Hartwell in late Sept?

[DixieChicken]

Heading to Hartwell for a week in late Sept with Mama for a bit of fishin' and lying. This'll be four decades of bliss.

Not having fished it before.... I can use all the help y'all got.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Tony aka/Dixie Chicken

[Jason280_2]

All I can tell you is its a BIG lake...

[John Jackson]

Where are you staying? As above, it is a BIG lake.
Bass should start their migration to the backs of creeks, but won't be there yet. I would start by looking for an early topwater bite near the mouths of creeks in the rivers, or point hopping down lake. Then let the fish tell you where they are and what they want. Lots of spotted bass down lake.

[DixieChicken]

Looks like we'll be starting about 8 miles (at least) up Gum Log. She's found a little place up there she really likes.
I was thinking that we should actually be a bit closer to the main lake. Just not enough cool water that far up, that early in the Fall.
Wouldn't hurt my feelings to load up on spots though.

Did find on the FLW site that the Costa guys are having a tourney there the 16th~17th. Then another branch of theirs is having one on Lanier the 9th~10th. Our timing is actually a bit flexible if it'd help. We can be there on the 9th or wait till the 16th. Just that when I noticed the tourney on the 16th I was thinking we should go the week before. Maybe pre-fish the snot outta' that place before all those guys show up!

What I was thinking of was after 4 days or so we move to another place over on the Clemson / Savannah River side. Or at least down closer to the main lake. Figure it'll be a LOT of running from the first place just to get anywhere, then have to make it back.


Not really worried though about rough water/weekend warriors because we're going well after school is back in session.

We also thought about doing 5 days or so on Hartwell, then heading down to Thurmond or likely Lanier for 4 more days. No way we'd ever fish all of either lake in that time though. Lanier I've been on, (not in this boat). My Dad use to stay there for months on end at the campgrounds. He had trailers/motorhomes and a boat so he'd just move from site to site. My Mom's oldest daughter used to be a Bassin' Gal there (and Allatoona) in the 70's through I'd say early 90's. First time I was ever in a Ranger running 60 was her boat.

It's actually our 40th anniversary the week we'll be there, so the only 'action' that'll be happening early mornings is firing up the boat. That and getting our 'pup' a 77lb Doberman out for a morning trot. Then by lunch get a bite at a marina somewhere, then start working back towards the cabin. Figure if the Corp keeps doing what they're doing it'll be down 7'~8' by then. (It's 6-ish now.) Hoping after running that arm a few days I'll have enough data in the charts to MAYBE do some night fishing and not hit anything (staying close to the cabin of course).

I tell y'all what.... do a Google search on "Wilderness Lodge +VRBO +hartwell" There is this timber/log framed mcmansion down on the south end that I'd friggin' LOVE to spend a week at. I mean it's freaking AWESOME. But for just the two of us it's also a bit fiscally INSANE. Although it's down by big water, and would make getting back to the place late afternoon rough to say the least once Saturday/Sunday comes. But it sure is purdy!

Come to think of it.... in that description they mention taking an evening boat ride to the marina for dinner. I looked up where that marina was from the place and it has to be a good 18~20 miles! Last thing this boy would do is head out at dusk for a big dinner some 20 miles away and try to find my way back after dark on a 40 mile round trip in a friggin' bass boat!
Or at least not without RADAR added to my Lowrance!

[ChampioNman]

GPS will get you back home.

[DixieChicken]

GPS will get you back home.

To a degree... yes it will. But it won't show me the stumps!


What I really need though is some of that inside scoop you have on Hartwell. That'd make me fish day and night!

[ChampioNman]

No stumps unless you get in the real shallow water. Main channels are marked with buoys. Major creeks are marked with buoys. All are marked with numbers and letters. Tugaloo side is T1-T100+ GA side. Seneca side is S-1-S-150+. They converge at the Andersonville Islands..Then normal non lettered buoy numbers down to the dam. Coming back from the dam up lake go to the left at Andersonville islands you begin at T1 buoy. To the right S1 buoy. Like I said GPS will get you home if you have a south Chip. If you have an east chip you will fall off the end of the earth at S1.

[DixieChicken]

No stumps unless you get in the real shallow water. Main channels are marked with buoys. Major creeks are marked with buoys. All are marked with numbers and letters. Tugaloo side is T1-T100+ GA side. Seneca side is S-1-S-150+. They converge at the Andersonville Islands..Then normal non lettered buoy numbers down to the dam. Coming back from the dam up lake go to the left at Andersonville islands you begin at T1 buoy. To the right S1 buoy. Like I said GPS will get you home if you have a south Chip. If you have an east chip you will fall off the end of the earth at S1.

Ordered all three maps for Hartwell, and went ahead and ordered the 2-pack for Lanier. The chip is HotMaps Platinum South.

Down here in redneck country... like Jackson, Oconee, and Sinclair (where we go weekly) they've yet to figure out what a buoy is FOR!
Not a single one between the three of them.


Have all our reservations done. First 5 days will be a couple miles up beyond Tugaloo park. Then the next 4 will be up on the Martin Creek arm.

Wanted to give a BIG shout out to Bill,(bbbill) he called me and actually gave me some insight on Hartwell. Based on that conversation... my wife decided we needed $125.00 worth of lures!

You have NO IDEA how much I appreciate that Bill!

Now if I could get some more info from those that frequent Hartwell, it'll make for a SUPER exciting week!