Clarks Hill Fishing Report – August 2008

Clarks Hill: Level: Down 12.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Low to mid 80s. Clarity: Very clear.

Bass: Bill Crompton recently fished with 14-year-old Austin Hopson, and they surprisingly found some fish shallow. “We started out with a 4-lb., 6-oz. fish that I caught on a floating worm,” said Bill. “The next fish was 4-lbs., 8-ozs., which ended up being the biggest catch of the day. My best five fish weighed 15-lbs., 2-ozs. We caught 11 keepers in shallow water right on the bank. The key is to throw a floating worm ever so slow, and just twitch it as you reel back in. Rocky banks proved to be a good place to fish.”

Linesides: Capt. Dave Willard said fishing at the end of July has been pretty tough. “As the lake continues to fall and more hazards appear, the fish almost disappeared,” said Dave. “Actually I think they just scattered, but it made the catching a lot slower. Ricky Garcia, his wife Ronda and 8-year-old grandson Devin ended up with a nice catch of fish but had to really work for them. We have three major problems in the foreseeable future: 1. Low oxygen and a hot stratified southern reservoir. A possible solution is to move up river toward Russell and find cooler, better-oxygenated water. 2. Finding good ramps. Ask the locals and do some scouting. 3. Lake obstructions will be a hazard, so go slow.” Dave said he plans to concentrate on the upper end of the lake — Wells and Soap creeks and all the way to Russell dam. Guide William Sasser will fish humps in 40 to 50 feet of water before daylight for larger stripers on shad. “Herring fishing this month is tricky,” said William. “They live O.K. in the boat, but when you put them in the lake they expire in just a few minutes, so I do a lot of looking on my depthfinder until I find quantities of fish. Then, I’ll drop the bait right on top of them. Trolling umbrella rigs and bucktails is a good alternative to live-bait fishing this month. Schooling fish will be showing up around Parksville with the Thing Popper being a good choice. Have a lot of different baits for this, as they can vary from day to day on what works best.”

Crappie: “The crappie are congregated in large numbers but harder to find; this is definitely a minnow-fishing time,” said William. “I’ll fish in 20 to 30 feet of water near the bottom under trees. Be patient. Try to stay near where smaller tributaries meet the Savannah and Little rivers out in the lake. It’s also a good month to night fish over brush with minnows, but most of the good fishing comes between midnight and 5 a.m.”

Catfish and White Perch: William said to look for these fish on brushpiles in the late afternoon. “I’ll fish on the bottom with small minnows and do well,” said William. “These fish love the small minnows, and we’ll catch large catfish also.”