Lake Richard B. Russell is a trophy striper lake
Striper fishing guide Preston Hardin slipped the net under a hefty striped bass caught from a deep-water ridge near the middle of Lake Richard B. Russell. The angler breathed a sigh of muscle-relaxing relief after a hard-fought battle with a feisty striper, but before he could admire his catch, another rod arched three eyes deep into the water. Grabbing that rod, he simply held on as the drag screamed, and the line was peeling off the reel.
The same angler who had just won a matchup against a striper later weighed at nearly 20 pounds was struggling to gain control of this fish. Despite the drag doing its job, the angler was slowly drawn forward by the strain on the rod. A buddy grabbed his belt from behind, stabilizing him, while Hardin coached him that he’d have to thumb the reel to slow this beast down.
“We’re on a clean ridge, but it’s not far to the deep water where the standing timber is thick,” Hardin said. “You’ve got to slow this dude down.”
Despite blistering his thumb to slow the drag, the striper reached the trees, and the saga ended with a frayed line, broken heart, and empty dipnet.
If battling trophy striped bass is the goal, Lake Richard B. Russell, a 26,650-acre Savannah River Lake on the Georgia and South Carolina border, is a prime destination.
Not all battles with trophy stripers end in broken lines, but with the submerged standing timber found throughout this lake, it’s not an uncommon ending.
Top notch fishing
Veteran striper guide Hardin puts it in perspective.
“We’ve got great striper fishing on many lakes in the Carolinas where quality stripers are caught,” he said. “But if you want to battle a trophy striper in South Carolina, win or lose, Lake Richard B. Russell is your best bet.”
Fisheries biologists with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) said Lake Russell’s “big-striper fishery” developed independently at first, likely fed from striper influx from upstream Lake Hartwell and downstream Clarks Hill Lake via the pumpback system.
SCDNR Chief of Fisheries Ross Self said a low-density stocking program, closely coordinated with Georgia fisheries biologists, has been in place for years. This program ensures consistent recruitment to the trophy fishery, while allowing stripers to grow to maximum size.
According to SCDNR records, the South Carolina record striper was taken from Richard B. Russell: a 63-pound, 4-ounce monster caught on April 3, 2009. With the world record freshwater striper weighing in at just over 69 pounds, the top-end size of stripers in these waters is world-class.
Catching trophy stripers requires a good plan. One prime time is during January, but the potential exists throughout the year to hook and land 30-plus pound stripers.
Jerry Kotal guides year-round for stripers at Lake Russell, and he favors the winter for landing trophy fish.
“These super-sized stripers are often found in shallower water, on open flats back in coves and pockets, away from the gnarly timber located in deep water,” Kotal said. “These flats provide anglers a fighting chance to hook and land trophy fish using artificial lures.”
Casting artificial lures isn’t always the best plan, because stripers are often found in areas that dictate the use of live bait.
“Artificial lures also require anglers to make long, accurate casts,” he said. “But any skill level fisherman has a chance with live bait.”
He said the best cold-weather fishing is in the middle part of the lake from December until April. The Beaver Dam Creek and Rocky River area to the lower end of the lake are prime targets for winter fishing.
Kotal targets points, humps, and ledges as broad targets and then specifically searches for stripers suspended around well-defined areas of forage.
Hope for dismal weather
“I want to see a consistent bait line when looking for big stripers,” he said. “Forage is a key for finding stripers. When live bait fishing, I’ll use the wind, or my electric motor, to move the boat over a specific target. I generally use blueback herring, but if the bite is slow, I’ll downsize the live bait with small shiners.”
Nasty weather brings out the best in trophy striper fishing. Cold, rainy days are excellent, as are cold, windy days. Kotal recommends preparing for the elements and fishing when you can, but also taking advantage of nasty weather.
When employing artificial lures, Kotal is usually fishing depths from 10 to 40 feet deep.
“I’ll use a variety of lures, including bucktails, swimbaits, and jigging spoons,” he said. “The umbrella rig is a consistent big striper lure. It’s heavy and hard work but worth the effort.”
Kotal (706-988-0860) said he often works the lure just over the tops of submerged trees, which are favored haunts for big stripers.
“I prefer finding stripers over open water void of submerged trees because we’ll have a better chance of landing big fish,” he said. “But when targeting trophy stripers, you deal with the situation and fish where you find them.”
Stripers occasionally surface feed in cold weather, and those nasty-weather days are prime for schooling fish.
“I get super-charged when I see gull activity, because stripers schooling in shallow water are catchable,” he said. “I expect to get bit by quality stripers. And shallower coves void of timber are targets where we can put multiple big fish in the boat.”
Kotal’s biggest striper boated is 47 pounds, and he said he’s hooked much larger.
“When conditions are right, the opportunities to catch multiple big fish, 30-pound class fish, on a given day are quite realistic, and I’m confident we have much larger fish in the lake,” he said.
It changes by spring
Fishing patterns change by spring, and Hardin said live bait fishing is productive. Blueback herring is his bait of choice when searching the major tributaries. Employing electronics, he’ll often find stripers far up the creeks.
“I’ll search the old creek channels, humps, and drops looking for the combination of forage and big fish signatures,” he said. “I’ll lower the bait to depths at or above the depth stripers are marked. I also use freelines behind the boat when in shallower water.”
Two patterns are employed to hook these line-sided brutes from summer through the end of the calendar year.
Hardin (706-255-5622) said summertime fishing is dominated by live bait, and the stripers are now primarily in the lake’s main river channel.
“I hope to find fish on the open ridges and flats that give us room to fight a big fish. The mid-to-lower end of the lake is my prime target, and I look for pods of forage surrounded by large individual fish marks. The stripers may suspend in 25 to 50 feet of water, but the bottom depth may be as much as 80 feet deep or more.”
The other pattern is in the upper end of Lake Russell in the active current below the Lake Hartwell Dam. Hardin said drifting large, live bait along the old river channel ledge produces quality fish.
“Drift with the current using an electric motor to stay close to the old Savannah River channel ledge,” he said.
He said current is essential to drawing stripers into this area, and while fishing is productive for a few miles below the Hartwell Dam, this area gets crowded with boats. Although it’s productive, Hardin doesn’t often target this area.
“I prefer the less-crowded, open water of the lower sector of the lake,” he said.
Fall fishing continues the summer patterns that trend back toward winter patterns by December.
The Lake Russell creel limit is two striped bass (or hybrids) per day, only one of which can exceed 34 inches. Because of the reciprocal license agreement between Georgia and South Carolina, you only need the license of one of the states.
Super-sized stripers are realistic targets throughout the year at Lake Russell, but be prepared to blister your thumb to get one in the net.
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