Hartwell Stripers

[Trey9123]

Hey all, new to the forum. My parents just bought a house about 2 miles from the dam on lake Hartwell on the South Carolina side, right next to the sailboat marina. I have spent a lot of time fishing over the years both salt and fresh water, but freshwater stripers are something totally new to me. When I look at pictures, my bass and trout rods seem woefully under gunned and my surf stuff does not seem right either. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for some reasonable rod/reel setups to get me going. I want to get a couple so I don't really want to spend a fortune. Also, anyone who has fished Hartwell, I would love some suggestions for tackle, lures, locations, and techniques to get me going. Any advice would be great, and thanks in advance.

[JakeF]

Hi Trey and welcome to the forum! Are you fishing from shore, or boat?

Read through some of the sticky threads HERE as well, there's a lot of great info there for beginners

[Trey9123]

Probably some of both. I know that the plug and bait fish for them down below the dam from the pier. We will also probably be doing some boat fishing. I am just looking for some good all-purpose spinning rods. Thanks

[JakeF]

Take a look at the St. Croix Tidemaster rods. I have one in 7'6" casting that I use from the kayak and it's a great rod. Lots of backbone for a light tackle rod.

[Tman1]

I like the St Croix rods as well. Also look into the premier and Mojo lines. They are a little cheaper that the Tidemasters.

[StriperQuestKyle]

It is good to see another southern lake fisherman on here!

You didn't mention if you were fishing from the bank or boat. But here are my suggestions for some beginner equipment

Spinning rod - Casting from shore or boat to rising fish or lures

Ugly Stik Striper Spinning Combo
Ugly Stik Catfish Spinning Combo

Boat Downline

OKuma Classic Pro Striper Rod
Ugly Stik Striper Rod
Diawa 27 reel with line counter for free-line or downline
Diawa 57 reel with line counter for leadcore or braid for U-rigs

Lures Keep it simple like most people I have way too many lures that I don't use. These I use all the time...

Captain Mack bucktail jigs (1/2oz to 1oz) white heads and feathers. I also like the blue/yellow feathers in the summer
Captain Mack Chartreuse and white tails
Captain Mack Umbrella Rigs
three jonted swim baits (bone, trout or shad)
Top water Plugs (bone, chicken scratch)
Bombers for night fishing (not sure color matters)


Good Luck!