I got my first boat in January this past year and have fished almost every Saturday this year with my sons on either Lake Hartwell or Lake Keowee. Both lakes are known for being blueback herring lakes with good-sized spotted bass. These lakes also have very little vegetation. They are mostly offshore points / shoals, a few interesting shallow creek areas, and tons of floating docks. I got FFS for the boat in June.

 

We’ve done OK. Spring was fairly easy to get some large spotted bass using jerkbait without having too much of a dedicated strategy. I think we got lucky on some of the February and March days when we had no idea what we were doing and were trolling around jerkbaiting rocky points.

 

April and May we did not capitalize on the postspawn pattern. We basically continued to do the same thing and never caught largemouth. June through September was tough and caused me to start trying different things. We had the most success targeting bridges. A highlight was catching a 5-pound largemouth with dropshot 45 feet under one of the major bridges, but that same day was brutal, and we only caught two other small spots that day.

 

In general we are not doing as well as I know we could. We catch approximately one keeper per hour between the three of us (they are 8 and 6, and they are both quite skilled technically for their ages, so they are helpful at adding to the numbers),”. I know we should be able to catch more when we find them. Some days are worse than that average if we can’t figure it out. We caught 5 bass in 8 hours of fishing on Hartwell yesterday. I can’t find the big ones in warm/hot water. I’ve hit two 3 pound largemouths in creeks with the jig, but it seemed like random luck.

 

90% of what we’ve caught are with jerkbait, dropshot, and wacky Senkos. We’ve also had mild success with bladed jig. I can’t get Shaky Head or topwater to be effective, so it feels like I’m doing something wrong with those techniques.

 

I’m seeking advice on how to go out and consistently get a 10+ pound bag with me and my 2 sons over the course of a day. With what I know about it this lake that should be achievable. Right now our only goal has been one keeper per hour, and there’s no real culling strategy to get the weight up. Basically if we happen to get a big one then that’s great, but it feels random. We’re just trying to get a bag+ right now.

 

I rented a charter from a 40-year veteran in a week to hopefully learn some things. Any advice from you all here would be very helpful. I’m happy to answer any questions from folks willing to help and will be able to check this and respond this evening.

 

Thank you so much in advance!

I fish Lanier which is essentially the same kind of lake and find the bait and find the fish.  What time of day are you fishing?  Weather permitting early morning is the best time with late evening the next best.  Look up Preston Hardin, a Hartwell guide.  We fished together on Lanier and he always knew where they were and how to catch them.

 Glimmer Blue Super Fluke weighted and unweighted on my Herring lake is magical often.

I fished Keowee this past fall and had success in shallow waters with a baby bass squarebill and an underspin with a blue and white head and a bluish paddletail targeting spotted and largemouth bass.

 

I caught one 6-7 pound LMB throwing near timber on that underspin.

 

Headed out to Hartwell this weekend targeting points and ledges.

Thanks for the responses, guys.

 

A buddy and I just caught 27 bass on Hartwell yesterday which was a numbers record for us this year by quite a bit, but we had a lot of small ones. It probably would’ve been a 10 pound bag (best 5) which is disappointing. Still trying to figure out how to get weights up, and then numbers with weight. Part of that was that we were trying to “match the hatch” with 2.5” and 2.8” paddletails which was a small bait, so that’s part of the reason we caught a ton of small ones. A 6-7 pounder on Keowee is a dream catch - I’m noting your underspin recommendation, thank you for that.

 

I’m wondering if I just need to cover more water while doing the right things to catch a big largemouth. Still, I’d think I would catch more size than just one 5-pounder in 10 months if I were doing the right things to catch the big fish.

Dawn, Dusk and after midnight....in the summer!

 

Bass fishing is a lifelong teacher! 

Enjoy the ride

Tight Lines 

If it were me, fishing with 2 young boys, I’d stop trying for big fish, and just try to catch anything, regardless of size. Going long periods without a bite gets boring especially for kids. If you want them to quit being excited about fishing, keep doing what you’re doing. Downsize your lures and stay shallow. Try for some panfish to break up the day. You’ll probably still get a few “keepers” and hopefully get more action that will keep the kids entertained. 

Usually LM and Alabamas aren't in the same location.  LM are in shallower water, up tributaries, rivers, etc.