Clarks Hill Fishing Report – July 2010

Clarks Hill: Level: 3.0 feet below full pool. Temp: 88-92 degrees. Clarity: Very clear.

Bass: Fair. Craig Johnson said the bite is pretty good, but it’s abnormal for this time of year at Clarks Hill. The schooling bite, which is normally a summer staple, hasn’t shown up yet this year, and it’s about a month behind. The only fish that are coming up are small 6- to 8-inchers, he said. The bite Craig is on is deep, in the 18- to 25-foot range right on the bottom on creek-channel bends and on some of the humps and points. He’s averaging 2 3/4 pounds per fish throwing a 5/16-oz. Magnum Spot Remover threaded with a black Zoom Magnum finesse worm, and that’s pretty much the only way he’s been able to catch fish lately. He said the fish are holding on the 45-degree angle slopes rather than the typical drops. If you want to just catch fish, he said you can always Carolina rig the points and humps, but the fish are scattered. The good news is, Craig said the bait has started to move up some in recent days, and the classic schooling bite could be right around the corner. If he sees them coming up on herring, he likes to throw a clear Gunfish 95 or a Super Fluke in white ice. Work either bait extremely fast. If they’re busting threadfin, fast walk a clear Zara Puppy.

Linesides: Capt. William Sasser reports, “This month the fish will move down to the 40- to 50-foot water level, and they will be in large groups. On the lower end of the lake, we will be drifting deep water over the river channel with live herring on downrods. We will also troll bucktails behind downriggers this month. Also, fishing below the tailrace of Russell dam when they are making power is always a good choice.”

Crappie: “July is mainly a minnow-fishing month for crappie,” Capt. Sasser said. “Tight lines over trees in 30 to 50 feet of water is how we will be fishing. Night fishing over brush or under bridges is always fun during the hot months. We use HydroGlow lights suspended beneath the boat to draw in the baitfish. Night fishing is one of my favorite childhood memories — Coleman lantern, doll flys, boiled peanuts,white bass and crappie. What memories!”