June 17

Lake Hartwell water levels are well above full at 660.71 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity remains very high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 84 first thing.

June is usually a good month for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

June 9

Lake Hartwell water levels are well above full at 661.32 (full pool is 660.00) and clarity is very high.  Morning surface water temperatures are 80-81 degrees over most of the lake. 

The hybrid and striped bass are in some pretty reliable patterns right now on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

May 24

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.32 (full pool is 660.00) and even after a bunch of rain most of the lake is still very clear. Morning surface water temperatures got as high as 78 or 79 but they have since dropped to about 74. 

Even with dropping temperatures Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

May 19

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.29 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures are up to about 76 or 77 degrees. 

With the herring spawn now wide open in the areas he is fishing Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

May 12

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.27 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is very clear. Morning surface water temperatures dropped to about 70 degrees but have now rebounded to about 74. 

This week the cold front made them work a little harder to catch hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

May 4

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.45 (full pool is 660.00) and the lake is basically clear everywhere again as it has gotten very dry. Morning surface water temperatures are about 73 degrees over much of the lake. 

It’s still a very good bite for hybrid and striped bass on Lake Hartwell, but Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

April 21

Lake Hartwell water levels are still above full at 660.26 (full pool is 660.00) and the backs of some creeks are Clemson orange after recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures range from 58 in cooler creeks to 62 on the main lake to 66 or 67 up warmer rivers. 

It’s been a great week, and today was a fantastic day, for hybrid and striped bass fishing on Lake Hartwell.  Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

April 8

Lake Hartwell water levels are at 660.66 (full pool is 660.00) and the backs of creeks are muddy with recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures have risen into the lower 60s. 

There has been some significant improvement in the hybrid and striped bass fishing this week on Lake Hartwell, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

April 1

Lake Hartwell water levels are at 661.16 (full pool is 660.00) and the creeks are still dirty. Morning surface water temperatures up the rivers have dropped back into the upper 50s. 

The fronts this week had an unusually significant effect on the fishing, and Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports

March 25

Lake Hartwell water levels are up to 661.24 (full pool is 660.00) and the creeks are still muddy. Morning surface water temperatures up the rivers have hit the lower 60s. 

For weeks Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) had to report that the hybrid and striped bass were

March 10

Lake Hartwell water levels are above full at 660.23 (full pool is 660.00) and after a good bit of rain some of the major creeks should soon be muddy in the backs.  Morning surface water temperatures got as high as 59 on the main lake and 61 in the backs but they are starting to drop. 

He’s not saying he told you so – but I am saying he did – as Guide Brad Fowler almost