Lake Hartwell has been fishing great for me this winter!  Ive been on them all winter!  This weekend was horable fishing conditions for winter fishing with high winds and fridge temps.  For me it didn't seem to matter what the weater was... the fishing was great, actually Sunday I had one of the best days all winter even in the high winds.  I felt pretty lucky that I could hid frome the wind and catch fish.   I have been noticing that the fish have been a little more sluggish due to the cold water, but Ive been lucky to be on some big bodies of fish that picking away a good number of bites hasn't been too much of a prob.  It is a little more of a patient bite in the winter.  Slow down everything, fish smaller baits and you will put more fish in the boat. Good depths to look... 20-45 have been good for me.  The birds also have been working fish great for me this winter.  Look for gulls and then start using your graph.  Bait is also a key.  If you find both the gulls and a large consintration of Bait, odds are the stripers are close. Water temp has been cold...48 degrees... and yes all these fish have been caught on live bait!

Water temp: 48 degrees.  Fishing has actually been great up on Lake Jocassee this winter.  Now we are catching big numbers of what we call Stockers.  These fish are 12-14 inches on average with a few making it over 15 inches. Now what we are all looking for up there are those trophy class fish which have been biting as well.  I have been very sucessfull in the backs of the rivers using med shinners or small blue back herring on downrods from 30-60 foot.  Now you wont fill the boat with these big fish making a patient wait and fishing for those handfull of bites.  More or less saying those big fish will only give you a few shots in a day if any, but if you capitolize and hook and land this fish, it may be the biggest trout of your life.  As far as trolling, the main lake has been producing some really large fish.  Ive seen some fish go over 7 lbs this winter with a few friends catching a few over 8 and one over 10.  Those are studs of trout for anywhere in the country.  fishing due to go off the hook in Jocassee standards as the water starts to warm!