Lake Hartwell
At more than 58,000 acres, Lake Hartwell is one of our bigger reservoirs and produces largemouth, spotted and redeye bass. The average size of bass is good, and the CCR shows this impoundment having the third-highest average winning weight in club tournaments. It also had the sixth-highest bass per angler/hour of any reported tournament sites.

In the spring, bass move into creeks and pockets on the main lake, getting ready to spawn. Try spinnerbaits and crankbaits around shoreline cover, from halfway back to the very ends of protected areas. As the water warms, throw a Trick worm in those same areas.

During the summer, a fantastic topwater pattern develops on Hartwell. Go to any main-lake shoal -- shallow water near deep water, often identified with a danger marker -- and throw stickbaits, soft-plastic jerk baits or other topwater lures. Largemouth, spotted and redeye bass all move to these areas to feed on herring, and you will see a half dozen bass following the one you hook. This pattern holds from mid spring through the summer.

In the fall, bass again move into the creeks, and crankbaits are excellent lures for catching them. Fish these baits along steep creek banks or throw a jig-and-pig to any wood cover you find.

In the winter, jigging a spoon on main-lake humps and points is also a good idea. You can catch all three species of bass by dropping a spoon to fish schooled up in 30 feet of water. Locate schools of baitfish, and fish under them.

Savannah River
The Savannah River from Augusta to the coast offers many miles of good bass fishing. In the CCR, it shows the third highest catch of bass per man/hour, so it is as good as our best lakes for numbers of fish. And the bass are a good sized, with the river having the third-highest weigh per angler/hour.

Early in the spring, bass tend to hold around the mouths of creeks and oxbow lakes, taking advantage of any breaks in the current. Cast a crankbait or jig-and-pig around trees in the water on the main river, right at the mouths of creeks. Also, fish back into the creek a short distance, hitting the deeper banks.

As the water warms, bass move into the creeks and sloughs to spawn. Most old oxbows and creeks offer a deeper bank with stumps and wood cover on it and a shallow bank with overhanging willow trees. Fish the deeper banks with a jig-and-pig and spinnerbaits up until the fish spawn.

After the spawn, throw a Trick worm under overhanging willows for some good bass fishing. This pattern holds up through the summer, but the best catches are in May and June. During the summer, many bass move back out onto the main river, where you can catch them on crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms in wood cover.

In fall, look for largemouths on the main river and around creek mouths. They are more active as the water gets cooler and hit faster moving lures like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. In the coldest months, slowly work a jig-and-pig through cover that breaks the current to find sluggish bass holding there.

Lake Oconee
Lake Oconee is one of the most popular bass fishing spots in Georgia, with the third-highest number of tournaments held there annually. Right in the middle of the state, it produces good numbers of bass of a respectable size. The catch rate per hour and weigh per hour is right in the middle of the range of all bass tournaments recorded in the CCR.