AHQ Report - Lake Russell
Clark's Hill Fishing Reports
Lake Greenwood is located near the towns of Greenwood and Ninety Six, about an hour to the northwest of Columbia and around forty-five minutes to the southeast of Greenville. The waters of the Saluda and Reedy Rivers come from the northwest and feed into Lake Greenwood, which was created between 1935 and 1940 with the construction of Buzzard’s Roost Dam.
Lake Greenwood has 212 miles of shoreline and 11,400 surface acres of water, and today it is owned by Greenwood County. A relatively shallow lake, Lake Greenwood averages 18 feet deep and is 60 feet deep at its deepest point. The Greenwood County Lake Management Department controls permitting, camping, upkeep and maintenance on the lake, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources helps to manage the fishery resource.
Fishermen target Lake Greenwood’s healthy populations of largemouth and now spotted bass, black and white crappie, bream and catfish, and channel and flathead catfish. DNR also stocks striped bass in the lake, although not in the quantities which they put into Lake Murray, Clarks Hill and other major striper fisheries. White bass are also present in Greenwood, although they are increasingly being displaced by the white perch population. The most significant forage fish on Lake Greenwood are threadfin and gizzard shad. Read More
— August 12 Clarks Hill water levels are up to 323.41 (full pool is 330.00). In bass fishing news, Buckeye Lures in Augusta reports that there has been a pretty decent bass bite for the heat of summer. First thing in the morning anglers have been able to pick up some decent fish throwing a buzzbait […]
— The newest Lake Russell fishing report, updated July 1, can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-russell-gasc-summer-2017-fishing-report/ June 9 Lake Russell water levels are at 474.26 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are 80 degrees and slightly above. As is expected once water temperatures reach the 80s, Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that the Russell bass bite […]
— The most recent Lake Russell fishing report can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-russell-gasc-spring-fishing-report/ March 14 Lake Russell water levels are at 473.91 (full pool is 475.00), and after reaching the low and even mid-60s water temperatures are back to the mid-50s and dropping. Clarity is still very high, and in fact rain is needed to give […]
— February 19 Lake Russell water levels are at 473.93 (full pool is 475.00) and water temperatures are in the mid-50s. Clarity is good. Water temperatures are unseasonably warm on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that bass can be found pretty much everywhere. Unlike on some lakes where warm temperatures have the […]
— Note that the most recent Lake Russell fishing report can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-lake-russell-gasc-winter-fishing-report/ January 13 Lake Russell water levels are at 471.22 (full pool is 475.00) and surface temperatures have already risen 2-3 degrees in the past couple of days. In the morning they are about 51 rising to about 54 during the day. Clarity is […]
— Nov. 30 Lake Russell water levels are at 474.89 (full pool is 475.00) and surface temperatures are in the lower 60s. Clarity is good. Bass fishing on Lake Russell is hot, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that on recent trips they have been catching 50-60 spotted bass each time. And believe it or […]
— Bass: Good. Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) and Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) report that they are catching good numbers of spotted bass fishing a drop shot in mid-depth water. To target largemouth head to the backs of creeks. Striped Bass: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that fish are on the move, but some very big […]
— Striped Bass: Excellent. Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that striper fishing is about as good as it gets on Lake Russell, with numerous big fish between 20 and 35 pound caught recently. The best pattern has been down-lining live herring in about 50 feet of water on the lower end of the lake. Crappie: […]
— August 4 Lake Russell water levels are at 474.45, inches below full pool of 475.0. Water temperatures are as high as 91 degrees in some places and clarity is normal. Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) jokes that in the heat of the summer it seems that there may not be any largemouth bass alive in […]
— Lake Russell water levels are at 474.37 (full pool is 475.00), and water temperatures are in the low to mid-70s. It’s a transition period on Lake Russell, and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that bass are starting to pull out from the shallows and move towards deeper water. The herring spawn is pretty much […]
— Lake Russell water levels are at 330.03, and water temperatures are around 62 degrees. It’s April on Lake Russell, but instead of going up water temperatures have been going backwards or holding steady for some time now. Almost a month ago after a week or two of 80 degree days Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) […]
— Note: Content on these pages, including tournament reports and fishing reports, is generally available only to customers of the Angler’s Headquarters online fishing tackle store. Any purchase (no minimum value) gives readers full access to all information on this site for 90 days. Following in the footsteps of last year’s national championship winning team […]
For a few weeks each year crappie guiding dominates business for Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860), and that time is now! Wendell is fishing for crappie up shallow around the banks in 3-4 feet of water, and using a float with a minnow 18 inches below it his boat is catching […]
— Last year at this time Lake Greenwood was giving up 27+ pound bags, but that feat was not to be repeated this past Saturday. Six months of rain and a cold late winter had Lake Greenwood cold and muddy for the tournament Saturday, but in some tough conditions Jerry Kotal (our customary Lake Russell […]
IMPORTANT site changes coming. Effective March 1 only customers of the Angler’s Headquarters tackle store will have access to our fishing reports. Read more here. It’s winter in South Carolina, which this year means highs in the 70s one week, lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s the next, and then the crazy […]
A few weeks ago Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reported that bass fishing on Lake Russell was very good, but based on historical trends he expected it to soon get even better. Fish were grouped up in 20-40 feet of water in the middle to backs of the creeks, but as temperatures dropped he expected them […]
Right now bass fishing on Lake Russell is good – maybe even very good – but Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) believes the bite is about to be on fire. Fish are grouped up in 20-40 feet of water in the middle to backs of the creeks, and catching 30-40 fish in several hours of fishing […]
After several weeks tournament bass fishing away from his home lake Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) was ready to get back on Lake Russell, and boy did he find a hot bite upon his return! Jerry says that on each of his recent trips he has caught 60-plus bass, and over the weekend he caught more […]
Season changes are also under way on Lake Russell, and Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that with water temperatures dropping fast bait – and predator species – are on the move. Wendell is finding schools of bait in small creeks and long coves off the main channel, holding near the bottom in 20-25 feet of […]
Lake Russell fishing is pretty strong for early August, but Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) and Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) both report that if you want to be catching fish you had better be fishing deep. Wendell reports that he has been seeing water temperatures as high as 91-92 degrees in the backs of creeks, and probably […]
There are probably times when spotted bass won’t eat, but right now is not one of those times on Lake Russell! Guide Wendell Wilson reports that even in the heat of summer his boat is catching good numbers of voracious spots fishing off the sides of long sloping points in 15-20 feet of water. He is […]
Lake Russell is at 473.92. Crappie: Good. Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that his boat is catching a lot of crappie right now, but they have generally been running a bit on the smaller side. Perhaps the bigger fish are recovering from the spawn. The best pattern for catching numbers of fish has been fishing around shallow […]
Lake Russell is at 474.15 and surface water temperatures have shot from the low 40s to the mid- to upper-50s in just over a week. Lake Russell is now 60 degrees in the warmest places and about 55 on the main channel. Crappie: Excellent. Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that crappie fishing is on fire and fish […]
The Fish the Fall Elite Team Trail had its two-day Lake Murray event on Friday and Saturday (March 6 and 7), and it was a good one. The father/ son team of Mike and Brian Tidwell won the tournament with a two-day total of 48.33 pounds, including a whopping Day 2 bag weighing 30.79 pounds! […]