Lake Hartwell Fishing and Marine: A “Must Stop” in SC

I like it when the Bassmaster Classic visits South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. Not only is it a great tournament venue and one of the closest Classic locations to home (just an 8 hour drive, which means I can bring everything I might need for the varying weather conditions), but it also gives me an opportunity to visit one of America’s great local tackle shops: Lake Hartwell Fishing and Marine.

It’s no secret that the great local shop is a vanishing breed. Between online superstores and the big box behemoths, in most cases if you’re going to survive you need to distinguish yourself in some way – typically that means either being close to a major tournament lake or carrying items the big guys don’t. Lake Hartwell Fishing and Marine checks both of those boxes in a big way. It’s absolutely loaded with bass fishing goodness.

It also helps that it’s a gathering place for the fishing community. It’s right off the interstate, you have to pass right by in order to get to several of the major tournament launch sites, and it has served as a launch pad for several pro careers.

What makes this shop great is that not only do they have all of the staples you’d need for bass fishing anywhere, but they also have a wide variety of local or regional lures, made for Hartwell – but which may give you a leg up on your buddies at home For example, they have loaded racks and cards of small-scale jigs suited for skipping docks, flipping brush, swimming and dragging offshore

They also carry spinnerbaits from both the nationwide brands, and some lesser-known options. The store has a great selection of Ryan Coleman’s Spot Stickers.

If you’re looking for swimbaits, including one that’s intended to replicate the discontinued version made famous by Steve Kennedy and other bass pros, they have some good ones, like those from South Carolina’s 7 Fifteen Baits.

And while I was particularly interested in the harder-to-find gear, they have one of the best selections of Yamamoto (although a few pegs were notably empty) and Berkley baits I’ve seen anywhere.

Don’t worry, though. They also had a wide variety of plastics made for the specific conditions found in South Carolina and neighboring states like Georgia.

Finally, check out the custom made walking baits for big blueback chasers. They were in one of several locked cabinets with all of the secret squirrel stuff like Bull Shads, Lucky Crafts, Jackall Lures and other top shelf items.

I restrained myself and spent only a little over $130 on this trip – some local swimbaits that I’d been told about by a tour-level pro and a flutter spoon in a color I’d never seen for our upcoming trip to El Salto in June. I know that we’ll be back to Hartwell at some point and next time I’m sure I’ll spend every bit as much, if not more.