Southern Reservoir Bass Fishing on Lake Hartwell

The Ultimate Ball Fishing Playground: Lake Hartwell

You ever have one of those days on the water where everything just clicks—where the fish cooperate, the gear holds strong, and your buddy doesn’t steal all the good casts (well, almost)? That was the vibe when pro anglers Matt Henry and Justin Kimmel launched their Lund into the legendary waters of Lake Hartwell, a 56,000-acre fishing paradise straddling the Georgia-South Carolina border.

This wasn’t a high-stakes tournament. No pressure. No weigh-ins. Just two dudes chasing the tug. And let me tell you—Hartwell brought the heat.

Target Rich, Technique Optional

Lake Hartwell is a veritable buffet of bass. We're talking spotted bass, largemouth, and stripers feasting on blueback herring like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. The lake is versatile enough that you can throw a dart at your tackle box and probably still land a fish.

Matt and Justin did exactly that—starting with spinnerbaits and Alabama rigs, transitioning to shaky heads and jigs, then dialing up some old-school blade bait and jigging spoon action. It was bass fishing’s version of a multi-course meal.

No Tournament, No Problem

Without the usual tournament stress, the guys fished loose—and that freedom showed. They followed birds, chased busting bait, and sampled every structure from deep rock piles to brush-covered points. It was part science, part art, and 100% fun.

Early on, Justin hooked into a tanker spotted bass—over 4 pounds and built like a linebacker. That thing was stuffed with herring like a Thanksgiving turkey and hit the Alabama rig like it owed her money. “She hit it like a dang truck,” he said. No lies told.

Fish Down Low? Go Slow. Fish Up High? Let It Fly.

The mid-November water temps were hovering in the 60s, which meant one thing: constant change. When the sun popped out, the bass hugged bottom. Out came the jigs and shaky heads. When the clouds rolled in? Those fish went full-on party mode, schooling high and smashing swimbaits and A-rigs with reckless abandon.

If you blinked, the bite changed. If you hesitated, the school moved. Welcome to the beautiful chaos of a blueback herring lake.

Old-School Skills Meet Modern Madness

Now here’s where it gets good: they didn’t even have forward-facing sonar. Gasp. They were running retro—pure instinct, gut feeling, and a little help from loons and gulls. And it worked. They dialed in patterns using bite clues—like how one fish smacked the bait high in the column, or how another sucker refused the jig, only to eat the shaky head seconds later.

Fish the Way You Wanna Fish

Lake Hartwell isn’t just for the pros. It's a playground where everyone can catch fish—no matter your style. Want to run points and throw swimbaits all day? Go for it. Prefer to skip jigs under docks until you find that kicker largemouth? Have at it. Into chasing schools like a maniac with a topwater rod and a dream? That works too.

Stripers That’ll Put Hair on Your Chest

While the bass action was stellar, the stripers nearly stole the show. Big, roaming beasts—some pushing 20 pounds—blew up bait all around the boat. “It's about to go down,” Matt whispered like a man about to meet his destiny. And it did. Bent rods, screaming drags, and the kind of chaos that makes your inner kid do backflips.

A Word on the Ride

Oh, and they were fishing out of a Lund 1775 Impact Sport, powered by a 115hp Mercury Pro XS 4-stroke. Windshield up, dry as a bone, plenty of deck space, and storage for twenty rods. This wasn’t just a fishing machine—it was a family-friendly, rough-water-eating Swiss Army knife of a boat. You can ski, fish, chill, or chase monster stripers. Whatever floats your Lund.

Final Cast: A Harwell Highlight Reel

Let’s recap the hits:

• Spotted bass pushing 4–5 pounds
• Largemouth caught skipping under docks, mid-ditch, and everything in between
• Stripers chasing bait: jigs, swimbaits, shaky heads, Alabama rigs—all got their time to shine
• And a whole lot of laughs, boat banter, and that undeniable rush when a rod loads up

Lake Hartwell isn’t just a fishery. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure story where the bass are thick, the stripers are savage, and the bluebacks are the MVPs fueling it all.

Check out the fishing boat used in this episode—Lund's 1775 Impact XS. See it in person at a Lund dealership near you.