As of 10-20-09 LakeHartwell is down 2.5 Feet at 70 Degrees.
Striper fishing has been excellent fro large fish “deep” in the lower lake. Small fish have been schooling every where on top. Some larger fish have just started to come up to school. The cooler water will send fish out of the deep water and hopefully to the top to school. The best days for schooling on top are calm, cloudy days or early mornings and late afternoons. Most small fish have been eating thread fin shad. You need to scale down to small stuff like a white rooster tail or small jug with white plastic tail. If you see big splashes where fish are chasing blue back herring, and then throw a larger topwater plug such as a sammy in ghost color or a Zara Spook.
The water is turning over, especially after several cold nights. When turning over the water gets a dark brown color with foam on top. As the warm water rises and cold water sinks, oxygen levels get low and fish try to move to better water quality. Try to look for greener water for better fishing. The lower lake does not turn over as quick as the upper lake but should be completed by mid November and fish will show up farther up lake and in the creeks.
