Clarks Hill Fishing Report June 2011

Clarks Hill: Level: 3.1 feet below full pool. Temp: 78-82 degrees. Clarity: Clear downlake; slight stain on the upper end.

Bass: Slowing down, said Dale Gibbs. The herring chasing is coming to a close, and the fish are moving into summer patterns with the warmer water temperatures. Dale said it’s time to break out the soft plastics and start probing offshore structure. Humps, points and offshore hydrilla patches in 10- to 20-foot depths will be the ticket. Dale said he will start off hitting each new area with a jig but switch pretty quickly to a worm if that big fish he’s looking for doesn’t hit. He likes a 1/2-oz. brown Buckeye Mop Jig, and he’ll also fish a 3/4-oz. football jig in the same color. After dark, a black jig with a red Super Chunk can be effective on the humps. For the worm, Dale likes to drag a Carolina rig with a Trick Worm or other finesse-style worm. Other anglers do well this time of year with shaky heads and drop-shot worms. Good colors are watermelon seed and green pumpkin, and the red colors will also turn on sometimes. Early in the morning, a good topwater bite can be found around bream beds in the backs of almost any pocket in the lake. Dale likes to fish floating worms in bluegill colors, like merthiolate, and he’ll also throw a buzzbait or Pop-R.