November 24
Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 657.75 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures are down to about 64. The lake is clear.
For the first time in almost a year water levels are down more than two feet below full pool, and perhaps not coincidentally Guide Brad Fowler reports
November 12
Lake Hartwell water levels are just below full pool at 659.73 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures are around 68-70 degrees. The lake remains pretty clear.
The Lake Hartwell bass continue to be pounded by tournament pressure this fall, and fresh off a week on the lake practicing and then a 16th place finish in the 141-boat ABA Ray Scott Championship Guide Brad Fowler can report
October 23
Lake Hartwell water levels have dropped to a “mere” 661.13 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures are down to the low 70s. The lake remains pretty clear.
There is some better news with the hybrid and striped bass fishing on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
October 7
Lake Hartwell water levels are back down to 659.90 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures have dropped to about 73 degrees. For the first time in a long time the lake has gone a week without rain, and so the water is very clear. Overall the regions’s annual rainfall is 26 inches above normal!
Fresh off a second place performance in a major multi-day team tournament, Guide Brad Fowler knows
September 22
Lake Hartwell water levels have risen to 660.82 (full pool is 660.00) while water temperatures have dropped substantially to about 76 degrees. The water is still very clear.
It’s a zoo on Lake Hartwell right now, and Guide Brad Fowler (himself a competitor) reports
September 14
Lake Hartwell water levels have risen to 660.41 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures remain in the lower 80s. The water is still very clear.
Even though fishing is still a little tough there are some seasonal changes starting to take place with the bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports
September 11
Lake Hartwell water levels are barely above full pool at 660.16 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures have cooled a few more degrees to 82-84. The water remains very clear.
Fishing for hybrid and striped bass remains off on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
August 26
Lake Hartwell water levels are slightly down from a couple of days ago to 660.87 (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures have cooled several degrees to the mid-80s. While there has been lots of rain the water is still very clear.
A good rule of thumb is to never trust a fishing guide who always reports an outstanding bite, while a guide who admits when the fishing gets tough is probably believable. With that in mind this week’s report offers compelling evidence that Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) is
July 29
Lake Hartwell water levels are down to 660.22 (full pool is 660.00), and the water is very clear with little recent rain – although high boat traffic has stirred it up in some sections. Water temperature are 87-89 degrees at daylight.
There’s no doubt bass fishing is tough on Lake Hartwell, and tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports
July 17
Lake Hartwell water levels are all the way down to 660.39 (full pool is 660.00), and the water is very clear with no recent rain. The water is in the mid-80s.
Despite the Upstate temperatures being extremely hot, hybrid and striped bass fishing is still pretty good. The action is not amazing but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
June 25
Lake Hartwell water levels are back up to 661.04 (full pool is 660.00), and morning surface temperatures are about 82 degrees. Clarity is very good.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing has gotten a little more consistent on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
June 10
Lake Hartwell water levels dropped down to normal full pool but have risen back to 660.51(full pool is 660.00), while morning surface water temperatures are around 83 degrees. The lake is mostly clear but slightly dingy in places due to heavy boat traffic.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing is still a tad inconsistent on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
June 2
Lake Hartwell water levels are way down to 660.66 but still above full (full pool is 660.00) and water temperatures in the mid to upper-70s. The backs of creeks are clearing again.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing is still tricky on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
May 20
Lake Hartwell water levels are way up to 663.00 (full pool is 660.00) and promise to rise further, and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s. The creeks are starting to get muddy.
The hybrid and striped bass fishing has improved a little on Lake Hartwell, although Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
May 12
Lake Hartwell water levels are up to 661.61 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures remain in the upper 60s. Overall water clarity is very good.
It’s a strange bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
April 29
Lake Hartwell water levels remain above full pool at 660.77 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures remain in the upper 60s. Overall visibility is very good pretty much across the lake.
It’s a time when you can catch bass on Lake Hartwell a lot of different ways, although Guide Brad Fowler reports
April 15
Lake Hartwell water levels are above full pool at 660.92 (full pool is 660.00) and morning surface water temperatures have dropped from 68 to the low to mid-60s. The fresh round of rain has stained some areas but generally the pollen has been a bigger hindrance to visibility.
It’s still an excellent time for bassfishing on Lake Hartwell, but now Guide Brad Fowler reports
March 31
Lake Hartwell water levels are only slightly above full pool at 660.12 (full pool is 660.00) and surface water temperatures are up to the mid-60s in the morning. The lakes have cleared substantially but some creeks are still dirty.
We are in an excellent period for bassfishing on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Brad Fowler reports
March 25
Lake Hartwell water levels remain above full pool at 661.78 (full pool is 660.00) and surface water temperatures are around 59-63 at first light. The lakes have cleared substantially over the last two weeks.
March can be an unpredictable month for catching hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
March 12
Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full pool at 661.41 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures have risen into the mid-50s. All of the major creeks are still dirty but clarity is improving with no recent heavy rains.
Finally there is improvement for hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
February 27
Lake Hartwell water levels are still a couple of feet above full pool at 662.21 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 52-54 degrees. All of the major creeks are muddy with trash and logs floating, but the main lake towards the dam is not as dirty. Some boat landings are closed and you still need rubber boats to walk on many stationary docks.
February 14
Lake Hartwell water levels are more than three feet above full pool at 663.01 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 50-52 degrees. Much of the lake is very dirty, and all of the creeks and rivers are muddy – including in places that almost never get muddy.
With very high water levels several boat ramps are closed to access, and there are reports that they will open the flood gates next week to try to drop water levels.
It’s pretty awful conditions for hybrid and striped bass, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports
January 24
Lake Hartwell water levels are above full pool at 660.12 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are in the low 50s. Up rivers like the Seneca the water is dirty, while down the lake it clears.
Conditions for bass fishing have been pretty tough, but Guide Brad Fowler reports
January 15
Lake Hartwell water levels are bouncing either side of full pool and currently at 659.86 (full pool is 660.00), and water temperatures are around 51 degrees. The lake is uncharacteristically muddy in areas like the Seneca River as well as all the creeks, and there is trash floating everywhere. Anglers should take caution when navigating and look out for obstructions like logs.
Even though water conditions are really tough, Guide Brad Fowler reports