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Random Quote: plainly spoken is plainly understood
Several friends of mine have caught large stripers on this lake. The lake is big, clean and scenic. The only bad thing is that it is close to Clemson College. I believe the largest marina is Portman Shoals located at I-85 exit 11, Hwy. 24.
I don't know of any location in the entire southeast US that has three nicer lakes in close proximity to one another than Hartwell, Keowee and Jocasee in South Carolina.
I have fished two striped tournaments there so far this year, and fished several last. The good news is that the lake is WAY up, so most of the navigation problems are ok now. Bad news is do not trust the Navionics chip [region 3] for navigation. Navionics has recalled them-they are sometimes way, way off. As in I was in the middle of the channel and it had me up on a bank several hundred years away. [With WAAS and differential, 12 channel receiver].
You can run all the way to the Keowee dam right now, and in another couple of weeks you will be able to catch all the 25-40 pound striper up there you want.
Someone mentioned a PCB problem and he was absolutely correct. Go to the DNR page for the updates, but I wouldn't be eating any of them!
I used to hang out at Hartwell during my time at Clemson..great lake, but like someone has saidm, it does have PCB problems. Also, it is down about 10-12 ft from waht it was, so there are alot of docks that are on mud, not water. All in all, a beautiful area.
Yes, excellent fishing on Lake Hartwell. Hybrids and stripers should be around the Clemson area of the lake right now.
If I am not mistaken the lake is back at full or almost full pool from what my brother told me last week.
From what I understand the PCBs aren't so bad anymore in fish, especially smaller ones. I only have a minor twitch in the left eye after eating them for 4 years.
Email me and I will send you some exact locations to check.
It is a great lake. I live in Anderson(the county and main city nearest the lake) and was on the lake this weekend. It is almost back to full pool, last year it was extreemly low so low that most of the ramps were closed. It is also a very good stripper lake, in fact the new state record came from here a year or so ago. Let me know if you need any other info on it as I know the lake, at least the SC part of it like the back of my hand.
I was lucky enough to have the family runabout while in school at Clemson and also had an apartment that backed up to a cove one year (the lake was up that year... it's a mud flat when the lake is low). We had many great times on the lake. Lots to see on the lake,... it is quite large. Fondest memories were of sliding down the Isaqueena dam that is between Hartwell and Keowee.
Going next week striper fishing on hartwell. I too would love to get back to the region. I believe it was a little over a year ago they broke the state record for striped bass at over 53 lbs. Does anyone remember the specifics?
Fish was caught down at the dam on a free lined live herring. Terry McConnell from GA caught it early last Feb. It weighed 59 1/2 I think. The guy catches a lot of good fish. He's caught numerous over 40 and a couple that I know of over 50 out of the lower end of Hartwell!
Matt H, I have seen the name of your boat and I am glad to see it stands for what I thought it did. GREAT NAME.
The dam he is talking about is the hartwell dam, the very end of the lake, however i have heard stories that the fish did not come from that area. Normally that time of year(dead of winter) you catch a lot of the strippers in the creeks and channels that feed the main lake(tugaloo river, seneca river, etc)
Have a friend with a place on Conoross Creek. He says that the water level problem is not sure. Seems they are working on a deal to sell even more water to Atlanta and put further pressure on the lake level. I'd be careful.
It is a beautiful lake. Full of stripers, largemouth bass and Hybrids. But it is a big lake. Your from Blairsville. Will you come on near Toccoa? If so your close to us, but a long way from the dam. In that area the hybrids are awesome. Clemson is a long way over (Toccoa is on the Tugaloo. Can't speak for Clemson without looking at a map. But it is on the lake or close enough. The lake level last summer was down about 14 feet. In the 80s it did that and they said it would take 10 years to fill up. It took two Hurricanes. The lake three weeks ago was down about 3-4 DNR says its only 1-2 now.
Because it has become an easy fill and water will be the only thing that limits Atlanta's sinful growth look for the state to find a way to reroute the water to Atlanta. though I don't know how. HArtwell feeds to the Savanah River. Alond way from Atlanta.
Just to let anyone know Hartwell lake is now at full pool, the first time in 6 years. It is a little muddy from the run off of the recent rains but the stripers are hitting live bait real well and the hybrids are also bitting eveything
Lake Hartwell
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