August 22

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 326.70 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s. 

It’s all starting to happen on Clarks Hill, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that he is now seeing giant balls of baby herring on the surface and the bass are starting to school on them. For right now it’s just getting underway, but soon fish will be all over the lake including humps on the lower end, bends in the creeks and more schooling.

In the rivers he is seeing tons of bait sitting on the edge of the banks, and cranking rocky points is a good way to target the fish feeding on that bait. Spinnerbaits, small swimbaits and topwater lures will also work. 

At the same time Josh is not ready to abandon the shallow pattern he has been on for some time, even though it’s been tougher with the Corps pulling the lake down so much recently. Even after a significant drop the bass are still keying on shallow bream, but it either takes them a couple of days to find them again or to be willing to get up there. He caught the monster 6 pounder pictured below on a Whopper Plopper fished around bedding bream, and when they blow up at it but miss he can usually catch them by firing a wacky rigged worm back.

August 18

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 327.02 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures on the lower end are down to about 82 degrees.  

The hybrid and striped bass fishing has changed dramatically since the last full moon, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that through about last Thursday the fishing was good in the lower lake. But then it changed dramatically. They went from catching 40 fish to only getting 10 or so on most trips, and the fish got very scattered and lethargic. There are a few fish on points but they don’t consistently want to eat herring. 

Right now the bigger fish in the lower lake seem to be happiest in about 50 feet, while in the 24-30 foot range it’s mainly small hybrids. The bright spot has been they did have a monster 34 plus pound fish on an otherwise slow day where they only caught four fish in 6 hours!

The other bright spot is that they have been pumping water back from the Russell Dam at night, and up the Savannah River from about Soap Creek up to the dam there has been some good water amenable to striper. As a result there has been some strong fishing in the evenings, and they have been catching fish in this stretch on down-rods, planer boards and even topwater lures. There has been periodic schooling. 

It’s tempting to think that we are transitioning into a fall bite, and water temperatures are down to mid-September levels, but realistically it will probably heat up again. 

There’s not much change with the offshore bass bite on Clarks Hill, and tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that it’s still pretty hit-or-miss. Some days you can have a big bag, and some days you struggle to catch five one-pounders.

Tyler is still finding much better activity on humps than brush piles, and he is generally fishing in 15-30 feet of water. Fish are schooling sporadically and you so you should always have a topwater tied on, but it’s still tough to call them up. They are also moving around a lot, and so there’s not a clear “sweet spot” to cast at.

When he’s not seeing fish schooling Tyler is casting a jig or worm but a drop shot is also working. 

It’s still nothing like spring or even early summer fishing, or even like it will be later this fall, but the crappie fishing on Clarks Hill has picked up a little with the recent cooling. Fish are being caught on brush in about 25 feet of water way up the Little River. Minnows have been working the best. 

A good day is about 20-30 fish right now. 

On the catfish front,Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that overall patterns remain similar, but the best fishing is moving deeper.  The bite for 1-10 pound blues and channels, as well as the occasional big fish, is still very good.  The night bite continues to be a lot more consistent than the daytime bite.

Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique.  During the day you want to fish in 30-50 feet, while at night 20-40 feet is the better depth range.  To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream.   Live bait increases the chances of catching a flathead. 

August 4

Clarks Hill water levels are at 328.06 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is once again above average. Morning surface water temperatures are about 85-87 degrees.

The hybrid and striped bass had gotten into some predictable summer patterns on Clarks Hill a couple of weeks ago, but by now Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they have really settled into late summer patterns. The vast majority of the fish are in the lower lake in a big 6-mile rectangle. They are also progressing through the depths almost like clockwork each day.  

Just before sunrise there is still a good bite as shallow as 22-30 feet of water with down-lines on the bottom, and then from about sunrise to 8 or 9 they are on the bottom in about 35 feet. After that they are suspending in the river channels about 45 feet down in whatever depth of water the bait is holding. Sometimes the fish will be spread out and coming through in a single file line, while at other times they are will be in a big group and feeding heavily. 

The oxygen line is also producing a lot of striper, and usually the action is slow and steady.

There have also been some good ones biting at the very top of the lake within sight of Russell Dam. Pretty soon it should turn into a great afternoon bite, and the last two seasons from about mid-August to mid-September there has been good topwater action up there. You can also pull free-lines. 

The offshore bass bite can still be good on Clarks Hill, but tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that it’s gotten pretty hit-or-miss. Some days you can have a big bag, and some days you struggle to catch five one-pounders.

Tyler is finding much better activity on humps than brush piles, and he is generally fishing in 15-30 feet of water. Fish are schooling sporadically and you so you should always have a topwater tied on, but lately Tyler has had extremely limited ability to call them up. They are also moving around a lot, and so there’s not a clear “sweet spot” to cast at.

When he’s not seeing fish schooling Tyler is casting a jig or worm, and he’s also discovered that at this stage of the summer when the fishing is tough a drop shot is a good way to catch them. 

While the deep bite has gotten sporadic, Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that the shallow bite has been shockingly good recently. At the full and to a lesser extent new moon bream are still bedding, but even between peak phases there are still a lot of bream shallow and some isolated spawning. When Josh sees dark male bluegill it’s almost a sure bet that there is a pack of largemouth somewhere in he flat pocket, while at other times he is finding the bass pulled out to the first rocky transition where you can’t see the bottom and often can’t see the fish.

A Whopper Plopper has been working the best, but when they are striking it short he is switching over to a wacky rig – which is also particularly good when fish are holding in the shade of docks and intermittently ambushing bream. 

There are also some huge schools of fish around bridges, and he has caught some on a 6XD crankbait. Soon they should start schooling.

He has also caught a few fish on a frog up the river but they have mostly been small. 

The crappie fishing has finally slowed down on Clarks Hill, but Little River Guide Service reports that fish are generally still in the same areas back in the creeks. At times they have gotten a little tighter to the brush, generally in 25-40 feet. 

Sometimes the fish show a preference for minnows and sometimes for jigs. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the bite for 1-10 pound blues and channels, as well as the occasional big fish, is still very good. The night bite continues to be a lot more consistent than the daytime bite.

Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. During the day you want to fish in 15-30 feet, while at night 5-15 is the better depth range. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream.  Live bait increases the chances of catching a flathead. 

July 22

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.12 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is a little stained in the creeks and rivers but still good on the main lake. Morning surface water temperatures are about 83-85 degrees.

As predicted the hybrid and striped bass fishing has finally gotten into some more normal summer patterns, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that in the Savannah River they are starting to catch more striper in the 35-55 foot range. Early in the morning they are on the shallower end of that band, but during the day fish push more towards the deeper end. The fish are suspended around humps and points early, but as the day goes on they are circling out to deeper water. There are two oxygen lines running at the moment, and all the fish are in the vicinity of these.

Their boats are mainly fishing with down-lines and herring, but you can also troll deep with down-riggers or lead core line and bucktails, swimbaits or tandem rigs. 

At the same time, in the river sections there continues to be a good shallower early bite for hybrids chasing bait in 20 feet or less. Just before sunrise they are catching fish in the 20-foot range on points and the sides of humps that top out shallower than 20 feet but are adjacent to deep water. The action is spread out over the lake, and it is fast and furious. They still usually have limits within an hour or so.

Finally, on the upper end there are a bunch of fish within sight of the Russell Dam. They can be caught on shallower down-lines. 

The offshore bass bite continues to be pretty good on Clarks Hill, and in a Wednesday night tournament Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that they finished third with 13.52 pounds. Traditionally on Clarks Hill schooling action dies down by 4 or 5 even at the best times for schooling, and probably because it was an evening tournament out of this window they never saw fish breaking.  However, fish were still out there on deep brush in 25-30 feet as well as humps with some rock in 20-30 feet. 

The fish did not want a jig, and it wasn’t until Tyler switched over to a Carolina rig with a 10-inch worm like his partner in the back of the boat that he started getting bites.  

During the day Tyler speculates there is still surface action offshore and particularly around the humps. 

The crappie fishing is still very good on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that the strong catches are coming in the backs of creeks and rivers. The best area right now is up the Georgia Little River, and the Amity area has been particularly strong. 

The fish are suspended 10-15 feet down, and sometimes they are over 20 feet and sometimes they are in 40 feet. Some are around natural timber and some are around brush that people have put out. Minnows have been working the best. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the bite for 1-10 pound blues and channels, as well as the occasional big fish, is still very good.  The night bite continues to be a lot more consistent than the daytime bite.

Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. During the day you want to fish in 15-30 feet, while at night 5-15 is the better depth range. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream.  Live bait increases the chances of catching a flathead. 

July 20

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 329.06 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is a little stained in the creeks and rivers. Morning surface water temperatures are about 84 degrees.

While Tyler Matthews reported that there was good offshore action on Clarks Hill last week, but could only speculate that there was a decent shallow bite, tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Harlem, Georgia can confirm his suspicion. On the full and to a lesser extent new moons fish are still keying on bream beds, and when the big bream are locked down on beds in rocky and sandy areas they are essentially sitting on them. At times they will swim back and forth between adjacent beds but otherwise they are pretty stationary. A Whopper Plopper continues to be the best way to trigger bites from fish keying on spawning bream.

While there are almost always a few bream spawning on Clarks Hill, when less bream are bedding Josh is seeing more wolf packs of fish up shallow cruising for prey. These fish are usually in groups of 4-7 fish, and when he sees a group of them right now they are also willing to take a Whopper Plopper. He is also having success pitching a drop shot to them, but this seems to get more strikes from small fish.

Josh notes that he has also seen some giant single fish up shallow cruising for bream, and last week he saw the biggest bass he has ever seen – in the 11-12 pound range – but couldn’t get it to strike. 

While this pattern will hold up all over the lake, Josh prefers to do in the more stained water up the Georgia Little River. 

July 15

Clarks Hill water levels are just below full at 329.63 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is still good on the main lake. Morning surface water temperatures are about 84 degrees.

There is a surprisingly good bite for bass right now on Clarks Hill, and tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that he has been getting on the water each day mid-morning and finding schooling activity on offshore humps where bass are chasing herring. Spotted bass and largemouth are mixed together, and the fish are in 18-40 feet of water. Some of the humps come up shallower than that but generally the fish are on the sides where it is deeper.  He isn’t bothering to fish anything less than 15 feet.  His bait of choice for schooling fish is a Sebille, and as can be seen from the photo below the fish are fighting over it!

While you never know when the fish will come up, and should always have a topwater bait or a fluke ready to throw, when Tyler pulls up on a hump and fish aren’t schooling he targets them with a Buckeye Sled rigged with a green pumpkin speed craw (1/2 ounce in more than 25 feet, 3/8 in less) or a drop shot. Only spotted bass have been biting the drop shot. When there is brush he doesn’t fish the drop shot to avoid hang-ups and either casts the Sled or a 10-inch Texas-rigged worm. 

Tyler hasn’t been out on the lake first thing this week to see if there is a shallow bite but reports indicate there is. 

July 14

Clarks Hill water levels are just below full at 329.652 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is still good on the main lake. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. 

The hybrid and striped bass fishing on Clarks Hill doesn’t make much sense right now, but Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they have had about a week-and-a-half run of early shallow fishing at a time of year when the fish should not be this shallow! Just before sunrise they are catching fish in the 20-foot range on points and the sides of humps that top out shallower than 20 feet but are adjacent to deep water. The action is spread out over the lake, and it is fast and furious. They often have limits within an hour or so.

At some point the fish should have to go deeper, and they look for the fish to get around the oxygen line and on deep humps in the Savannah River channel. But for now it’s very hard to pass up the wide-open bite in shallow water first thing!

The crappie fishing is still very good on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that the strong catches are coming in the backs of creeks and rivers. The best area right now is up the Georgia Little River, and the Amity area has been particularly strong. 

The fish are suspended 10-15 feet down, and sometimes they are over 20 feet and sometimes they are in 40 feet. Some are around natural timber and some are around brush that people have put out. Minnows have been working the best. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the bite for 1-10 pound blues and channels, as well as the occasional big fish, is still very good.  About the only change is that the night bite is starting to get a lot more consistent than the daytime bite.

Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream.  Live bait increases the chances of catching a flathead. 

Bass report to follow. 

July 1

Clarks Hill water levels are just below full at 329.72 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is still high. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 81 degrees. 

It’s been a better week for hybrid and striped bass fishing on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that early in the morning fish are again chasing herring high in the water column at 20 feet and shallower. Fish are still all over the lake, including Soap Creek, the mid-lake, upper lake, Parksville and the Georgia flats. 

But while the morning bite has improved in the last week, the best pattern is still mid-morning and mid-day fishing in 50-80 feet of water where bait is present. The bait is high in the water column at about 20 feet and that is driving the train, and so the most productive depth to hang lines has been 20 feet. Even deeper fish cruising in 35 or so feet are coming up there to feed, and bait lives best at that depth. Trolling umbrella rigs in the top 20 feet is also productive.

As it gets hot fish will shift deeper into about 30 feet following the bait down, and then they will move into 40 feet. At some point the hybrids and striper will group up better because right now the catch is still mainly hybrids. 

The crappie fishing is still excellent on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that the strong catches are coming in the backs of creeks and rivers. The fish are suspended 10-15 feet down, and sometimes they are over 20 feet and sometimes they are in 40 feet. Some are around natural timber and some are around brush that people have put out. Minnows have been working the best. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the bite for eater-sized fish is still very good. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream.  Live bait increases the chances of catching a flathead. 

June 28

Clarks Hill water levels are just below full at 329.81 (full pool is 330.00) and the water clarity is still high. Morning surface water temperatures are about 83-85 degrees. 

There are still a lot of shallow bass on Clarks Hill which are keying on bream, but tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that with a lull in bream spawning activity the bite has changed. Bream are not on shallow beds all the way in the backs, and instead there are large groups of fish holding around rock or other cover which are seemingly staging like bass do in the early spring. There are still bass around these groups of fish but they are not as aggressive as they were last week, and a Whopper Plopper has not been as effective. 

Josh figured out that when he sees wolfpacks of fish roaming around they will take a shaky head flipped to them, and they are also more likely to strike a buzzbait than the bigger Whopper Plopper. A smaller frog worked very slowly was also good.

Josh did try a big worm in deep water but did not have much success.

 

June 23

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.14 (full pool is 330.00) and the water is still very clear on the lower end. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 84-85 degrees. 

Fresh off a fourth-place finish in this weekend’s BFL on Clarks Hill with 17-2, tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that there a plenty of bass that can be caught offshore around humps and points. At times they are schooling while at times you need to target them on the bottom with soft plastics. However, from what Josh has seen a lot of the better quality fish are shallower right now.

Josh caught all of his fish Saturday around very shallow bream beds up the rivers, and they all came on a bream-colored Whopper Plopper. He and his co-angler also threw poppers, buzzbaits and soft plastics, but the fish wanted the Whopper Plopper. A lot of times a dark male bream would attack the bait and then a bass would run him off and hit. One time he had two 3-4 pounders on at the same time as they were actually fighting over the bait. 

Interestingly, even though the fish were cruising around bream beds they were spitting up crawfish parts in his live well all day.  

The hybrid and striped bass fishing has been a little touch-and-go again this week on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that the pre-daylight bite has basically evaporated. Starting at sunrise they are catching fish 20 feet down in 50-60 feet of water in the river and creek channels, but with everything so suspended and scattered they are having to work to get fish instead of finding massive groups.  Fish are all over the lake but mid-lake around Plum Branch and Soap Creek has had some of the best fishing. 

The oxygen line is on but the fish have not been squeezed yet and so there are not many fish around it.

The crappie fishing is still excellent on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that the strong catches are coming in the backs of creeks and rivers. The fish are suspended 10-15 feet down, and sometimes they are over 20 feet and sometimes they are in 40 feet. Some are around natural timber and some are around brush that people have put out. Minnows have been working the best. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) concurs reports that the bite for eater-sized fish is still very good. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream. 

June 17

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.67 (full pool is 330.00) and the water is very clear on the lower end. Morning surface water temperatures are about 84-85 degrees and a thermocline is starting to set up about 20 feet down. 

The hybrid and striped bass fishing is improved this week on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that before daylight there is a good bite on the sides of humps and underwater islands on the bottom in about 20 feet. This is taking place in the creek and river channels, and mostly the catch is hybrids.  

After sunrise, the same group of fish pull out to the ditches in about 60-70 feet of water where they are feeding about 24 feet down. The best action is at the junction of creek and river channels. The key to locating fish is to look for high bait and scattered fish, as bait at 40 feet isn’t doing much good and the fish are only interested in bait in the 24-foot range. There are no major groups of striper and they are still very randomly scattered. Murray Creek, Fishing Creek and the mouth of Soap Creek have all been loaded with fish. The oxygen line is on but there are not many fish around it.

While there are certainly some shallow patterns for bass, this morning tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia, didn’t find them. He threw a buzzbait in vain for a while, and it was only after he headed out to 20-25 feet that he started catching fish on humps and brush piles. The hump fish came on a drop shot while the Buckeye creeper head worked around brush. 

Interestingly, Tyler also saw some large schools of blueback herring in less than 10 feet of water in coves. 

The crappie fishing is still excellent on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that the strong catches are coming in the backs of creeks and rivers. The fish are suspended 10-15 feet down, and sometimes they are over 20 feet and sometimes they are in 40 feet. Some are around natural timber and some are around brush that people have put out. Minnows have been working the best. 

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) concurs reports that the bite for eater-sized fish is still very good. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream. 

June 13

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.55 (full pool is 330.00) and the water is very clear, even way up the river. Morning surface water temperatures are about 82-85 degrees. 

Even with the summer heat tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that the bass fishing is good and fixing to get even better, and from what he is seeing on the lake there should be some really big bags at this weekend’s BFL event. There have already been 20 plus pound sacks in recent team tournaments. Josh has seen some really good ones up shallow around bream beds, and throwing a Whopper Plopper he’s had some 6 plus pound fish follow it. The question is how to get the big girls to bite.

There are also plenty of fish stacked up on deep brush, and bridges are holding a ton of fish but not necessarily good ones. A drop shot around bridges will put numbers in the boat.

There are also some good fish being caught periodically schooling over humps, and when you can find a hump in 12-15 feet of water surrounded by deep water at some point fish should come up top over it. Humps as shallow as 7 feet can produce, and long points and saddles that rise up can also be good. Again it’s just a matter of timing.  

June 9

Clarks Hill water levels are above full at 330.69 (full pool is 330.00). Morning surface water temperatures are about 83 degrees. 

We all appreciate honesty from fishing guides, even when things aren’t great, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that right now is a transition period for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill.  The fishing has definitely gotten tougher. While Captain Tony Shepherd is working hard to find scattered fish on Clarks Hill, a lot of guides have moved over to Lake Murray right now.

The fish have basically separated out into a couple of groups, and even though the herring spawn is essentially over on the lower end there are still some herring pretty high in the water column first thing. The fish feeding on them can be caught on down-lines about 15 feet down. 

The bulk of the better hybrids and striper on the lower end, however, are 50-60 feet down relating to the river channels in 100-120 feet of water. They are not very grouped up. One oxygen line is up and running and has fish on it. 

The other major group of fish is in the upper third of the lake below Russell Dam in the Fishing Creek and Murray Creek area. They are shallower and can be caught on down-rods in 30-40 feet. Some of the biggest fish are in this area.

For hybrids and striper in the mid-lake, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) concurs and reports that the bite is only fair. He is fishing humps and points in 15-25 feet before daylight and then moving out to 25-40 feet in the same areas when the sun gets up. 

The crappie fishing is still excellent on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that in the Raysville and Amity areas they are catching the fool out of the fish over brush piles in the 20-25 foot range. This week minnows have been working the best and they are getting 60-70 food fish every time they go out. 

On the catfish front, Chris reports that the bite for eater-sized fish is still very good. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream. 

May 24

Clarks Hill water levels are still very full at 329.97 (full pool is 330.00) and, even after an inch of rain, the lower end is still clear while some of the rivers are stained. Morning surface water temperatures are about 78 degrees on the lower end and around 80 in the rivers. 

Fresh off a win in the Clarks Hill BFL tournament on Saturday with 19-12, tournament angler Joe Anders of Easley reports that he caught the bass on herring points in the mid-lake section but with a bit of a twist. With the lake very high the fish were hanging out in a foot of water around flooded trees that gave them shade for comfort and from which to ambush the bait. He caught them on a Manly custom buzztoad paired with a fluke, some on topwaters, and some on a Megabass Magdraft swimbait. 

 

It’s been a phenomenal week for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that before the rain they had several days where they caught 50-60 fish in 50-60 minutes. The rain slowed things to about half that, but the fish remain very aggressive. 

The pattern is still pretty similar, and before dawn mostly hybrids are chasing bait around points and saddles in 8-20 feet of water where you can cast baits to them. After that they are sliding off into about 15-25 feet of water in the same areas and getting on the bottom, and down rods are working better. While the majority of the bait has spawned, it is not going very deep yet and so that is keeping the fish shallow. 

It’s still mainly a hybrid bite, and Captain Tony Shepherd notes that the post-spawn striper have mostly separated out from the hybrids and they have gone out to deep, cold oxygenated water to recover. They seem to be on the bottom in about 50 feet of water and will frequently display a preference for cut bait over something they have to chase. 

For hybrids and striper in the mid-lake, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that he is on a similar but slightly deeper pattern. While most of the spring he was pulling planer boards, now the down rod bite has gotten more consistent for him. He is fishing humps and points in 15-25 feet before daylight and then moving out to 25-40 feet in the same areas when the sun gets up. 

There’s a bit of change with the crappie on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that while the fish are still on trees and brush in the 20-something foot range they are eating a lot of grass shrimp right now. While they will still chomp on minnows, in jigs more natural colors are now working better than flashier ones. The fish are still way back in the creeks and up the rivers and areas like Big Hart, Holiday Park and Raysville are all producing. 

On the catfish front, Chris reports that the bite for eater-sized fish has been excellent. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream. 

May 20

Clarks Hill water levels are just above full at 330.04 (full pool is 330.00) and with no rain clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 70s.

For striped bass in the mid-lake, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that this week the down rod bite has gotten more consistent for him than pulling planer boards. He is fishing humps and points in 15-25 feet before daylight and then moving out to 25-40 feet in the same areas when the sun gets up. 

On the catfish front, Chris reports that the bite for eater-sized fish has been excellent. They are filling coolers with 1-10 pound blues and channels, and bigger fish pop up every now and then. Anchoring on points and humps and fan-casting with cut herring, shrimp or dip baits is the best technique. To target bigger fish the pattern doesn’t really change, but you want to use tougher baits like gizzard shad, white perch and bream. 

May 19

Clarks Hill water levels are just above full at 330.02 (full pool is 330.00) and with no rain clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures are about 75 degrees and approaching the 80s in the rivers.   

It’s a similar pattern for hybrid and striped bass all over the lake from one end to the other and in all the creeks, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that the herring spawn is winding down and there are now only about a third of the herring spawning as at the peak. Nonetheless, there is still a strong early morning feeding period in shallow water with (mostly hybrids) chasing the remaining herring around points.  

After that the fish slide off the sides of the points into 30-50 feet of water in drains and ditches. They are suspended 12-20 feet down around large schools of herring. These herring schools are also there first thing, but the fish are not really on them. 

While scattered fish can be caught this way, the bite does not usually turn on again until about mid-day when these fish go to the bottom in the same areas and really start eating again.  Since they are gorging before sunrise this make sense.

Captain Tony Shepherd notes that the post-spawn striper have mostly separated out from the hybrids, and they have gone out to deep, cold oxygenated water to recover. They seem to be on the bottom in about 50 feet of water and will frequently display a preference for cut bait over something they have to chase. 

With the herring spawn winding down it makes sense that the schooling action for bass is changing, and tournament bassangler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia, reports that even though they won a tournament on Friday with only schooling fish it started to wind down around lunch. Then yesterday there was no wind and it was a very tough bite all day.

In addition to not lasting as long Tyler is finding the schooling fish a bit deeper out to 12 or 15 feet, and they are starting to find more fish on humps and less on points. This may be temperature-related, and on windy days the action can still be good shallow. 

A chrome Gunfish and a fluke have still been the go-to lures. 

While he agrees you can still catch fish on the herring spawn if conditions are decent, tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that he has been focusing more on a shad spawn up the rivers around steep, rocky banks. You can hear the fish blowing up on the shad very early and you can catch them with a fluke. After that he is throwing a frog more. 

He also caught one big fish still on a bed this week!

There continue to be some phenomenal crappie catches on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that catching 70-100 fish is still pretty common. Most of them are in the pound range or better. The fish are way up the creeks and rivers in the upper Georgia Little River, Soap Creek and up the South Carolina Little River. They are tight to brush in the 15-20 foot range, and they are being caught fishing vertically with both jigs and minnows. 

There has also been some really good shellcracker fishing, and Tyler reports that he found a large of group of fish in the 1 - 1 ½ pound range on a shallow hump. They were all in 2 feet of water or less, and spawning in the rocks.  He ran back to the store, bought some small hooks and worms, and wore them out.  And Josh has found big shellcracker spawning around the roots of bushes this week. 

It can be a hot time of year for catching catfish during the day, but Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that it can also be an extremely rewarding time to catch tons of eating-sized fish. All you have to do to load up coolers with 1-10 pound channels and occasional blues is to anchor on points and humps and fan-cast with dip baits, shrimp or cut herring. 

May 12

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.04 (full pool is 330.00). Morning surface water temperatures are about 71 degrees. 

The hybrid and striped bass are starting to make a slow transition into summer patterns, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they only expect about one more week on the herring spawn. After the upcoming full moon they expect it to die down.  

At zero dark thirty there is a still a good bite in about ten feet of water, a little deeper than last week because of the cold, and they are catching fish pitching herring up towards structure and especially points.  After that the fish generally pull back out deeper to 15-18 feet of water, and as the day progresses they move even further out. The fish are scattered from end of the lake to the other and they are using down-lines to catch them. They are moving the boat until they intercept the schools and catch 6-8 fish. 

If down-lines are not your preference you have other choices, and in the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that he is still pulling free-lines and planer boards across points, saddles and islands. They continue to get less but above-average fish this way.  

In another sign that the herring spawn may be starting to wind down, tournament bass angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia, reports that schooling bite is much better early than later in the day, and it usually winds down by about lunch time. Some of the shallower humps are also starting to hold fish, another sign of seasonal progression.

The best pattern continues to be point fishing for schooling fish early with flukes, Gunfish and the like, but as the day continues you will need to switch over to a jig or Carolina rig.  However, at times the fish will still come up and so you should keep a topwater handy. 

With bluegill and shellcracker starting to bed and the lake very full there is also a pretty good buzzbait and frog bite. There is no shortage of cover and with the full moon May 16 conditions could get perfect. 

There have been some phenomenal crappie catches on Clarks Hill this week, and Little River Guide Service reports that catching 70-100 fish is not out of the norm. The fish are way up the creeks and rivers in the upper Georgia Little River, Soap Creek and up the

South Carolina Little River. They are tight to brush in the 15-20 foot range, and they are being caught fishing vertically with both jigs and minnows. 

It can be a hot time of year for catching catfish during the day, but Captain Chris reports that it can also be an extremely rewarding time to catch tons of eating-sized fish. All you have to do to load up coolers with 1-10 pound channels and occasional blues is to anchor on points and humps and fan-cast with dip baits, shrimp or cut herring. 

May 4

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.23 (full pool is 330.00). Morning surface water temperatures have moved into the mid-70s over most of the lake. 

There has been a phenomenal hybrid and striped bass bite in the mornings on the lake, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are frequently catching 30-40 fish in the morning before sunrise. The fish are up shallow around points, shoals, shallow island blow-throughs and other areas where the herring spawn with free-lines, cut bait and casting, but by 7:00 it is usually crickets when the fish pull out and start cruising. The fish usually don’t hungry again until around 10:00 when they gather a little deeper in 20-30 feet of water and suspend 10-20 feet down in the same areas. You can catch them on weighted planer boards as well as down rods. 
Fish are spread out from one end of the lake to the other, but pretty soon there will be a mass migration back down the river channel.

A similar pattern is being reported by Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352), and Chris notes that pulling free-lines and planer boards across those same points, saddles and islands he has been seeing some really quality fish. They have caught lots of teenage striper and at the boat they lost one of the biggest striper he has personally seen recently that was well over 30 pounds. 

It’s been a good few weeks of tournament bass fishing for Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia, and Tyler reports that everything they are catching is related to schooling fish. Early in the morning there is almost always a good bite on the points and similar areas where herring spawn, and if there is wind it will frequently last all day. When there is not wind the fish can still feed all day but they will often school in waves when the bluebacks come through. They don’t usually leave the points, but they may head a little deeper when the sun gets up and there is not a wave of bait. 

When fish are eating on the surface then flukes, Gunfish, Sammies and anything that you can burn across the top almost as fast as you can reel will work. When they aren’t on top they will take a jig, Carolina rig, or shakey head, although sometimes you are just passing the time until they decide they want to eat again. Since the fish are so heavily-pressured Tyler has been experimenting with baits they may not have seen as much when they are not schooling and having some success. 

We are getting into a fairly simple period for crappie fishing on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that most of the fish are on brush in 15-20 feet of water. They are being caught on jigs fished 12-15 feet down. 

It can be a hot time of year for catching catfish during the day, but Captain Chris reports that it can also be an extremely rewarding time to catch tons of eating-sized fish. All you have to do to load up coolers with 1-10 pound channels and occasional blues is to anchor on points and humps and fan-cast with dip baits, shrimp or cut herring. 

April 20

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.18 (full pool is 330.00) while up the rivers and in the backs of some creeks is extremely muddy. Morning surface water temperatures are about 63 degrees on the lower end of the main lake. 

The herring spawn has gotten underway on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that, as a results, there is red hot hybrid and striped bass fishing on the lake. Early in the morning you can catch fish off main lake points in 5-10 feet of water throwing out live and cut bait on the bottom. One way to do this is to beach your boat on a point, or next to a blow-through.  

This bite ends not long after sunrise, and then the striper generally slide out into the 15-foot range on the ends of points or even suspended over deep water. Pulling planer boards has been the most effective way to catch them.

Meanwhile the hybrids have mostly been pulling out to about 35 feet of water after the early morning bite, and they are generally grouping up right on the bottom. Most people are switching over to down-rods to catch them. 

This pattern repeats itself all over the lake, and Parksville, the Georgia Flats, mid-lake and up at Plum Branch have all been good. 

There are also some hybrids still spawning on the upper end.

The herring spawn is also dictating the bass bite by now, and tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that fish are keying up on shallow points where the herring are spawning. They have been catching lots of fish but at times a big bite has been elusive, and weather seems to have a lot to do with it. On cloudy days the herring are less likely to come up than they are when there is bright sun, and calm conditions also slow down the bite.  Depending on conditions jerkbaits, flukes and topwaters have all been good choices, and Josh is also catching lots of fish cranking up the rivers in the mud.

But then there are the days when conditions are perfect, and yesterday tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia had just one of those days. The sun was out and there was a steady 10-15 mile per hour wind, and Tyler caught fish on every point he fished down the lake. Every single one of them was over three pounds, and they would take anything in the fluke or topwater department. It was a mix of good spots and largemouth, and everything was in less than three feet of water. The fish were in packs and when he would catch one they would all follow it off the point, so he usually had to allow a few minutes for the fish to get set back up. 

Tyler notes that he has also found a lot of smaller fish up the lake, but it seemed that by fishing down the lake he found better ones. 

The very last of the crappie are still on the banks on Clarks Hill, but Little River Guide Service reports that the majority of the them have left the shallows. Some of the fish are in schools which are coming out of the backs of creeks and roaming, while others have already started to set up on brush. Generally the best trees have been in 16-24 feet of water, and the fish are suspended at different depths from day to day. Putting minnows over their heads has generally been the best way to catch them. 

Catfish report to follow from Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352).

April 8

Clarks Hill water levels have shot up to 334.11 (full pool is 330.00) and with the lake so full there is a ton of debris, mud and all that goes with high water. Morning surface water temperatures are still only about 60 degrees on the lower end. 

This week in the Tommy Shaw Memorial tournament our regular correspondent tournament bass angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia had a little over 18 pounds fishing with his father, good for third place and a nice check. From what they saw most of the fish are bedding with a few possibly pre-spawn, and with the water conditions what they are they caught everything throwing a spinnerbait and flipping a jig. With water conditions so high the key is to hit as much cover as you possibly can. 

 

The other thing going on right now is the early stages of the herring spawn, and tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that while it’s not wide open yet it’s getting there quickly. From what he is seeing the herring are staging very close to their spawning areas, and the better action is actually coming for the slightly deeper fish that are pushing the herring up. They are not crashing at them right on the points yet like they will be once the spawn is wide open when water temperatures hit about 65, but he is already starting to catch fish on flukes and Gunfish in the general area. 

Josh also notes that there has been schooling over deep water. 

The biggest challenge with fishing this week has been the wind and the weather, but Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that, all things considered, the hybrid and striped bass catches have been strong this week.  The hybrids are still on the upper end where they have transitioned from staging to spawning in the last few days, and mid-lake there are also a lot of hybrids (and striper) in the Soap Creek area. Before sunrise they can be caught very shallow. 

At the same time the striper are 15-20 feet down over structure such as trees, and they are extremely scattered. Some of the fish are in the creeks and some are in the rivers.  Down-lines have been working the best. 

The herring have not fully moved up to spawn yet, but we are slowly getting there, and when that happens the fish should get more concentrated. 

The majority of the crappie have spawned on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that post-spawn fish have pulled back to brush about 12 feet down in 20 feet of water. There are still a few fish on the banks right now, but the spawn should pretty much wind down around the full moon in April. 

The upper half of the lake is more or less a disaster, but Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352)  reports that if you stick to more fishable areas then you can find a good bite for catfish anchoring on points and humps in 5-30 feet of water. Fan-cast baits at a variety of depths, with cut gizzard shad for blues and live bream or perch for flatheads. 

April 1

Clarks Hill water levels are still above full at 330.88 (full pool is 330.00) and up the rivers the water is very dirty.  Morning surface water temperatures are still about 57-58 degrees on the lower end. 

While on some lakes people get most excited about the bass spawn, it would be hard to argue that on Clarks Hill the herring spawn isn’t the main draw. Tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that from what he is seeing the biggest wave of bass is about to spawn, and right now the better bags are still being caught sight-fishing or fishing for spawning fish with a spinnerbait in the dirtier water up the lake.

However, with some warm, stable weather coming in it looks like the bluebacks should pull up in the next week or two. When temperatures hit 64-65 degrees the fishing usually explodes. When that happens the fish will be concentrated on points where they will eat flukes and topwater baits like Spooks and a Sammy. 

With high water levels there are also still a lot of fish being caught flipping bushes or even fishing topwater lures around them. 

Even though the fish haven’t made their biggest move very shallow yet, Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that there have been some significant changes with the hybrid and striped bass in the last week.  Before the sun comes up there has been a good shallow bite for hybrids in just 5-10 feet of water on the upper end of the lake below the Russell Dam. The fish have moved up there for a spawning run because there has been a lot of current being generated from power production. That shallow bite ends at dawn and after that it’s down-rod fishing in the 30-40 feet of water. 

The striper are in the same areas on the upper end, but even as the hybrids are on the bottom the striper are suspended about 20 feet down in 40 feet of water. But the planer board bite has faded out and the better fishing is now coming on down-rods. 

When water temperatures on the main lake get into the low 60s then the fish should make a big move shallower. 

The crappie fishing has slowed down on Clarks Hill, and Little River Guide Service reports that numbers have dropped and the fish have also moved deeper this week. Instead of shallow fishing they have been tight-lining in about 20 feet of water this week in the deeper parts of creeks.

While some of the fish are post-spawn it seems that many are pre-spawn and just waiting for conditions to get right again. The spawn should extend through the April full moon and there should be plenty of fish shallow for the next several weeks.  When they get shallower again both trolling the creeks and casting at visible cover should work.  

The catfish continue to move shallower, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352)  reports that fish are in the creek runs in the upper half of the lake. They are in the middle to backs of the creeks, and anchoring cut gizzard shad or herring at whatever depth the bait is holding on a particular day is the best pattern.