Clarks Hill Fishing Report – May 2020

Clarks Hill: Level: Water levels continue to fluctuate, but mostly the lake is at full pool. Temp: High 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Water is clear on the lower end and gradually gets stained as you move up the Little River arm of the lake.

Bass: Tournament angler Josh Rockefeller reports, “The lake is hot right now. A good many fish have spawned out and are setting up on the points to feed on the spawning herring. Throw flukes and large chrome topwater baits. Look for long points with willow bushes and pine tree stumps and a little clay and rock mixed in. The bass will come up schooling on the surface. They are also just sitting up on these shallow points, so just because you don’t physically see fish busting, it doesn’t mean you won’t get bit. A productive way to fish is to hit as many points as you can in a day and work it over with the topwater. This often will call up fish waiting on the next pod of herring to roll by. Stay off the points. Even though the fish are real shallow, they can see you long before you see them. Long casts will be more productive. The use of HydroWave is an added help.”

Linesides & Crappie: Guide Bradd Sasser reports, “The hybrid, striper and crappie bites are all amazing right now. The hybrids and stripers are still pushing up shallow right before and after daybreak chasing the herring spawn. The bite slows down after day sets in, and they move into deeper water in the 20- to 25-foot range. The fish are moving back down to mid to lower lake areas. The bite picks back up around sunset. As the water warms up more and the spawn is over, they will move deeper onto main channel humps in 25 to 35 feet of water. The crappie have moved back into deeper water around structure in 15 feet of water with the fish being 10 feet down.”

Read archived fishing articles at GON’s Clarks Hill Lake page.