Clarks Hill Fishing Report – April 2006

Clarks Hill: Level: 1.0 foot below full pool. Temp: 55 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Slow, according to fishing guide William Sasser. “There was a tournament Saturday (March 25), and some of the better bass fishermen on the lake brought in only one or two fish.” With warmer weather by the first week in April, William suggested fishing a spinnerbait on shoreline cover, or, if you have the patience, a jig ’n pig. “If you fish a jig ’n pig in the ditches, or in brush, and fish it patiently, you will prevail. But most people don’t want to fish it that way — I am talking about barely moving it.” William reported seeing bass on the bed at Clarks Hill.

Stripers/Hybrids: Slow. “I was on the lake last night (Sunday, March 26) and sitting over so many fish 50-feet deep that it wasn’t funny. We got three bites.” William said the season seems to be behind schedule, and he blamed the cool weather. “During the last week, the water temperature has dropped from the low 60s to 55 degrees,” he said. In April the stripers and hybrids should be up on nearly any main-lake point, and you can catch them on planer boards and freelined blueback herring. That bite should heat up as temperatures rise. There are strong but still unconfirmed rumors on the lake about a new lake-record hybrid in the 24-lb. range.

Crappie: Bank fishermen fared poorly on Saturday (March 25), said William. “There were people fishing the banks for crappie, but they weren’t catching much.” Fish that had been on the banks 10 days earlier have apparently pulled off to wait for warmer weather. In the meantime, William has been killing them in brush in 30 feet of water. See page 48 for details on William’s crappie-fishing tactics.