Clarks Hill Fishing Report April 2011

Clarks Hill: Level: Full pool. Temp: 62 degrees. Clarity: Stained to muddy in all the creeks; clear on the lower end.

Bass: Good. Kerry Partain said the fish had moved up into the spawning pockets, and a few fish were on beds in late March, but the cold front and rains that moved through pushed them back out into the middle of those same pockets. Folks were catching them by backing out a little bit and fishing jerkbaits or shaky heads threaded with a Zoom Trick Worm in green pumpkin. Kerry said he also likes to throw a G-Tail Ringer in watermelon red for his jig -head worm. The fish should be back up on the beds in the backs of the pockets soon, and then it’ll be time for some sight fishing. Kerry recommended a Spot Remover with a Zoom Speed Craw for the beds you can see and a Texas-rigged Baby Brushhog fancasted to bedding areas when you can’t see the beds. To catch fish moving in and out, Kerry said it’s tough to beat a floating worm. He likes a Trick Worm in either white, pink or merthiolate. Later in the month, there should be some topwater going on around the shoals and long points. Kerry suggested a Super Fluke, a Spook and a Sammy.

Linesides: Good. Capt. William Sasser reports, “The fish are stacked up in front of the dam with people catching them at night on live herring fished 30 to 40 feet deep. Most of the larger stripers will migrate on their spring spawn and follow the creeks up current. The herring spawn in April will put fish up shallow on points and blowthroughs. We fish for them using planer boards and herring. We will also cast swimbaits and bucktail jigs in blowthroughs to catch fish.”

Crappie: Excellent. William reports, “April is one of those months when the crappie seem to jump in the boat. We will fish over trees with minnows in 10 to 20 feet of water. Most of the fish will be in the backs of most creeks. Fishing boat docks is productive using small jigs fished below corks. Just throw it as close to the dock as possible, and wind in slowly.”

Shellcrackers: Good. William reports, “The fish will be on beds this April with the water temperature in the 60s. They usually bed near blowthroughs.”