Clarks Hill Fishing Report April 2014

Clarks Hill: Level: Down 0.3 feet above full pool. Temp: 53-60 degrees. Clarity: Clearing.

Bass: Jon Hair reports, “The spawn is about to go full swing with the next new or full moon. The bass are moving into shallow pockets hanging around stick grass and any cover on the bank. Spinnerbaits, square-billed crankbaits, Zoom lizards in green pumpkin with chartreuse tails and Greenfish Tackle’s big rubber jigs are all working good right now. I would expect these baits and pattern to produce through the rest of this month and until mid to late April.”

Linesides: Guide William Sasser reports, “The majority of the fish are being found in and around mid-lake creeks and can be caught pulling planer boards 8 to 15 feet deep across points and underwater shoals. They are preferring good-sized herring and medium-sized gizzard shad. There has still been plenty of bird activity giving way to schools of bait with feeding hybrids lurking nearby. Some nice slab hybrids have started showing up on the lower end of the lake near the dam in the evenings. Within the next couple of weeks, expect plenty of hybrids to be stacked up down there that can be caught downlining live herring 20 feet deep in the afternoon from about 4 p.m. until shortly after dark. Once the water warms into the low and mid 60s, the fish will begin to stack up off of secondary points and humps 30 to 35 feet deep, and you can fill a cooler quickly this time of year.”

Crappie: William reports, “The crappie have moved shallow along the shorelines in the backs of coves getting ready to spawn. This time of year it is best to slow-troll minnow-tipped jigs along the edges or fish from the bank. This should last two to three weeks, and then the crappie will move back into 12 to 18 feet of water on submerged timber, and the you can anchor and fish small shiners or tuffies directly over the tree.”