Lake Hartwell Fishing Report April 2017

Hartwell: Level: 10 feet below full pool. Temp: 60 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear.

Bass: Guide Preston Harden reports, “The bass fishing has been good and will get better as the fish move to the banks to spawn and feed on herring and shad. The spotted bass are thick and are easier to catch than the largemouth bass. They also fight better than a largemouth and taste as good as crappie.”

Crappie: Guide Preston Harden reports, “The crappie are also moving shallow to spawn in April. Look around cover in the feeder creeks. Small jigs and crappie minnows will catch them.”

Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “March fishing has been great with warm water from a warm winter. Fish have been eating herring and artificial baits with the water temperature pushing 60 degrees most of the winter. As we move into April, fishing will only get better. There are more fish in the lake now than in recent memory. There are active fish all over the lake. Many fish will go up the lake in April looking for a place to try to spawn. Some run up the rivers, while others go into creeks and try to spawn on the banks. The hybrids and stripers will try to spawn but are not successful in Lake Hartwell—the hybrids and stripers are stocked in Hartwell by Georgia and South Carolina DNRs. Be careful navigating with the low water. A GPS map is a big help. Stay between the red and green buoys on the main lake. Slow down in the creeks, as not all obstructions are marked.”