January 13

Lake Russell water levels are down to 473.77 (full pool is 475.00). Water temperatures are down to about 51 degrees and as of yesterday most of the lake is clear. 

The bass fishing is similar again this week on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

January 7

Lake Russell water levels are back down to 474.14 (full pool is 475.00) after reaching a foot above full pool on January 4. Still, the main lake and front of creeks remain clear and water temperatures are about 53 degrees.

There’s a couple of different bass patterns going on right now on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

December 20

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.66 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are in the mid-50s.   

Winter is usually a great time to fish on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

November 24

Lake Russell water levels are close to full at 474.78 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are about 65-67 degrees. The water is pretty clear.  

Even though they have not gotten stacked up in deep water the bass fishing is still strong on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

November 12

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.39 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are in the upper 60s. As of yesterday the lake was clean but the rain should mess it up. 

The bass are the main event again on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

October 23

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.35 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures have warmed back up to 73-74 degrees. Even though it looks okay the water seems to be turning over now and at times it can be hard to read a depth finder. 

The striped bass fishing has coming roaring back on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

October 8

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.74 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures range from about 70-74. The water has been dingy from turning over but it just beginning to clear.

It was an uncharacteristically tough few weeks on Lake Russell and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

September 25

Lake Russell rose after the storms but water levels now dipped back below full to 474.40 (full pool is 475.00), while water temperatures have dropped more than 10 degrees in the past two weeks to the lower 70s. In addition to being muddy in certain areas (including some that don’t usually get muddy), much of the water is coffee-colored and the lake appears to be turning over. 

It’s still an uncharacteristically tough bass bite on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

September 15

Lake Russell is just below full pool 474.66 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are around 82-83 degrees on Lake Russell. The water seems to be a little off-color, and anglers are wondering if the lake could be turning over early. 

In the last couple of days the bass bite has fallen off on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

August 27

Lake Russell is above full pool at about 475.25 (full pool is 475.00) as they try to lower Lake Hartwell levels, and morning surface water temperatures range from about 80 on the main channel to 84 in the creeks. Even though the water is very high it is still clear. 

The late summer bass bite on Lake Russell is pretty good, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

July 29

Lake Russell water levels are still high at 474.58 (full pool is 475.00), and morning surface water temperatures vary from the low 90s in the creeks, to about 86 on the main lake, to the lower 80s on the upper end. The main lake is relatively clear although with recent storms some of the creeks are dirty. 

It’s one of those times of year when a number of species are mixed together on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

June 30

Lake Russell water levels are just under full at 474.93 (full pool is 475.00), and morning surface water temperatures have risen into the low to mid-80s. The lake is relatively clear. 

The bass fishing has gotten good on Lake Russell, but Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

June 16

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.21 (full pool is 475.00), and before the cold snap water temperatures were 79-80 in the morning and 83-84 in the afternoon. Water temperatures have dropped several degrees but should quickly rebound. The lake is relatively clear. 

It’s a little unclear whether it is the very, very tail end of the herring spawn or whether bass are just still hanging around in the same places, but Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

May 27

Lake Russell water levels are down from a high of more than 1 ½ feet above full pool Sunday to less than 6 inches above full at 475.37 (full pool is 475.00), and water temperatures are around 74 degrees. After 6 inches of rain last week there was debris and logs floating everywhere, but the Corps is pulling so much water that conditions have normalized and water color is fairly normal. Morning surface temperatures are about 74 degrees.  

The herring spawn has picked up again on Lake Russell, probably because of cool temperatures, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

May 14

Lake Russell water levels are at 474.59 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are around 68-70 degrees. The lake is fairly clear although there is some stained water up the creeks. 

Even though water temperatures are cool – surprisingly given the time of year, but unsurprisingly given recent weather – Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

April 30

Lake Russell water levels are at 473.85 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are around 67 degrees.  The lake is fairly clear although there is some dingy water in the backs. 

Perhaps because of the cool weather, Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

April 15

Lake Russell is just over full at 475.11 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are around 66-68 in the morning. Visibility has dropped a little, with the backs now pretty stained, but the main lake is fairly clear. There is still decent access to Lake Russell. 

It’s fortunate that anglers can still get on the lake, because on the bass front Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

April 1

Lake Russell water levels are around 473.75 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures have fallen bank into the mid-60s. The creeks are muddy but the main lake is good. 

Getting on the water is becoming tricky, but Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports

March 27

Lake Russell water levels have just fallen below full pool to 474.62 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures have risen into the lower 60s.  In the backs of creeks the water is muddy and trashed, while the main lake is fairly clear on the lower end. The channel gets dingy about mid-lake but they are pulling so much water it should clear quickly. 

The bass bite is wide open on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

March 13

Lake Russell water levels are right around full pool at 474.81 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures have risen into the upper 50s. Lake Russell is still dingy in areas that are usually clear, and dirtier in the backs than the main river, but the whole lake is fishable again. 

Spring is in the air and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

February 26

Lake Russell water levels are even further above full pool at 479.33 (full pool is 475.00). Except for the inflow from Lake Hartwell, the whole lake is stained as far down as the dam, and the backs are muddy. Water temperatures are around 53 degrees.  

Back on the water, Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports

February 18

Lake Russell water levels are way above full pool at 478.33 (full pool is 475.00) and docks and walkways are under water. Even though the main channel is clearing up with so much water pulled through, Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports

January 20

Lake Russell water levels are holding around 474.25 (full pool is 475.00), and surface temperatures – which had reached the 60s – have dropped into the low 50s. Some creeks like Coldwater and Beaverdam are still muddy, but most of the lake looks pretty clear and overall things continue to settle out.

Fishing has been a little up-and-down recently, but Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports