striper slowed eating but didn’t move, the front did push the crappie deeper this week. Fish are still in the creeks but they have dropped from shallow cover to brush in at least 8-10 feet of water. Minnows and jigs are both still working, and when temperatures warm again another wave of fish should head to the banks. 

While the front slowed down the striper and hybrids, and moved the crappie deeper, Guide Brad Fowler reports that it has had very little effect on the bass.  In fact more fish continue to come shallower and we may be approaching the back half of the spawn. 

While the spotted bass often bed as deep as 15-20 feet of water, the largemouth are up shallower in traditional spawning pockets.  In dirty water Brad is fishing a spinnerbait and a Chatterbait, while in the clearer areas he is throwing a Senko or floating worm.

Both pre- and post-spawn fish are also chasing bait, and Brad is finding them schooling in the middle of coves and creeks. These are both pre-spawn and even some post-spawn fish, and they are more aggressive than fish that were chasing bait in late February, for example. They stay on it for longer once they surface.  

Of course, not all the bass move shallow at once and Captain Bill Plumley reports that he has been catching good numbers of spotted bass in 35-40 feet. They are also finding a good bite for channel catfish and white perch in the same depth range. 

The bite for big catfish also continues to improve, with at least one big blue in the 30 plus pound range coming on each trip. They are at the same depth taking big pieces of cut bait.