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“SONAR WITH KEN STURDIVANT”
See samples of the
New Lowrance HDS Structure Scan Down Scan at this address:
http://havefunfishing.com/fishingreports/lowrance.htm
Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional
Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE! Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor
World in Lawrenceville Georgia. All seminars are the last Saturday of each month
at 2pm. All seminars are subject to change without notice.
Our DVD, Rods, Reels and Lures for
Bass is now on sale for only $25.00 including shipping. Send a check payable to
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. to: Southern Fishing Schools Inc to 106 Hickory
Ridge Drive, Cumming Georgia. Please allow 14 days for delivery.
Hartwell Waypoints for Bass
Fishing are on Sale now. For $99.00, we will send you 40 GPS locations for year
round Bass Fishing on Lake Hartwell by Tim White. You MUST load these locations
into a GPS unit to find these locations.
February 9, 2012
LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.36 FEET, CLEAR & 51 DEGREES
Bass fishing is good and the water temperatures should not get any colder this
month unless winter comes back for a week. Bass are staging now and secondary
points near deeper water seem to be the favorite this week among anglers. A few
early morning bass are being caught on spinnerbaits around brush piles and wood
and one or two around the bigger docks. Throw shallow and work it slow all the
way back to the deeper water. Most of the fish being taken are biting slow
moving crank baits while fishing small cuts and the sides of smaller secondary
points. Good baits for this are the Storm deep wart and of course the RS Shad
raps. The key here is not to over work the bait. A slow retrieve with an
occasional pause is what is getting the most bites. Try several colors and baits
before leaving an area. The warming trend will move some of these bass towards
the back of creeks into the shallow water but it won't be easy to haul these
fish in. Good baits for locating and catching the shallow water bass are the
Rattle Hot Craw Tube and the Rattle Tube by Storm. Rig both of these baits on a
Texas rig with heavy line and flip right into heavy cover and let it sit.
Several casts might be necessary to get a bite. Work your way from the mouth to
the back of the smaller creeks and then back out again. See our web site for
Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
The “Bass Fishing Lake Hartwell” guide is for
sale.
Ask for a free sample via e mail.
Lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
Tim White and Ken Sturdivant have loaded the new book,
"BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL"
with over 60 locations exclusively for bass anglers. The book is $39.00 total
and if you want a sample, send me an e mail to
ken@havefunfishing.com. Our mailing
address is: SOUTHERN FISHING SCHOOLS INC. 106 Hickory Ridge Cumming Georgia
30040. Check or money orders. no credit cards. Please allow 14 days for
delivery.
If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail
to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.
We have these books for sale: “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”.
These books are written by Tim White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65
locations exclusively for bass and covers every week of the year. Each book
$39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools
Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We teach “ON THE WATER SCHOOLS”: “Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or Maps and
Depth Finders. Call 770 889 2654 for details or see the web site:
www.havefunfishing.com.
Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera. Copyright 2009,
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school “Rods, Reels and Lures
for Bass”. See our web site, www.havefunfishing.com for more details or call us
right away, 770 889 2654.
Lake Hartwell is one of three large
reservoirs on the Savannah River operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(COE). Lake Hartwell’s 56,000 acres are formed by the Tugaloo and Seneca Rivers,
which merge to form the Savannah River. Lake Hartwell provides a wide variety of
fish habitats that range from rocky bluffs on the upper Tugaloo River arm to
shallow cove pockets and sandy flats in the middle and lower sections of the
lake. Long, gradually sloping points and humps are located on most inside bends
along the main channel. These points attract striped bass and hybrid bass during
the cool weather months. Large expanses of submerged timber are located at the
mouth of many coves and along the main river channel. Boat access is available
at many locations around the shoreline at boat ramps operated by the US Army
Corps of Engineers and State Parks. On the Georgia side of the lake, Tugaloo and
Hart State Parks also offer lodging, camping, picnicking and other recreational
activities. Lake Hartwell will be the host site to the 2008 Bass Masters
Classic. This super bowl of bass fishing tournaments will bring considerable
attention to the reservoir during mid February. Since its impoundment,
largemouth bass dominate the black bass population, but the spotted bass
population is showing signs of expansion. Spots weighing up to 3 pounds were
seen by WRD personnel during the fall. Redeye bass remain abundant on the lower
half of the lake, especially on rocky shorelines such as those near the
Crawford’s Ferry Landing and main lake points near Long Point. Redeye’s up to 2
pounds were common in the fall. Redeye’s are aggressive feeders and will readily
take most artificial lures that imitate small fish or crayfish. Largemouth bass
are the most sought after species by anglers fishing Lake Hartwell, and the
abundance of bass is near record high levels. The strong 2003 year class
continues to exert considerable influence on the bass population. In 2008, these
fish will range from 2 3 pounds in weight. On the Georgia side of the lake,
Lightwood Log Creek, Shoal Creek, Gum Log Creek and Eastanollee Creek typically
yield the highest catch rates of bass. During the spring months, shallow water
bait presentations around cover located in coves and pockets is the preferred
technique. In early summer, bass key in on shad and herring on main lake humps
and points. A favorite summer pattern is fishing early mornings and late
afternoons with top water baits like the Sammy, Zara Spook or Super Fluke, in
clear water around 25 feet deep 10 near the reef marker points on the lower half
of the lake. Fishing guides often comment how bass explode to the surface from
their deep water hideouts to take these top water baits. Black crappie is a
favorite target of Lake Hartwell anglers. The crappie population was very
abundant over the last two years, but the forecast for 2008 is low numbers. WRD
biologists observed similar declines in the crappie population during past
drought cycles. On the positive side, the bulk of the crappie will be in the 10
to 12 inch size range due to the reduced number of small fish. The areas with
the largest numbers of crappie on the Georgia side of the lake include
Eastanollee Creek, Gum Log Creek, Shoal Creek and Lightwood Log Creek. As the
water starts to warm in late February to early March, anglers will find fish in
these areas around submerged trees, bridge abutments, and old road beds in 10 to
15 feet of water. When the water temperature reaches 65oF by early April,
crappie will move into 2 to 3 feet of water in the back of the cove around
submerged cover. Fishing around structure and cover is critical to your success.
During the fall, large numbers of crappie congregate in the submerged timber in
Eastanollee Creek. Hybrid bass and striped bass are stocked annually into Lake
Hartwell and support popular fisheries. Over the last few years, WRD has strived
to stock equal numbers of hybrid and striped bass in order to improve the trophy
striper potential of Lake Hartwell. As a result of this effort, the abundance of
striped bass in the 10 12 pounds weight class is at a record high level. In WRD
samples, this weight class accounted for 26 percent of the population compared
to only 6 percent from the previous year. Over the next two to three years, the
abundance of 20 pounds stripers should increase dramatically. The forecast for
hybrid bass indicates an influx of small fish into the population as a result of
excellent stocking success last spring. Because of successful stockings over the
past three years, anglers will also enjoy catching a few more hybrids in the 3 5
pounds class as well. When water temperatures range from 55 to 65o, small
hybrids congregate on secondary points located in major cove arms. These small
fish are easy to target during the spring and great fun for the novice angler to
catch on light tackle. When water temperatures are less than 70o, anglers can
usually find stripers and hybrids in or near shallow water. Anglers should take
advantage of certain environmental conditions that will favor their chances of
hooking into a striper or hybrid. These conditions include: Topography fish the
points and adjacent banks in major cove arms; Time – the bite is best at dusk
and dawn; Turbidity stained/ muddy water attracts fish; and Wind – fish will
congregate along the wind blown shorelines. During the warm weather months,
stripers and hybrids move downstream toward the dam to find suitable water at
the right temperature and with sufficient oxygen. Down lining herring at night
is the best way to catch hybrids and stripers during the heat of summer. The
Striper Kings and Appalachian Striper Club are two fishing clubs that provide up
to date fishing reports for Lake Hartwell. For those who enjoy fishing from shore, numerous opportunities
are available at the state parks and boat ramp facilities around the lake, but
three or four sites are seasonal standouts. For stripers and hybrids during the
summer, anglers should fish live herring or cut bait at night on the bottom at
Long Point, located in Hartwell at the COE Long Point Boat Ramp. Walker Creek,
which is the most upstream ramp on the Georgia side, also offers good seasonal
fishing opportunities for walleye, hybrid bass, and striped bass from March
through May. These same species can also be caught from the shore a little
further upstream at the base of Yonah Dam. Stephens County Park, adjacent to the
Highway 123 Bridge and the face of Hartwell Dam provide good bass fishing along
the rip rap in April and May. More information about Lake Hartwell is available
at the COE website at www.sas.usace.mil/srl/recreation.htm.
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