Clarks Hill Fishing Report – December 2008

Clarks Hill: Level: 16.3 feet below full pool. Even with low lake levels, there are plenty of places to launch a boat. However, courtesy docks are tough to find. Temp: The temperature is all over the place, according to guide William Sasser. An average temperature is the mid 50s, but he’s seeing five or six degrees higher and lower. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Craig Johnson said the first half of December is spinnerbait time, especially if the wind is blowing. He likes a 1/4-oz. white Buckeye spinnerbait with double willowleaf blades. “Fish points and humps with grass; it’s a shallow bite,” said Craig. “The second half of the month, I’ll fish crankbaits. I like the Zoom Mutt II.” The bait is a light-colored chartreuse with a brown back. It dives 4 or 5 feet deep. “Fish the edges of the grass in 4 to 12 feet of water,” said Craig. Also try a Rapala DT6 and a Buckeye Short Circuit. On the Short Circuit, the milfoil color is really good on a bright day. Craig keeps all three crankbaits tied on. Sometimes he’ll catch a few fish off one, make a switch, and pick up a few more. “The bigger fish will come on a jig fishing rock,” said Craig. “The Little River bridge rip-rap is good. Up the lake above 378 bridge has some rocky points and banks up there.”

Stripers: Guide William Sasser said December is the time to start fishing for big fish on planers with live herring or gizzard shad. “We’ll concentrate in the Raysville area, as well as the Soap Creek area,” said William. “Most of the big fish will be feeding off points and underwater islands. Just slow your trolling speed way down, and hit numerous places. We’ll also fish downlines during the middle of the day in 30 to 60 feet of water for hybrids with bluebacks in the same areas that I mentioned above.”

Crappie: William will also fish in the Raysville area and in Soap Creek for crappie. He’ll be pulling jigs this month. “I’ll fish shallower in the morning and deeper in the middle of the day,” said William. “I like tipping the jigs with small minnows for more fish. Crappie will be concentrated in large numbers, so move around until you find them. Brushpiles in 20 to 40 feet of water will produce nice fish with minnows. Experiment with colors on jigs; sometimes the craziest colors work best.”

Bream & Yellow Perch: December is a great time to fish below the dam with crickets, worms and jigs tipped with minnows, said William. “The deep holes in the river below the dam hold a lot of fish in the winter,” said William. “For the bream, I’ll try to anchor right above the hole and fish on the bottom with your typical bream rig, a No. 6 hook and split-shot. Fish the edges for the yellow perch.”