Elite

A look at Lake Hartwell 2025

Fourth Elite stop returns to familiar South Carolina fishery where multiple patterns will be in play.

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Mike Suchan
The fourth stop of B.A.S.S.’s top circuit takes the 102 anglers to a familiar fishery for the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell, April 24-27.
One of the region’s largest and most popular recreational lakes, the fishery in South Carolina’s Upcountry has hosted nine pro level B.A.S.S. events tournaments, including four Bassmaster Classics, and numerous B.A.S.S Nation, college and high school events. This is the Elite Series’ second visit.
Lake Hartwell, shown in this NASA satellite image with north to the right, is a 56,000-acre reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina. Hartwell extends 49 miles up the Tugaloo River and 45 miles up the Seneca River. It has 962 miles of shoreline, plunges to 185 feet deep with an average depth of 45 feet.
Green Pond Landing and Event Center is site of the daily launches at 7 a.m. ET. The facility, at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, was built specifically for hosting large tournaments. Weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET daily, and Expo hours are noon to 5 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. All B.A.S.S. venues are free to attend.
Hartwell features an array of habitat and a good populations of both largemouth and spotted bass. Offshore habitat includes humps, rocks, islands, points, channel swings and standing timber, while the shallow to mid-depth range has a mix of docks, bushes, laydowns and brushpiles.
Brandon Cobb, who lives a little more than an hour from the lake, recorded a wire-to-wire win in the 2019 Elite here. He said most patterns should be in play. “That will be a really good tournament. It will be right at the end of spawn, and herring will probably be spawning,” he said. “It will be everything. You’ll see guys fishing the herring spawn and then catching them in a foot of water.”
Hartwell guide and Opens competitor Tyler Campbell, who at 23 competed at last month’s Lake Ray Roberts Classic, gave a rundown of what he’s seeing on the water. “Spring has sprung in South Carolina,” he said. “I’m expecting a spawn/postspawn tournament.”
“I think the better-quality fish will come from the lower third of the lake, from takeoff and down,” Campbell said.
“That area has the bigger population of fish and a better average size. I attribute that to a better population of baitfish.”
The Elites are coming off a first-time visit to the Pasquotank River in North Carolina, where Alabama’s Kyle Welcher blew away the field. Catching the second double-digit fish of the year (10-8), Welcher weighed the 13th-best, four-day total of 118-12 while setting the largest margin of victory (45-7).
Welcher was part of one of the closest finishes in recent memory, falling just 5 ounces short of Jason Christie’s total in the 2022 Hartwell Bassmaster Classic. Other Classic winners at Hartwell are Alton Jones (2008), Casey Ashley (2015) and Jordan Lee (2018).
The most recent pro-level winner at Hartwell is Tristan McCormick. After winning the 2021 College Bracket to qualify for the Classic, the Tennessee pro won the 2022 Open with 45-0. Patrick Walters won the 2020 Hartwell Open.
The forecast calls for some storms in the early rounds, but no drastic change in temperatures.
The 102 Elites blast off Thursday seeking their heaviest five fish that measure 12 inches or more. The field is cut to the Top 50 after two days, then narrowed to the Top 10 vying for the $100,000 first prize. “The key will be not getting too bogged down in one area or one pattern,” Campbell said. “Guys are gonna have to mix it up, they’re going to have to cover a lot of water and adapt with the conditions. These herring fish are fickle … several guys are going to be on top of one another and they’re going to have to get creative and figure out some different ways to catch them.”
With his 17th-place finish at the Pasquotank, Will Davis Jr. leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings via a tiebreaker with John Garrett. Each has 270 points and are followed closely by Jay Przekurat (268), Jake Whitaker (262) and Lee Livesay (258). Tucker Smith is atop the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie standings with 191 points, with Paul Marks second (180).
Bassmaster LIVE coverage airs on Bassmaster.com Days 1 and 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m., and it will also be on Roku Sports from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. FS1 airs Semifinal Saturday and Championship Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before coverage moves to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

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