Clarks Hill Fishing Report – November 2010

Clarks Hill: Level: 5.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 71 degrees. Clarity: Pretty clear for a lake that is turning over.

Bass: Good. Dale Gibbs said he’s catching a bunch of small fish offshore right now, but the fish are all getting ready to move into the creeks and pockets following shad. In November, Dale likes to get onto the flats in the backs of the creeks. It’ll be hard to beat a Shad Rap or crankbait that runs no more than 7 or 8 feet deep, and a spinnerbait is also a good choice. Look for fish schooling on shad in the backs of the coves, and always keep a Super Fluke tied on for when you see fish breaking. A lot of your schools will be hanging around the hydrilla, and there’s a lot of it on the lower end of the lake. About Thanksgiving, when water temps drop into the mid 60s, the jig bite usually ramps up. Try jigging docks or any wood you can find on secondary points in 10 to 15 feet of water. See page 34 for a feature on Clarks Hill bass in November.

Linesides: Very good. William Sasser reports, “November is one of my favorite times of year to fish. Right now we are downlining herring 40 to 70 feet deep over trees on the lower end of the lake and catching limits of fish between 3 and 12 pounds every day. By the end of the month, the fish will be moving up in the water column, and we will start pulling planers and freelines for larger stripers. Raysville area is the place to be.”

Crappie: Very good. William reports, “Once the lake hits the upper 60s, I think somebody drops 2-lb. crappie out of the sky because the lake seems to be full of them in November. Maybe its stimulus crappie from the government. Whatever it is, I appreciate the fish because they are in large groups and easy to catch.We will fish on top of brush 20 to 30 feet deep with small shiners for slabs. Long Cane, Soap, Germany and Grays are the creeks to fish.”