Bassmaster Kayak Series takes on Lake Hartwell
Anderson, S.C. (April 13, 2023) – The Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX will make its first trip to historic Lake Hartwell April 15-16, and local angler Joshua Diehl believes plenty of bass will be caught in a variety of different ways.
“This is one of the best times of year to be on Hartwell. It is a great draw and a great opportunity to get anglers out there,” Diehl said. “It is going to be a big field and there will be plenty of room to spread out. There are so many ways this can be fished and won. I think it will be a slugfest.”
The site of last year’s Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota won by Jason Christie, Lake Hartwell has been a staple on the Bassmaster tournament trails for many years now.
Lake Hartwell features both spotted and largemouth, both of which could play an important role in Deihl’s mind.
There will likely be several different things happening on the lake when anglers arrive. Depending on the weather, the bass will likely be spawning or heading towards a mostly post spawn phase while the Blueback herring that inhabit the lake will be starting their spawn.
“It is going to be very weather dependent,” Diehl said. “The bass will be transitioning to long points and starting to make their way out and feed aggressively on bait that is coming up to spawn. Spots spawn later than largemouth and because of that, you could win this event completely on spots. Hartwell has some big spots in it.”
It will be difficult for anglers to visually pick out those spawning spotted bass, as they will be in 10-15 feet of water. If the herring spawn starts, those spotted bass will also try to feed while they are also spawning.
The herring will spawn on shallow clay points, buck brush and inside saddles and blow-throughs and with them anglers will find the bass chasing them. Long points will start to play a role as well on Lake Hartwell and that will allow anglers to throw jerkbaits as well as topwater baits.
“We (had) a more mild than normal winter so the water temperatures in the chain were higher than usual,” Diehl said. “It could be gangbusters. This could be the best topwater event of the year.”
Cane piles will also start coming into play this time of year, but Diehl said anglers will need to be really good with their electronics to find them.
Much of the largemouth population will be located in the creek arms and fingers of the lake as well as a more robust population of threadfin shad. The tournament could be won with largemouth, but Diehl believes the consistent length of the spotted bass will prevail overall.
Competition will start each day at 7:00 a.m. ET with lines out at 3:00 p.m. Anglers will earn points to determine the final Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year standings, which is currently being led by Bassmaster Elite Series pro Greg DiPalma.
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Tourism Professionals from Across the Southeast Head to Anderson for Annual Conference
Anderson, S.C. (April 13, 2023) – Visit Anderson is honored to host the annual Southeastern Travel Counselors Alliance (STCA) Conference April 17 through April 19. STCA is a regional organization for Welcome Center professionals from 13 southeastern states and Maine.
The main goals of STCA’s annual meetings are to make connections and share information and best practices. This year’s agenda includes topics like marketing, security, staff morale, and budgeting. More than 50 Welcome Center directors, managers, and travel counselors from nine states – Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, and Maine – are attending this year.
While their home base will be the Home 2 Suites by Hilton in downtown Anderson, conference attendees will also get the chance to explore and enjoy all that Anderson has to offer, starting with a welcome dinner and reception at Iron Oak Barn. This year’s theme, “Discovering the Undiscovered,” highlights unique South Carolina tastes and experiences and showcases numerous local vendors. Conference organizers from Discover South Carolina also partnered with Visit Anderson to offer two distinct tours for guests to enjoy, which include stops at Green Pond Landing, Woodburn Historic House, Downtown Pendleton, Garrison Arena, Anderson County Museum, Palmetto Distillery, and Split Creek Goat Farm.
“Visit Anderson is always wonderful to work with on any event we bring in,” said Heather Harley, South Carolina Welcome Center Operations Manager. “Their team is with you every step of the way to make sure the event goes off without a hitch. Anderson is an ideal destination for showcasing South Carolina hospitality to our Welcome Center partners, and we’re thrilled to help our STCA attendees discover everything this area has to offer.”
Visit Anderson looks forward to welcoming STCA, and can work with you on your next event! Head to VisitAnderson.com to learn more about our role in recruiting sporting events, meetings, and social gatherings such as weddings and family reunions to our area.
The 2022 
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