Description: Clarks Hill (J. Strom Thurmond) is a 7l,535-acre COE reservoir located 30 miles northeast of Augusta on the Savannah River. Use caution when boating on Clarks Hill as the lake was about 10 feet low at the start of the year. Contact the COE for more information on which boat ramps to use (800-533-3478). More than 30 fish attractors are maintained throughout the reservoir and a cast from shore will reach the sunken Christmas trees at Lloyds Creek and Ridge Road. Navigation charts, which contain fish attractor site symbols, can be obtained from the Clarks Hill COE office (800-533-3478).
Crappie fishing has been excellent the last several years and should be again in 2001. Crappie will average 3/4 lb, with the bigger slabs going 1 1/2-2 1/2 lbs. Fishing, Soap, Grays and Newford creeks and the Little River near Raysville, are great spots for crappie. The fish attractors will come into full play when the spring spawning frenzy ends. Fish attractors are a great place to take kids fishing. In addition to crappie, they hold good numbers of shellcracker, bluegill, largemouth bass, and catfish.
Striped and hybrid bass fishing continues to be good. Stockings of these fish, averaging over 700,000 per year, are producing annual catches of90,000-150,000 fish. Average weights should range from 3 lbs for hybrids to 7 lbs for stripers. The low lake level is forcing baitfish out of cover, and into the mouths of hungry striped and hybrid bass. These fish will be like footballs in 2001! Several monster stripers exceeding 20 lbs and hybrids exceeding 10 lbs should be caught. Winter and early spring angling areas include Big Creek, the Little River near Germany Creek upstream to Holiday Park, Soap Creek from the confluence with the Savannah River to US Hwy 378, the north bank of the reservoir above the dam, and major creeks near Bussey Point. Drifting live blueback herring usually provides the best results. A light-to-moderate breeze makes for good drift fishing. Otherwise, use your trolling motor to control speed and direction. Other techniques that work well are slowly trolling redfins, Norman lures or roostertails 60-80 feet behind the boat, and jigging spoons near drop-offs, ledges or humps in 20-30 feet of water.
By summer and into the fall the hot spots for linesides will be in the mouths of major feeder creeks and rivers, particularly in the Russell tailwaters. Anglers can fish from the pier on the Georgia side below Russell Dam or anchor a boat in the tailwaters near the buoy line and fish towards the dam. Three rock berms on the Georgia side below the buoy line have been constructed and are providing excellent fishing for both boat and bank anglers. Again, live blueback herring is the best bait. You can catch your own herring with a cast net or buy them at local bait shops. Dead or cut bluebacks, shad, and large minnows also work. Popular artificial lures include doll flies, sinking spoons, and floating "stick-baits". Surface action for schooling fish occurs predominately during late summer and fall. Bucktails and poppers work well on schooling fish.
Clarks Hill Lake has produced three consecutive strong year classes of largemouth bass, resulting in numerous small bass. WRD will tag 500 bass this spring to study the population closer. If you catch a tagged fish, please return the tag to the address printed it. This tagging study, along with other data collected by WRD, will helpful to improving the bass population. A large number of 12-14 inch bass should be available this year. Anglers have three good reasons to harvest these 34-1lb bass: their "brothers and sisters" will grow faster, providing for more 3-5 lbs+ bass in the future; you will be trading fish that would have died of natural causes for fish in the frying pan; and these fish are perfect frying pan size. Best bets in the fall and winter are Grays, Lloyds, and Rousseau creeks in the Little River arm and Soap, Murry, and Fishing creeks in the Savannah River arm. Concentrate your efforts near Bussey Point and in Cliatt, Cherokee, and Big creeks during spring and summer. The flats around the confluence of the Savannah and Broad rivers are usually productive all year. Be sure to fish over hydrilla beds, particularly in the spring and fall, for some great surface action. Look around Bussey Point, Cherokee Creek, and Fort Gordon for the best concentration of hydrilla.
Shellcracker are big (many 1/2-3/4 lb) and easy to catch. Try crickets, worms, grubs, spinners, flies or wasp larvae. The best areas are usually Keg, Lloyd, Grays, Cliatt, Soap, Big and Fishing creeks. Hot spots for catfish are Little River near Holiday Park, Germany, Big and Hart creeks and the Broad River. Several40+lbs flathead catfish have been caught in recent years.
There will be plenty of white bass and white perch for the next couple of years. The best time to catch white bass is during the spring spawning run. Check out the Broad River at Anthony Shoals and Little River past Hwy 78. Cast lightweight jigs into the current and let them flow downstream. White perch, a relative of the white bass and striped bass, are tons of fun on lightweight tackle and make an excellent meal. Look for white perch in 20-60 feet of water near ledges, drop-offs, and standing timber. Small jigs, spoons, or minnows work best.
Services:
Species: Striped Bass
Night fishing is good here, especially back into the creek and river arms. So bundle up, look for deeper channels and cuts and slow-troll or drift live blueback herrings about halfway down in the water column. Try free-lining bait at sundown and sunup to find surface-feeding fish. Trolling large white bucktails or large deep-running artificials along the channel edges also produces fish.
