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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: 0.4 over 475. Temp: 58-64 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear on the main lake and stained in creeks. Bass: Tournament angler Kerry Partain reports, “The bass fishing is on fire, and you can catch them on a variety of baits all over the lake right now. We have been catching a lot of prespawn bass on main-lake points, humps and shoals in 10 to 20 feet of water using a shaky head with Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler or Trick Worm. There are also some big fish moving shallow to spawn in the pockets, and you can catch them on Blade Runners with Zoom Flukes early or Texas-rigged Trick Worms and lizards throughout the day. If you are looking to get some big bites, try using the Southern Hook Lures glide baits and the Bite Size Herring Swimmer because they are some big-bass catchers. There are also some fish being caught…
Read MoreLake Russell Articles
Aaron Jenkins calls Canton, N.C. home now, but his heart will forever be in east Georgia. He makes the three-hour trip home to crappie fish with his dad, Keith, whenever he can. As far as Aaron is concerned, there’s only one Georgia lake in which to fish for crappie. The 31-year-old grew up fishing on…
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has two youth dove hunts scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 and 23 at the Richard B. Russell Project Office. For both hunts, a parent or guardian must accompany youth participants, ages 9-16, and will be permitted to hunt along with the youth hunter. Hunters will be selected…
Lake Russell spotted bass are feeding up as the water cools down, and you can catch a bunch from topwater down to deep brush—and everything in between. Choosing the right places to fish in October will increase your numbers and size. Russell is a 26,650-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Savannah River…
Georgia’s eastern flank offers some of the best freshwater fishing in the state, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) works to improve bass habitat at the Savannah River reservoirs. The USACE operates three major lakes along Georgia’s border with South Carolina: Lake Hartwell, Richard B. Russell Lake and Clarks Hill Lake. Administratively,…
Kids can take part in a special day of fishing at Lake Russell, win prizes, and participate in other fun activities including archery, but space is limited, and registration is required. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Richard B. Russell Project Office, is hosting the 32nd Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, April 30, 2022,…
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 |