July 22
Lake Russell water level is 474,52 (full pool is 475.00), and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 85 degrees in the main lake.
Fishing at Lake Russell is productive for several fish species, offering anglers a variety of options. Guide Luke Wilson, along with his dad, guide Wendell Wilson, withWilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336), reports success on multiple species of fish right now.
Luke reports that thecrappie are on brush piles in 12 to 20 feet, and he’s using minnows on drop shot rigs and he's also fishing minnows under slip floats. If anglers are adept at detecting light bites, Luke said jigs work fine, but the bite is usually very subtle at this time of the year.
Theblack bass are locked into typical summer patterns now, making them fairly predictable in terms of location. Luke and Wendell are catching them on points in 8 to 30 feet, and they’re using soft plastics and live bait. In some places the fish will be bunched up in good numbers, and multiple bass can be caught in one area.
Thestripers are on the opposite ends of the lake, Luke reports, again typical for July and August. In the upper end of the in the Hartwell Dam tailrace, some hefty stripers are being caught drifting live bait the first few miles below the dam. On the lower end, he’s targeting stripers around schools of forage in deep water. These hotspots are located by using electronics to find the forage and big fish marked beneath them. Vertically fish blueback herring at, or just above, the depth the fish are marked on the graph.
Guide Luke Wilson said quality stripers are available in Lake Russell this summer.
The channel catfish bite is still good, and these whiskered fish have been caught on the main lake points, sometimes on the same points as the bass. The catfish are biting live and cut herring, and also worms, small minnows, and most traditional baits will work right now.
--Terry Madewell
July 8
Lake Russell water level is 473.32 (full pool is 475.00), and the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees in the main lake and 84 degrees in the creeks.
Fishing at Lake Russell is productive for several fish species, offering anglers a variety of options.
The black bass continue to be caught in typical summer patterns. While the action is not as fast as earlier in the year, it is consistent and reliable, and the fish are moving deeper. Guide Jerry Kotal withJerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that the deep summertime patterns have emerged on the lake, although a few ‘spots’ continue to be taken in shallow water foraging very early in the morning, then they’re back to deep water.
The deep-water bite is consistent, he reports, and, on a trip early this week, he found the bass in 35 feet of water, holding just above the bottom of 40 feet. Jerry has found several areas where he fishes open pockets with no trees in the deep water, and these are favored targets for him at this time of year. He locates the open areas using electronics, then pinpoints the fish. On his guided trips, he’s using live blueback herring fished vertically on down rods.
The crappie action has been productive on brush at 20-26 feet, and he’s using live minnows and small jigs, working the top of the brush.
Striper action is good when anglers can locate them, and Jerry said he generally looks for the same type of situation as with black bass: open areas in the underwater standing trees for stripers. Typically, he located the stripers deeper. The key here is patience, because the number of stripers in Lake Russell is not high, but the lake produces quality fish. Jerry said the key is to be patient and react quickly when the stripers move through. When that happens, quality stripers can be caught with live blueback herring on down-rods.
Captain Jerry said striper fishing is about timing, get it right and big stripers are caught.
The catfishing action is still productive on a deep summer pattern using cut herring, but he has not guided for catfish in the past few days.
Terry Madewell
June 30
Lake Russell water level is 474.21 (full pool is 475.00), and the main lake is clear, but the backs of the creeks continue to have slightly better color but are clearing. Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees in the main lake and 84 degrees in the creeks.
Fishing at Lake Russell is good for several species of fish, giving anglers several productive options.
Guide Wendell Wilson withWilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) said his son, Guide Luke Wilson, is fishing more than he is right now and said the crappie, black bass, stripers and catfish are all producing action.
Wendell said that crappie fishing is generally very consistent, but timing is a factor, and they may have to check different areas to find biting fish. Generally, they’re fishing with live minnows or small jigs on brush in deep water, usually over 20 feet deep.
A recent trip for Luke illustrates the potential for fishing. The client wanted to experience multiple types of fishing in one day, so they started with crappie. The crappies were stacked on the brush in the first place they tried, but were not very active at that time.
They transitioned to black bass and began working points on the main lake with live herring and minnows, and caught a lot of bass. Wendel noted that another angler he spoke with, who fished the same day using a plastic worm on the same type of points, boated over 30 bass, so live bait or artificials are working well.
Next, they checked the stripers, and soon after starting, they hooked a hugy striper, and the angler struggled to get the rod out of the holder, and when he did, the fish literally snatched the rig from his hands into the water. Luke said it was a big striper, screaming the drag.
Finally, that targeted catfish on points, the same type of points as they bass fished. These points have forage attractive to bass and catfish. Luke anchored in 15 feet of water and cast cut herring toward the shallows, targeting depths of about 5 feet or less. They loaded a cooler with chunky channel catfish in a short time.
Guide Luke Wilson said a variety of fish are on a good bite on Lake Russell righ tnow.
Wendell noted that this trip is a quick look at Lake Russell fishing right now, and targeting any of these species is likely to yield a successful trip. He did note that the slow crappie bite would likely have been different on other brush, but they had four species to target, so they moved on. Overall, he said crappie are the most dependable species right now.
June 24
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.27 (full pool is 475.00), and the main lake is clear, but the backs of creeks have good water coloration. Morning surface water temperatures are about 82 degrees in the main lake and 84 degrees in the creeks.
The black bass are now into their summer patterns and while the action is not as fast as earlier in the year, it is consistent and reliable. Guide Jerry Kotal withJerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that true summertime patterns have emerged on the lake, although a few ‘spots’ continue to be taken in shallow water. However, the most consistent action is fishing deeper water with reliable patterns.
Jerry said the ‘Spots’ are active and biting well, and they’ve moved to deeper water, with 25-30 feet being the best depths to target right now. As is typical of summer fishing, they’re orienting to brush piles and any woody cover in those depths, and he’s consistently catching them on points as well as flats.
Bass fishing success is relative, he said. Earlier in the season catches of 40-50 bass per day was common, now it’s more like 15-20, but that’s still quality bass fishing for summertime.
He said the best bite is on the main lake and around the mouths of the creeks, especially once the sun gets up. Some action is occurring in shallow water right at first light in the creeks and mid-lake shoals, but it ends abruptly at sunrise. Get the shallow bites early, then hunt deep.
His choice of lures includes drop-shot rigs, plastic worms, and swimbaits worked around woody cover. For anglers not accustomed to precise casting requirements and lure presentations, he also employs live blueback herring. The live herring also produces outstanding action.
Jerry said not all the brush piles in this depth range hold bass; many will hold crappie.He said the two species aren’t typically found together, some brush holding concentrations of crappies, and others may hold a bunch of bass. Use small jigs and live minnows to target the crappie.
Jerry Kotal said the catfish bite is red hot right now on Lake Russell.
Finally, the summertime channel catfish bite is peaking. He’s using cut blueback herring for bait and anchoring on shallow points or humps in the main lake, then casting baits into the deeper water. If catfish are in the area, the action occurs quicky with multiple rigs usually loaded up. When it slows, he changes locations and repeats the process.
Terry Madewell
June 9
Lake Russell water levels are up to 474.05 (full pool is 475.00), and the main lake is clear, but the backs of some creeks have good water color. Morning surface water temperatures are about 82 degrees in the main lake and 84 degrees in the creeks
.
Guide Wendell Wilson withWilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that fishing is productive for bass, stripers, and crappie at Lake Russell. Anglers are making good catches on typical summertime patterns.
For the stripers, Wendell said two distinct patterns are productive right now, and both are best early in the mornings. The first pattern is to fish below the Lake Hartwell Dam, in the tailwater area. The technique here is to freeline large blueback herring and work around the edge of the old river channel. He said for the best results, the boat will be in 12-20 feet of water. The first few miles below the dam are the best area, though this can depend on the river's current flow.
The second striper tactic is fishing on the lower end of the lake; the area around the Highway 72 Bridge is a good general area to target. Wendell said this fishing is downline fishing with live herring, with the bait fished in a 30–40-foot depth range.
Wendell said anglers will usually find the stripers suspended over considerably deeper water. Work around the humps and ledges in the area.
Wendell said the bass fishing is best on the main lake points using soft plastics, crankbaits, and swimbaits. Live bait (herring or large minnows) is also effective. The general target depth for fish is around 12 feet, so the boat would need to be in about 20 feet of water.
Wendell said a great reference target for good bass action is the main lake navigation pole markers. These marker poles are excellent bass attractors because they're placed on main lake points in about 12-15 feet of water, making them ideal targets to attract and hold bass. Some of the poles also have brush placed around them, enhancing the attraction.
Guide Luke Wilson said the crappie bite is good at Lake Russell using minnows or jigs.
Finally, the crappie action on Lake Russell is consistent right now, and Wendell and his son, Guide Luke Wilson, are catching crappie in 12-20 feet of water. Wendell said the bite is equally good in the creeks and in large coves off the main channel, and that minnows and jigs are both productive.
Terry Madewell
June 3
Lake Russell water levels are up to 474.05 (full pool is 475.00) and the main lake is clear but the backs are stained after about 10 inches of rain. Morning surface water temperatures are about 77 degrees.
The black bass fishing has been very good on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that’s largely because of mild temperatures which have herring still spawning. For now fish can still be caught shallow on topwater lures, crankbaits, and live bait, but as it warms fish will almost certainly go deeper. They are already marking a lot of fish in 15-20 feet of water, where they will head in June, but for now the deeper fish are not biting as well as shallow fish have been.
Additionally, Guide Luke Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) notes that in tournaments shaky head and Texas rigs have been popular – but the top bags have all been coming on the new urchin-style baits!
Meanwhile most of the striped bass have already headed deeper, where Jerry reports that they should stay for June. Some fish are just roaming in open water, but as it gets hotter he expects them to suspend around the gaps in trees about 30-35 feet down. The best way to catch them is herring on down-rods.
It’s been a strong bite for crappie, and fish are basically where they should be for all of June. Luke reports that in the backs of creeks and bigger coves they can be found in 10-15 feet of water on brush where they will take minnows fished near the top of the brush. However, if it gets very hot this month they will move into more like 15-25 feet.
Finally, Jerry reports that he had a catfish trip this week and they caught about 40 nice fish off points in 10-15 feet of water on cut herring. Fish are probably stacked up in coves, too, but they didn’t ever look there. With a very healthy population of catfish on Russell this pattern should be productive all month.
May 20
Lake Russellwater levels are at 474.16 (full pool is 475.00), and most of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 73 degrees on the main lake, but around 76 degrees in the back of the creeks.
The herring spawn is no longer a big factor in black bass fishing on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that true summertime patterns are emerging on the lake. While that means fish will be moving deeper, he will have reliable patterns to fish.
Captain Jerry said the ‘Spots’ are very active and biting extremely well, although they’ve moved to deeper water, with 18-25 feet being the best depths to target right now. As is typical of summer fishing, they’re orienting to brush piles and any woody cover in those depths, and he’s consistently catching them on points as well as flats.
He said the best bite is on the main lake and around the mouths of the creeks, especially once the sun gets up. Some action is occurring in shallower water right at first light, but it ends quickly at sunup.
His choice of lures includes drop-shot rigs, plastic worms, and swimbaits worked around woody cover. For anglers not accustomed to precise casting requirements and lure presentations, he also employs live blueback herring. The live herring also produces outstanding action.
Captain Jerry said not all the brush piles in this depth range hold bass; many also hold crappie, and this species is on a strong bite at Lake Russell. He said the bass and crappie are typically not found on the same brush piles in good numbers, although a ‘spot’ may be anywhere at times. But some of the brush or woody cover will harbor concentrations of crappies, and others may hold a bunch of bass. Bring some small jigs or live minnows to target the crappie. Jerry has made some excellent catches recently.
Teh crappie fishing is excellent on Lake Russell, as well as for bass and catfish.
Finally, the summertime channel catfish bite has begun, and Jerry began taking guide parties out for channel catfish trips this week. He’s using cut blueback herring for bait, and anchoring on shallower points or humps in the main lake, and casting baits into the deeper water.
If the channel catfish are in that area, the action is fast-paced. When it slows or if he doesn’t get a bite within a few minutes, he changes locations.
It's the old reliable ‘run and gun ‘ tactic that works extremely well on this species at Lake Russell throughout the rest of the summer.
Terry Madewell
May 7
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.47 (full pool is 475.00), and most of the lake is clear, but the back of back of some creeks has slightly dingy water. Morning surface water temperatures are about 71 degrees.
What began as a combination Striper and Crappie fishing trip on Tuesday of this week quickly became a crappie catching marathon for Guide Wendell Wilson withWilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336). Weather conditions influenced the decision to target only crappie, and it was a very good one.
Striper action has been productive recently at Lake Russell. Still, with clear water throughout the lake and bright, sunny skies Tuesday morning, the striper action wasn't going to happen. After a short effort to locate stripers, Wendell suggested changing the focus to crappie, and the client agreed.
Wendell pointed his boat towards the back of the creek, and they found the crappies in shallow water and caught scads of papermouths, demonstrating how weather and water conditions influence fish activity and reward anglers who adapt.
Wendell said the shallow-water bite was excellent, and they caught the fish in 4-8 feet of water, casting a float rig with a live minnow fished 2 feet below the float. They worked the shoreline and open water flats, casting around every piece of woody structure they found, and consistently caught crappie. In some cases, on a specific target, they could catch as many as 20 fish from a single place. The key, Wendell said, was to avoid getting snagged on the cover and disrupting the fish.
Guide Wendell Wilson said dingy water back in the creeks was a key to crappie success
Wendell credits their success to finding slightly dingy water in creek backwaters, a rarity this spring, which helped concentrate the crappie in this area. Some fish were on the small side, but most exceeded South Carolina’s 8-inch size limit, with plenty of keeper fish caught.
Wendell reports that black bass fishing is also excellent right now in the same general areas where they caught the crappie.
Terry Madewell
April 30
Lake Russell water levels are at 473.85 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 69-71 degrees.
The herring spawn seems to be playing out in same areas on Lake Russell, and as a result Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that there are less places where black bass can be found shallow. However, there is still a herring bite on certain shallow points and even around some fairly shallow brush. They continue to catch fish on live bait as well as soft plastics fished around points in less than ten feet of water, although many have already gone deeper.
At the same time, even if the herring aren’t around they are still catching so many spotted bass that are full of eggs that there will have to be decent numbers fairly shallow well into May. They will continue to be caught off points on shaky head worms and more. In general, post-spawn fish don’t feed well for a little while, head out to brush to recover, and then start to feed up again and so with fish coming off the spawn at different times there will be more and more bass feeding on brush in 15-25 feet of water as the month progresses. And of course some post-spawn fish will continue to feed early on herring all May, particularly around the best spots like bridges and riprap in the lower lake.
The post-spawn crappie fishing is pretty outstanding right now, and pre-fishing yesterday and being sure not to pull more than one or two fish off any brush pile Jerry caught about 25 fish. The fish bit both minnows and jigs and were generally 8-12 feet down in about 22 feet of water. That pattern should hold for most of May, and if anything the fish should just feed better. However, if it gets very hot early then it’s worth starting to look around standing timber in approximately 40 feet of water.
Striped bass fishing is strong right now, and the combination of wind and rain has made for a much better bite this week albeit in less pleasant conditions. Tuesday they caught six striper between 7 and 15 pounds, with all the fish coming 17-18 feet down over trees in 40 feet of water. While Jerry doesn’t traditionally target striper that often in May (mostly because of angler interest in bass and crappie) when he does the same pattern is very reliable. The only common change can be fish suspending a little deeper over the same depth if it gets very hot.
Finally, the catfish bite is strong now and in May it should get even better. Channel cats will be caught pretty much everywhere including points, pockets, coves and more on cut herring.
April 23
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.20 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 68 degrees.
With the cooler weather the herring spawn has slowed down on Lake Russell, and as a result Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that the black bass fishing is not as wide open. It’s still good but not great.
In a similar vein, Guide Wendell Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that they are having to fish a littler deeper for bass since the bait isn’t as shallow. In addition to temperature, he wonders if water clarity has something to do with it. Regardless, the best pattern has actually been pulling herring on free lines and planer boards a little out from the bank where they are picking up some nice 3 to 3 ½ pound bass. Casting or trolling swimbaits will also work.
Fishing shaky heads off points is also productive, although this has mainly been catching smaller spotted bass.
They are still wearing out the smaller to medium-sized crappie on shallow brush, typically catching 40 or 50 crappie and half that number of spotted bass in a few hours.
April 16
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.25 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees.
It’s still a really good black bass bite on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that as the herring spawn has gotten started bass are keying around points, secondary points, and in some pockets in the main lake and creeks. Fish are shallow all day as long as bait is up there, and wind definitely activates the bite. They aren’t seeing striper.
Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) is on a similar pattern, although they are mainly fishing main lake points pulling herring on free-lines or throwing 3-inch long paddletail swimbaits. Perhaps because they are sticking to the main lake they are usually tangling with at least one striped bass every day, although on lighter tackle it has been rare to land them.
Jerry notes that while bass fishing he is picking up some catfish on live bait, and he suspects that if he slowed down with cut bait in the same areas they could wear them out.
But Wendell’s boat has been targeting crappie, and yesterday they found mostly medium-sized fish ganged up on shallow brush and managed 71! They were 3-4 feet down in 8 or 9 feet of water, and while they almost certainly would have eaten jigs the clients preferred to fish minnows under floats.
As for the bigger crappie they have managed a few when they find small pockets of stained water with brush at the same depth they have been fishing, but those areas are very rare. It appears from electronics that most of the bigger fish are near the bottom in 15-20 feet and neither grouped up or very active as they recover from the spawn.
April 3
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.25 (full pool is 475.00), and most of the lake is clear, though the very backs of creeks show some staining. Morning surface water temperatures are 64 degrees.
Black bass fishing continues to be a hot topic, and Guide Wendell Wilson ofWilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) said bass fishing is about as good as it gets on Lake Russell right now. He reports that the bass spawn is still underway, and the spawning herring, visible around rocky areas, are prime targets. Wendell and his son, Guide Luke Wilson, are catching bass on shallow sloping banks, casting into three to four feet of water, while the boat is in about seven feet of water. The ancient Shad Rap is putting a lot of bass in the boat for Wendell, along with Wacky and/or Texas worm rigs.
Guide Jerry Kotal withJerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) agrees that the bass are on the banks for spawning, and fast action is occurring around points and rocky shorelines where herring are spawning. The movement to the shallows is so strong, he reports bass are scattered all along the banks in the creeks. Almost any traditional bass lure will produce bites in the shallows, as well as freelining live blueback herring.
Wendell Wison added that striper action has been slow, but some are moving in on the herring spawn, and freelining live bait over the points is beginning to produce some striper catches. Both Wendell and Jerry report the crappie action is slow after the spawn, but Wendell reported a two-person group that purchased minnows from him and caught 40 crappies on Wednesday, and he’s thinking the crappie bite will improve soon
March 25
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.28 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear although the very backs of creeks have some stain. Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees.
The black bass fishing is “on fire” on Lake Russell, and Guide Luke Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that while the bass spawn is still very much going on the herring spawn has also gotten underway as they are seeing some herring spawning around rocks. All this leads to a great point bite, and they are catching fish on points with crankbaits, swimbaits, and live bait. Striped bass have been hard to locate but should soon key in on the same thing.
That fits with the report from Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860), who believes that the majority of bass are pre-spawn but emphasizes that you can catch them about everywhere including points and humps. In addition to the fish that are feeding shallow there is another group of fish that are holding in 15-25 feet of water waiting to come up.
Unfortunately it’s a different story with the crappie, where the peak spring bite seems behind us. You can catch a fish here or there around the banks, and some trolling, but more fish seem to be post-spawn and lethargic now. Pollen in the water can also make it very hard to troll. A strong new crappie pattern may emerge but right now it’s a little tougher than it should be in March.
March 19
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.42 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear although the very backs of creeks have some stain. Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 56 degrees.
Neither Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) nor Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) were on the water Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, but they have similar views about what fish were doing before the cold front came and then what they will be doing by this weekend.
Wendell’s boat has been primarily targeting black bass, and last weekend they found them on the banks in less than 10 feet of water in the bigger creeks that had slightly warmer water. Since they bed a little deeper it’s hard to know if spotted bass were already spawning, but they suspect some were, and just going down the banks with a Shad Rap, jerkbait, and then pulling live bait out the back of the boat they caught about 30 fish both days. Fish were shallow and hungry! They spent a little time targeting striped bass but they weren’t jumping in the boat and the spots were feeding so well they quickly went back to that.
By this weekend they expect the exact same pattern to produce, and Wendell notes that the bass had pushed a lot of shad up shallow.
Meanwhile Jerry has spent more time targeting crappie than bass, and he notes that even though the bite wasn’t as good last weekend as when it initially got warm they were still able to catch fish long-line trolling and then around the banks. With the cold, windy weather no clients wanted to go again until today, but he expects the long-line trolling bite to pick back up and then for the shallow fish to start feeding again. A cold front usually doesn’t move them that much, they just don’t bite as well until conditions stabilize.
Again, by this weekend the action should be strong again and a whole new wave of fish could have moved shallow.
March 12
Lake Russell water levels are at 474.28 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear although the very backs of creeks are slightly stained. Morning surface water temperatures are around 64 degrees.
As water temperatures have jumped up black bass are headed to the banks on Lake Russell, and Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that his boat has been catching bass on crankbaits in around 5 feet of water and even while casting jigs for crappie in the backs. It’s unclear exactly what stage of the spawn the fish are at, but they are feeding well and it appears to be a strong pre-spawn bite.
That’s consistent with the report from Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860), who doesn’t know if any fish are spawning but hasn’t seen any obvious signs of it. Instead fish appear to be in a variety of pre-spawn locations, with some in just 6-8 feet of water but others in 10-12 feet on small rounded points, deeper banks, and generally scattered out. The bite is good and yesterday Jerry caught 30 fish halfway back in a creek on a jerkbait and shaky head worm.
Unfortunately the crappie bite seems to be slowing down, and Jerry actually fears that the best spring bite may be behind us. They are catching less fish long-line trolling than just a few days ago, and the ones they are catching are smaller. There are still plenty of fish around the banks, but again the size has gone down.
This early in March it’s hard to say that the spawn is winding down, but it got so hot so fast that it’s a distinct possibility.
While neither guide has been targeting striped bass they have seen some rolling in the creeks and even hooked a few on crappie jigs. Pulling free-lines and planer boards off creek points would almost certainly produce.
March 5
Lake Russell water levels are at 473.64 (full pool is 475.00) and most of the lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures range from the low to mid-50s.
The black bass are making a big move on Lake Russell, and Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that as the creeks warm faster than the main lake the best action for spotted bass is now in the creeks instead of on the main channel. The best pattern is fishing around main points in the creeks, and a drop shot worm in 12-18 feet of water is very effective. A shaky head is also working well, and by this weekend there should be some fish sliding up into less than 10 feet of water.
To target the relatively low numbers of largemouth it’s a good bet to fish shallow cover in the creeks and to try to find water with a little stain to it. These fish will spawn shallower than spots and also live there much of the time.
Wendell is also still seeing birds around striped bass in the creeks in the mid-lake area, and casting Alabama rigs is the best pattern for these fish. When you don’t see bird action then covering water with herring on free-lines and planer boards is a good bet.
That’s consistent with the report from Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860), and yesterday they didn’t see any birds diving but did find a big school of striper about mid-way back in a creek off a point in 25 feet of water. They didn’t have live herring because they were crappie fishing, but they did manage the 15-pound fish pictured below on a jigging spoon.
Finally, speaking of crappie it has to be coming soon but Jerry has not managed to find any more crappie around the banks despite looking the last two days. But long-line trolling with jigs has been really good in select creeks, still fishing about 8 feet down in 25 feet of water. By this weekend you should be able to troll and fish the banks for several weeks.
February 25
Lake Russell water levels are up to 473.21 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 48 degrees on the main lake.
It’s hard to believe considering main lake temperatures are back in the 40s, but Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that a few days ago in the last very warm spell he found water temperatures hitting 58-59 degrees and believes he found some crappie on the banks spawning. They were big females up to 2 ¼ pounds that don’t come to the bank for any reason besides to lay eggs, and so he thinks they either were spawning or were very close to it.
But now that water temperatures have dropped he’s back trolling in the creeks again, mostly 8 feet down in about 25 feet of water. However, at the next warm spell it’s pretty much a certainty that more fish will be on the banks again.
Meanwhile Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) has been targeting other species on Russell, and in terms of the weather he reports that the last couple of days were pretty miserable. They covered a lot of water but found limited action, and it seems that the black bass schools have broken up and the fish are now moving up onto points and humps. A shaky head worm in 8-15 feet of water is a good place to start.
Finally, Wendell reports that striped bass have been a little tricky to locate as has bait, and it seems that all the bait has moved into the warmest areas which can be a challenge to easily pinpoint. They did manage a 30-inch striper yesterday while perch fishing with four-pound test, and it seem when you do locate the bait the fish are around it.
February 19
Lake Russell water levels are up to 473.36 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 50-51 degrees.
The crappie bite is just starting to turn on at Lake Russell, and while Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that he fished hard and didn’t get a full limit yesterday he marked a ton of fish and the ones he caught were all big. He was trolling midways back in a creek, and the fish were 8-10 feet down in about 25 feet of water. For a while now the crappie bite has been so much better on Clarks Hill that he has been going there to fish for them, but now it appears that Russell is improving enough to target – although some stain to the water would certain help!
While Jerry has not targeted striped bass, it seems that a decent number of fish have moved back into the creeks based on the fish he is seeing rolling back there.
At the same time black bass are moving shallower, and Jerry reports that they are pulling up onto secondary points and humps. The best depth range to target them in is now 10-20 feet of water, and on the artificial side shaky heads are as good as anything.
That’s also where Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that they are starting to key on the bass, although he notes there are still a fair number of fish around deeper timber that have not started to make a move yet.
The next few days should progress everything forward, although the cold snap next week is likely to set them back at least briefly again.
February 13
Lake Russell water levels are down to 472.25 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 47 degrees.
There have been some rough days this week on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that yesterday he trolled literally all day for crappie and managed one yellow perch. This is in stark contrast to Clarks Hill, where in the same time he is catching multiple limits of crappie despite the water being a couple of degrees colder. The extremely clear conditions on Russell must be a factor, as well as perhaps the population of fish. He did mark a decent number of crappie, but they were either moving fast or holding 10-12 feet down over 30 feet of water in timber. It seems like it’s still too cold to troll for them in the creek channels.
Some big bags of black bass have come out of the underwater timber LiveScoping in tournaments, but Jerry reports they are no longer stacked up in deep water near the bottom where they have been. Consistent with that Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that on the lower end they are catching a few big spotted bass suspended 25-30 feet down around timber in 60-70 feet, while further up the lake they are more likely to be found off points in depths of 20-30 feet. But soon fish will move towards shallower points and humps.
Finally, Wendell reports that the winter yellow perch bite does seem to be pretty much over and it seems to be the tail end of the winter striped bass schooling season. Still on cloudy, rainy days you can see striper under birds and cast at them, but on the sunny, pretty days we are getting more of there is typically almost zero action. Jerry did see one striper back in a creek swirling yesterday but it appeared to be a lone fish and wouldn’t bite.
February 4
Lake Russell water levels are down to 473.02 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is overall clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 47 degrees.
Back on the water after the snow this weekend, Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports a better bite than a week ago when the fish had seemingly disappeared! While he didn’t catch many black bass of any size he did manage a fair number of fish on a jigging spoon. They were in two distinct areas, with one group all the way in 70 feet on the bottom and another in just 20-25 feet on the bottom. There was one four-pound largemouth mixed in but the rest were spotted bass.
However, at the end of the trip a giant school of striped bass swam through that were, again, on the bottom. They caught three between 12-18 pounds on the spoon and broke off a much larger one.
January 29
Lake Russell water levels are at 473.95 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is overall clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 46-47 degrees.
This wasn’t the Lake Russell report we (or Jerry) expected to give this week, but after a full day of fishing on Lake Russell and riding over 30 miles yesterday Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that the fishing is as tough as he has seen it. He marked three fish on his electronics, including LiveScope, all day, and only caught one good black bass and one yellow perch. He saw no signs of striper, and only saw three gulls all day!
The water came way up in anticipation of the ice and sleet last week, and that may have moved the fish, and they may just not have been in the old or new spots he was looking at. He fished a variety of areas, including main lake humps where they could have moved out of the trees, but obviously couldn’t try everything in one day. He is essentially ruling out a shad kill that has the fish stuffed because he saw no signs of dead bait, but a possible theory is that fish are flat on the bottom.
Regardless, with more weather coming in this weekend it’s hard to think it will get much better – at least in the aftermath of the storm.
January 21
Lake Russell water levels are at 473.21 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is overall clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 51 degrees.
Most everything seems to have moved a little deeper on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that now they are catching striped bass about 40 feet down over 70 feet of water in clean spots in the main lake timber. They are also catching some on Alabama rigs chasing the birds. Some black basshave been in the same areas but they are generally holding closer to the bottom.
You can also catch bass off points in 25-30 feet of water, and Guide Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that these fish will take spoons, drop shot rigs, and live bait. But the really exciting bite they have stumbled across this week is in about 65 feet of water on the lower end of the main lake. That’s where the majority of the birds and the striped bass seem to be concentrated, and they would never have found them without the presence of gulls.
Even though they are fishing over trees they can still get a medium minnow to the bottom, and on the last two trips they have caught 60-90 fish each time. Most of them are yellow perch up to 15 inches, there are a few channel cats and white perch, and a few bass. They have also hooked some striper but have not been able to land them in the timber.
The better pattern for catching striped bass is to cast an Alabama rig around the birds and over the timber when you see them diving.
January 8
Lake Russell water levels are up to 473.22 (full pool is 475.00) and the lake is overall clear. Morning surface water temperatures are about 54 degrees.
The fishing is good on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal with Jerry Kotal’s Fishing Guide Service (706-988-0860) reports that he is catching a mix of striped bass and black bass (mostly spots) fishing clean spots 40 plus feet deep in the underwater timber. Bass are still taking spoons as well as live bait mostly near the bottom, and they continue to feed pretty well.
The big improvement is with the striper, and they have caught twenty up to 20 plus pounds in the last three trips. The striped bass are generally much higher in the water column, usually 15-20 feet down, and they are catching them on a combination of bait, swimbaits, and Alabama rigs.
The striped bass fishing has also picked up for Guides Luke and Wendell Wilson of Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336), but for them the pattern is now as simple as following the birds. Some days they show a preference for Alabama rigs while some days they prefer herring.
Meanwhile, for bass they are fishing shallower than Jerry off points in 20-25 feet of water with drop shot rigs, spoons, and live bait.
The crappie have also turned on a little, but Luke reports that they are suspended in open water and not related to anything at all – neither brush nor bait. Generally they have been about 12-14 feet down in 40 feet of water, and they are finding the best concentrations near the front of creeks. Obviously the key to finding them is electronics, but once located they will take minnows or jigs fished at the right depth.