October 26

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 323.87 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is still turning over but it should be winding down. Morning surface water temperatures are around 68-70 degrees. 

It’s a crazy time for hybrid and striped bass fishing on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that today he had to move over 5 miles to find the fish he had been catching the previous few days. In fact, it might have been closer to 10. They are on the move, but when you locate them they are eating well. 

Fish are in the river going up the lake, and they are 8 feet down and today over 30-40 feet. In fact, some of them were in less than 8 feet of water and they could almost see them coming up and biting on down-rods. You could also catch them on free-lines and planer boards.

The fish have been schooling the last few days in the morning and evening, but perhaps because he had to go so far to find them today Rocky didn’t see that. 

The bass bite is pretty tough on Clarks Hill right now, and Jon Hair with Greenfish Tackle reports that with the lake still turning over there’s no great pattern. The fish mostly quit schooling a week or two ago, although you might get lucky and find some fish schooling back in the creeks. Basically the two ways Jon thinks you can catch fish right now are fishing around brush and rock in 10-20 feet with a creeper head, and casting a buzzbait. Unfortunately, the upcoming cold front will knock that bite back but it should also hasten the end of the turnover. 

Unfortunately the catfish report has come back down to Earth again on Clarks Hill this week, for the same reasons Jon doesn’t rate the bass bite very well, as Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that there is a lot of poor water quality in the lake because it still hasn’t completely finished turning over. That’s making for only a “fair” catfish bite.

It looked like the mid-section was finally done last week and then bad upstream water quality washed back in and messed things up again. This seems to cause fish of all species to be on the move constantly searching for comfortable water as it may be in different areas every day. Once the lake finally turns over then all the water from top to bottom will be well-oxygenated and the fish movement should be more predictable. 

But if you look for them you can find some monster crappie on Clarks Hill, although Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) concurs that they are all over the water column and moving a lot. Overall he is finding the best action in the big water fishing in at least 20 feet or more at the mouths of creek or in the main lake around structure. Some fish are 20-25 feet down, while others are 5-10 feet down, but he’s seeing the most fish 10-20 feet below the surface. In addition to brush bridges are also producing.  He has caught his biggest fish on Fish Stalker jigs recently. 

In the Broad River, Guide Luke Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) also reports that they are finding crappie, mostly around brush. Typically the area is stained but right now it’s about as clear as it gets. Some of the fish are in 20 feet of water while some have been as shallow as 8 feet. 

October 19

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 324.78 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is still turning over. Morning surface water temperatures are around 70-71 degrees. 

It’s not every week that we lead off with the catfish report on Clarks Hill, but Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that it has been an incredible few days of fishing and the fall feed is definitely on…  Two days ago they had 11 fish that totaled 210 pounds, while yesterday they had 16 that went 330 pounds! The patterns have not changed, and blue cats continue to gather up around big schools of baitfish that are congregating at the mouths of feeder creeks. 25-45 feet is the key depth range, and anchoring on points near the creek channel ledges is the best pattern. As usual, for bigger fish bream, perch and gizzard shad are the best baits, while for more activity herring and shrimp are the best bet. As you can imagine, the last couple of days Chris has been using big baits!

At the same time the turnover is affecting the quality of the hybrid and striped bass fishing on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that one day will be strong while the next day the action is slower.  It also seems to make a big difference whether they are generating power, and when the water is moving the fish are feeding much better. 

Overall fish are related to the river channel suspended about 25 feet down over deep water, and the biggest concentrations are mid-lake. Free-lines and down rods are working the best, but there are also some fish schooling. You are most likely to see them on top in the early morning. 

The crappie fishing is getting a bit tougher, and Rocky reports that fish are moving out of the backs of the creeks seeking better water quality in the main river channels. They are over brush in 30-40 feet of water, but right now he is finding most of the fish about 8 feet down.  Minnows have been working better than jigs for him.

More information to follow on the bass, but from what tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia is hearing it’s still hard to beat a buzzbait for good bites. The schooling fish are generally smaller spots. 

October 13

Clarks Hill water levels are at 325.31 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is still turning over. Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees. 

They are still doing really well with the hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Tony Shepherd with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that it’s getting to be one of the most exciting times of the year to fish for them. Wednesday he found a literal acre of fish that stayed up for over two hours, and they had a ball catching them on chrome-colored topwaters. There are a few terns and gulls around that can point you to the fish, and the key is to work the outside edges and not run through them.

Overall fish are spread out in a lot of different places, and the schooling action is pretty random in the areas where fish are holding. There are not many fish at the lower end in the big open water, but there is strong topwater activity below the Russell Dam and fish are also moving up the river arms. 

Outside of schooling activity, there is still an early morning feed off points in about 20 feet of water close to deeper water. Then there is a group of less active but still feeding fish about 45 feet down on the river channel and at the mouth of creeks.  The best schooling activity has been on cloudy days. 

While he didn’t find quite the bass he wanted on the second day in the Mr. Clarks Hill event, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that he was doing one thing right by throwing a buzzbait. This year’s winner and Mr. Clarks Hill Dale Gibbs had a pretty good first day and then really caught them on the second day. He didn’t have much until lunch, and then he picked up a buzzbait and smoked them the rest of the day finishing with three 6-pounders and catching a ton of pretty good fish.

Tyler did catch several fish on a buzzbait but struggled to find quality, and his most consistent action actually came fishing brush piles in 18-30 feet. While there wasn’t much size to them, it was easy to catch fish on jigs and soft plastics. He also messed with schooling fish a little, but they were on extremely small bait and not very cooperative. 

Overall, for the next month Tyler expects that a buzzbait and floating worm will be hard to beat. It’s especially good if there are tree-tops or laydowns in the water that you can fish them around. 

The crappie are still on the same pattern on Clarks Hill, and Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service(864-980-3672) reports that he continues to find fish in 10-60 feet of water, with fish in murky water shallower and fish in clear water deeper. Most of the time he is fishing in 25 plus feet of water, and he has found the best action on structure in the main lake and at the mouths of creeks. How deep the fish are holding is very inconsistent, and some days he finds them 20-25 feet deep and other days they are just under the surface in 5-10 feet. That’s typical this time of year, but generally fish still go deeper when the sun is higher. 

It's day-to-day with minnows versus jigs, and in jigs Fish Stalker Slab Tail jigs in glimmer blue or blue dew are working the best.   

As fish get more used to the lake turning over catfish are getting into some more reliable patterns, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that blue cats continue to gather up around big schools of baitfish that are congregating at the mouths of feeder creeks. 25-45 feet is the key depth range, and anchoring on points near the creek channel ledges is the best pattern. As usual, for bigger fish bream, perch and gizzard shad are the best baits, while for more activity herring and shrimp are the best bet. 

October 5

Clarks Hill water levels are at 325.36 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is still turning over. Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s. 

It’s an interesting bite for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill right now, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that this week the pattern may have changed a little – but he hasn’t changed what he has doing. The net result is that he is not catching as many small fish as a week or two ago, and particularly the hybrids seem to have moved a bit on him, but they are actually getting more big fish and still filling the box.  

Overall fish are still spreading out up the lake and out into the river arms, and very early they are catching fish on specific points in about 24 feet of water with shallow down-lines. After that Rocky is still going about 60 or so feet deep in 100 feet of water in the river channel where the biggest fish still seem to be holding. 

The lake is still turning over, and all over the lake Rocky is still getting a mud line on his boat when he fishes. 

With Mr. Clarks Hill coming up this weekend, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that bass fishing is on the verge of getting really fun when temperatures drop about 5 or 6 more degrees. But fish are already schooling pretty well, and on almost every hump down the lake that he has fished Tyler is finding schooling fish. They are not staying up long or very concentrated, but he is seeing 4 or 5 fish come up at a time and in a few hours catching ten or fifteen this way. However, most of them are smaller spots running up to about 2 or 3 pounds. They don’t seem too picky about what topwater you throw at them. 

For better fish Tyler is getting bites on a buzzbait, and so that will certainly be part of the game plan this weekend. 

Fresh off a good finish in a crappie tournament on Clarks Hill, Captain Roland Addy with Carolina Crappie Guide Service (864-980-3672) reports that he has found fish in 10-60 feet of water, with fish in murky water shallower and fish in clear water deeper. Most of the time he was fishing in 25 plus feet of water, and he found the best action on structure in the main lake and at the mouths of creeks. How deep the fish were holding was very inconsistent, and some days he found them 20-25 feet deep and other days they were just under the surface in 5-10 feet. That’s typical this time of year, but generally fish still go deeper when the sun is higher. 

Recently the minnow bite was better, but in the last few days the jig bite seems to have surpassed it. Fish Stalker Slab Tail jigs in glimmer blue or blue dew worked the best.   

As fish get more used to the lake turning over catfish are getting into some more reliable patterns, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that blue cats are starting to gather up around big schools of baitfish that are congregating at the mouths of feeder creeks. 25-45 feet is the key depth range, and anchoring on points near the creek channel ledges is the best pattern.  As usual, for bigger fish bream, perch and gizzard shad are the best baits, while for more activity herring and shrimp are the best bet. 

September 28

Clarks Hill water levels are down further to 325.28 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is turning over. Morning surface water temperatures have quickly dropped into the upper 70s. 

Things are happening fast with the hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that as temperatures change fish are on the move spreading out up the lake and out into the river arms. Rocky is still catching limits (of mainly hybrids) very early at 5:00 am, and while these fish were in 8 feet they have moved out to 15-20 feet. They are on points but not on all the points, and they are catching them on shallow down-lines although you can also pitch out baits on free-lines. 

The bigger fish are deeper, and Rocky is catching the better striper 60 or so feet deep in 100 feet of water. As the turnover moves down the lake they will also move shallower and up the lake, and already if you go up the lake there is a higher percentage of striper (relative to hybrids). 

The turnover has messed up the schooling action for bass, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that the fish which were so actively breaking on the surface until recently have really slowed down. He is still seeing groups of fish pop up around bridges, and picking up some here-and-there, but it’s nothing like it was just a couple of weeks ago. It should settle out soon and fish should start schooling in the pockets.

For now the better fish seem to be coming shallow, and a buzzbait around the banks seems to be working as well as anything.

The crappie fishing is also changing, and Rocky reports that the fish that were shallow and up the rivers are moving down the lake into the river channel and getting deeper. There are still fish related to brush about 15 feet down in 30-40 feet of water, but they could also be as deep as in 50 or 60 feet. 

The good news is that fish are getting more active, and both minnows and jigs are working pretty well.

It’s a crazy week for catfish, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the fish are scattered all over the place with no dominant pattern. Once the fall turnover settles down – hopefully next week – then things should normalize, but for now fish are everywhere a little bit and concentrated nowhere. You just have to go fishing!

September 20

Clarks Hill water levels are down further to 325.46 (full pool is 330.00) and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 80s. 

It’s a good time to catch a limit of hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that fish are about 30-35 feet down in 75-100 feet of water. They are concentrated on the lower end, and they are related both to bait and the structure of the edge of the main lake river channel. Some days (like today) they are not over timber, and some days (like yesterday) they are. Since the bait is on the move the fish are also moving around a lot.  Down-lines are working well. 

There are a lot of fish flipping on the surface, but it hasn’t quite become a real pattern yet. The only exception is up the lake, where you can find acres of 8-inch long fish schooling!

Back on the water tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that he is also not seeing the better bass schooling well yet, although the 12-13 inch spots are really starting to hit the surface around humps and brush piles. As temperatures cool very soon the largemouth should start to follow suit, and it will be centered around the areas where there is bait – which can make the locations seem random.  The bait the fish are (and will be) keying on is small and so you need to downsize your lures. 

Perhaps because of dropping water levels Tyler hasn’t really found a buzzbait bite, and the best fish he has caught came in 30 feet on brush with jigs. 

With the cooler nights Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) is also optimistic that the schooling activity is about to get good, and he looks for fish to start to leave the main lake and head into the mouths of creeks. Josh notes that there will be two big high school tournaments this weekend and so the lake will be packed with about 270 boats from just those two events!

On the crappie front, Rocky reports that fish are still on brush but it’s different brush. They are in the main river channel up the rivers, and they are on brush piles and tree tops in about 30-40 feet of water. Generally the fish have been about 15 feet down and minnows are still out-fishing jigs. 

In catfish news, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) is optimistic that by next week fall patterns will have started to kick in. However, for now the best bet is still anchoring on deep, main lake ledges and putting baits in the 30-50 foot range. The night bite is still more consistent but the morning action continues to improve.   

Shrimp, herring and dip baits will catch a mix of species, and to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

September 7

Clarks Hill water levels are down further to 326.25 (full pool is 330.00) and clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 81 degrees. 

The hybrid and striped bass are on the move on Clarks Hill, but Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are basically following the river channel. Most of the fish are just out of sight of the dam, to Parksville and up the Georgia side not quite to Cherokee. After daylight the hybrids are in about 100 feet of water but mostly 25 feet deep – they had been deeper, but as the water quality dropped they moved up where it was better. The best bite is on down rods for now, but they are just starting to school in ones and twos. With more cooling they expect to see better schooling activity, still in the river channel. 

The striper have separated a little from the hybrids, and they are still marking schools of 100 or so fish 50 feet deep that just aren’t eating. You can get the occasional reaction bite on artificial lures like spoons, but you can just see them staring at live bait on electronics. They will move up and feed better as it cools. 

While the schooling activity for striped fish hasn’t quite taken off, Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that bass are now schooling as far as you can see. They are on tops of humps and other structure early, and they will take topwater lures and flutter spoons. The last few times Josh has been out it’s been unreal how many fish they could see between what was busting and what they were marking on electronics, and schools of showering herring are a pretty common sight. When the bass don’t seem to want big baits a more finesse approach is working well. 

Of course there is still a good bite on buzzbaits and prop baits around the banks, as plenty of bass are patrolling in wolf packs and searching for bream. Josh has found that in the dirtier water they are a little less finicky. 

On the crappie front, Rocky reports that up the lake on both the Georgia and Carolina side you can find fish pretty shallow 6 or less feet down over brush in about 12 feet of water. Down the lake the bite has gotten pretty tough, and while they are still marking fish in 20-35 feet around brush they aren’t feeding well. Minnows are out-fishing jigs everywhere as conditions have gotten tougher. 

Another blast of hot weather could slow down the catfish bite, but with still-cooler nights Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that it’s anybody’s guess how the fish will react. Overall, anchoring on deep, main lake ledges and putting baits in the 30-50 foot range continues to out-perform the shallower pattern that had been good. Most of the big blues have finished and recovered from the late spawn this year, and they want to be in the deeper, colder water where they are getting more active. This is true day or night, and while the night bite is still more consistent the morning bite is picking up.  The best numbers of smaller fish are also seeking out the same depths. 

Shrimp, herring and dip baits will catch a mix of species, but to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

August 25

Clarks Hill water levels are down further to 327.19 (full pool is 330.00) and clarity is normal.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s. 

The catfish are finally making a late summer move on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that anchoring on deep ledges and putting baits in the 30-50 foot range is starting to out-perform the shallower pattern that has been good. Lots of the big blues have finished and recovered from the late spawn this year, and they want to be in the deeper, colder water where they are getting more active. This is true day or night, and while the night bite is still more consistent the morning bite is picking up.

Shrimp, herring and dip baits will catch a mix of species, but to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

August 24

Clarks Hill water levels are way down to 327.29 (full pool is 330.00) and clarity is normal.  Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s and set to rise with the coming heat wave. 

The hybrid and striped bass are still in about the same places on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that he doesn’t expect sudden change any time soon. As long as you stick to the main lake and just off the river channel you should be able to find fish all over the lake, and in the morning they are usually on the bottom in about 30-35 feet on points. They move out to about 50 feet as the day progresses, and Rocky says that they will gradually get deeper following oxygen in the near future. 

Timing is really important right now, and while they haven’t had a giant this week they did get six that were 10 pounds or better yesterday morning. Rocky is mostly fishing from 5-7 am, but the evening can also be good.

It’s still a good bite at the top of Clarks Hill, and Guide Wendell Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) has been coming down from Russell to fish just below the dam at the top of Clarks Hill. They are fishing in 15-30 feet of water, and sometimes they are finding fish on the bottom in 28-30 feet where they are dropping down-lines to them, while at other times they are pulling free-lines. They are also keeping their eyes open for fish busting and throwing topwater lures while they are waiting. 

Wendell notes that there are also crappie up there, and in the dirtier water they are catching them as shallow as 3-4 feet where they are barely out of sight over brush in only 10-12 feet. 

That’s consistent with the report from Rocky, and he notes that the fish can be found at basically any depth depending on water conditions. Unlike striper that have very specific temperature needs crappie can handle 90-degree water if it is well-oxygenated, and so in areas like the very back of the Georgia Little River they could be around brush in only 4 or 5 feet. In the bigger water he is looking for them from about 20-35 feet around brush. The bite is much better with minnows right now. 

Bass are schooling more and more offshore, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that there are big groups of bass (and hybrids) blowing up on bait. In general from what he is seeing bass are more likely to be schooling in deep pockets off major creek channels, while striper and hybrids and more likely to school actually over the river channel. Bass will also school around humps and bridges, although bridges are generally better for numbers of fish than quality. Josh notes that with a full moon coming up better schooling activity may actually be later in the morning once they get hungry again, as fish will be gorging at night. 

There also continue to be some good fish caught shallow, and with dropping water levels that pretty much means fishing wood laydowns as cover like bushes is now mostly out of the water. Frogs and buzzbaits have both been good. 

There continues to be good action for catfish on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that fish are moving up and down the ledges of the humps and points and feeding really well. Anchoring on points and humps in both the creeks and main lake is productive.  Fish from 10-25 feet with shrimp, herring and dip baits to catch a mix of species. As usual, to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

It's also the time of year when you should not overlook night fishing, and in addition to being more comfortable the action is often faster. The fish are also more likely to be on the shallower end of the depth range.  

August 17

Clarks Hill water levels are at 328.12 (full pool is 330.00) and morning surface water temperatures dropped a little into the mid-80s after some cooler weather last week.   

The hybrid and striped bass are all over the lake on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that as long as you stick to the main lake and just off the river channel you should be able to find fish.  Fish are not generally in the creeks.  They are usually on the bottom on main points in 30-35 feet of water, and when you find them suspended they are at about the same depth (although they could be over much deeper water).  They have been catching most of their fish on down-rods, often putting the bait about 23 feet down so they come up to get it.

In addition to outstanding numbers they caught a big 22-pounder this week!

Proving that fish are from one end of the lake to the other, Guide Wendell Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) has been coming down from Russell to fish just below the dam at the top of Clarks Hill. They are fishing in 15-30 feet of water, and sometimes they are finding fish on the bottom in 28-30 feet where they are dropping down-lines to them, while at other times they are pulling free-lines. They are also keeping their eyes open for fish busting and throwing topwater lures while they are waiting. 

Wendell notes that there are also crappie up there, and in the dirtier water they are catching them as shallow as 3-4 feet where they are barely out of sight over brush in only 10-12 feet. 

In general, though, Rocky reports that most of the crappie are 12-20 feet down over brush in at least 20 feet of water.  They are mostly in the rivers where temperatures and oxygen are better and avoiding the backs of creeks, and they could be suspended over 40 plus feet, especially around high brush.  Minnows are working the best.  

Typical of late summer, Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that more bass are starting to school on offshore humps – especially ones with some brush on them. They are chasing herring, and there have been some big bags up to about 22 pounds caught on topwaters and flukes. The best time for the schooling activity is about 8-11, and the rest of the day the action is generally pretty sporadic. 

There also continue to be some good fish caught shallow, and with dropping water levels that pretty much means fishing wood laydowns as cover like bushes is now mostly out of the water. Frogs and buzzbaits have both been good. 

There continues to be good action for catfish on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that fish are moving up and down the ledges of the humps and points and feeding really well. Anchoring on points and humps in both the creeks and main lake is productive.  Fish from 10-25 feet with shrimp, herring and dip baits to catch a mix of species. As usual, to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

It's also the time of year when you should not overlook night fishing, and in addition to being more comfortable the action is often faster. The fish are also more likely to be on the shallower end of the depth range.  

August 3

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 328.28 (full pool is 330.00) and morning surface water temperatures range from the mid-80s up to 90 degrees. 

Early in the morning there is a fast and furious bite for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are catching fish in about 25 feet of water fishing herring three cranks off the bottom on the lower end. Fish are related to points, and there is also a similar bite up the lake. 

During the day the bite slows down and fish will suspend more and head out to deeper water. The oxygen line can be a magnet for fish. 

There have been times when they have caught fish deeper, and they will probably go deeper again this summer, but right now fish are relatively shallow. 

There are still people fishing for bass around humps and brush piles with forward-facing sonar, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that he is also seeing a good bit of schooling activity (mainly smaller fish) feeding around bridges with fish feeding on young-of-the year herring.

However, for right now Josh is still finding the best action in the rivers shallow and around docks where fish are feeding on bream. This pattern has actually gotten a lot stronger as water levels have dropped, concentrating the fish and giving them less cover to hide in. 

This summer prop baits have been working really well for Josh, as well as some other assorted topwater lures, and Whopper Ploppers have actually gotten a bit more productive again. Dropping water levels seem to have helped.   

Josh is catching a lot of 1-3 pound fish but there are also bigger ones mixed in. 

With the backs of creeks about 90 degrees even in the mornings, Rocky reports that crappie are still mostly out to the main lake and particularly off main lake points. It’s possible that you can catch some fish, likely smaller, in the mornings in the backs but that’s not where the bulk of the better fish are. In general they are setting up on brush 10-18 feet down in about 20-30 plus feet of water, but they will continue to move deeper. 

It continues to be good action for catfish on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that fish are moving up and down the ledges of the humps and points and feeding really well. Anchoring on points and humps in both the creeks and main lake is productive.  Fish from 10-25 feet with shrimp, herring and dip baits to catch a mix of species. As usual, to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

It's also the time of year when you should not overlook night fishing, and in addition to being more comfortable the action is often faster. The fish are also more likely to be on the shallower end of the depth range.  

July 27

Clarks Hill water levels are down 329.02 (full pool is 330.00) and water conditions have cleared. Morning surface water temperatures range from the mid-80s up to 90 degrees. 

There is still really good action on quality hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, but Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they now catching fish in basically two areas. Some fish are way up the Savannah River at the top of the lake, while others are on the extreme lower end and especially around the oxygen line. Fish are generally in a range from about 30-60 feet down, and with the upper end shallower that basically means they are on the bottom. On the lower end they could be shallower on the bottom, or in 30-60 feet over 100 feet of water.  They are catching everything on down rods. 

The speculation is that fish are biting so well on the upper end because there has been good water flow. 

With the backs of creeks about 90 degrees even in the mornings, Rocky reports that crappie have mostly moved out to the main lake and particularly off main lake points. It’s possible that you can catch some fish, likely smaller, in the mornings in the backs but that’s not where the bulk of the better fish are. In general they are setting up on brush 10-12 feet down in about 20-25 feet of water, although they will go deeper and some already have.

Speaking of the ones that already have, veteran tournament angler Tommy Slice of Chapin has been over on Clarks Hill and concurs that not much is in the creeks expect for some small fish. But he found the best numbers about 18 feet down in 34-36 feet of water off the sides of brush and trees in the main river channel. Both jigs and minnows caught fish early, but by afternoon they would barely look at a jig but continued to tear up minnows. 

There are certainly some people fishing for bass around humps and brush piles with forward-facing sonar, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that before long he expects schooling activity to pick up – particularly once they stop pulling so much water which generally sticks fish to the bottom.

However, Josh is already on a really good dock bite which chiefly involves shallow fish up there feeding on bream. They are hanging out around the walkways in 3-5 feet of water, generally on shallower docks, and it’s a pretty sure-fire bet right now that every walkway on a secondary point inside a pocket will have a fish on it. This summer prop baits have been working really well for Josh, as well as some other assorted topwater lures, but generally not the Whopper Ploppers they ate so well last summer.

Josh is catching a lot of 1-3 pound fish but there are also bigger ones mixed in.

 

It continues to be good action for catfish on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that fish are moving up and down the ledges of the humps and points and feeding really well. Anchoring on points and humps in both the creeks and main lake is productive.  Fish from 10-25 feet with shrimp, herring and dip baits to catch a mix of species. As usual, to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

It's also the time of year when you should not overlook night fishing, and in addition to being more comfortable the action is often faster. The fish are also more likely to be on the shallower end of the depth range.  

July 13

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.84 (full pool is 330.00) and water conditions have cleared. Morning surface water temperatures are already about 85 degrees. 

It’s been a phenomenal bite on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are catching fast limits of hybrid and striped bass by 7:00 each morning. All over the lake bait is holding at about 25-26 feet, and they are catching fish by putting baits right off the bottom at that depth. Fish are all over the lower lake, and about anywhere where the depth hits 25-27 feet they will be found. Both the main lake and the creeks are productive, but in the main lake they are concentrating more on the edges of the river channel while in the creeks blow-throughs and high spots have been key.  

The fish should move deeper pretty soon, but for right now they are stable at that depth. 

Unsurprisingly the crappie are at the same depth, and even though Rocky hasn’t spent a lot of time targeting them, fishing deeper brush where you can put a minnow just above 25 feet is the key. Again, more fish have moved out of the backs of the creeks towards the fronts or main lake. 

After last night tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that he is thinking about taking a break from bass fishing Clarks Hill, and when you put in the boat at 6:00 and it’s 91 degrees, then you don’t find any real temperature relief even after the sun goes down, it’s tough. 

Even though they managed a limit and about 10 pounds it was very tough fishing, and they only had six bites. Everything came off deep brush and humps, and on the humps they fished a Carolina rig while on the brush they fished a Texas rig. They were fishing in 20 feet, but there were rumors of fish being caught out to 40 feet. There is still a bit of schooling off humps and points but it is very inconsistent.  

But the other place you can find quality fish is up shallow, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that he has actually found the biggest fish around very shallow docks in 2-3 feet of water. This weekend they were on the tail end of the bream spawn, but even after that ended he is still finding fish stacked up around certain docks – and not the deeper dredged ones. There are some big groups of fish, and while they should take a Pop-R or Whopper Plopper he has had better luck with a prop bait recently. Josh has also noticed that there is an early bite and then a lull between about 9:00 and lunch, but then in the middle of the day the bite often gets better. He suspects that may be related to atmospheric pressure. 

Finally, Josh notes that first thing there is a very good buzzbait bite off rocky secondary points with deep water nearby. The fish are not huge but on the right type of points every one seems to hold a fish. 

It continues to be good action for catfish on Clarks Hill, and Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that fish are moving up and down the ledges of the humps and points and feeding really well. Anchoring on points and humps in both the creeks and main lake is productive.  Fish from 5-20 feet with shrimp, herring and dip baits to catch a mix of species. As usual, to target bigger blues and flatheads but smaller numbers of fish use bream, perch and gizzard shad.

It's also the time of year when you should not overlook night fishing, and in addition to being more comfortable the action is often faster. The fish are also more likely to be on the shallower end of the depth range.