Clarks Hill Lake Fishing Report – October 2019

Clarks Hill: Level: 4.3 feet low. Temp: 78-80 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Josh Rockefeller reports, “Clark’s Hill is starting heat up. The lake has dropped several feet, but the fish are starting to school better as the cool temperatures come. Water temperatures are in 78-80 degree range. The bridges seem to be holding a lot of fish right now. Fish the pilings with a drop shot, and cast to fish breaking the surface. You can also drop that drop shot on fish you see coming across the graph. Typically they will hit if you are quick enough. I’m using a morning dawn Roboworm on the drop shot and throwing topwaters and flukes at the breaking fish. There is still a shallow buzzbait bait bite going on that is producing the better fish but not as much action as the schooling fish.”

Linesides: Guide Bradd Sasser reports, “The hybrids and stripers are moving away from the lower end of the lake and more toward mid-lake areas. They have started showing up around Wells, Hawe and Bennefield creeks. They are stacking up anywhere from 35 to 40 feet deep off the ends of points and sides of humps. Downlines are working really well, with trolling umbrella rigs also producing. As the fish move up in the water column, trolling planer boards will take the place of umbrella rigs. We have been seeing some scattered groups of fish in 10 to 15 feet of water along the edges of the channel, which is normally a good indicator that we should start seeing more consistent surface action. Once the surface activity begins, keep a pitching pole with a Sammy or white-ice Fluke close by.”

Crappie: Guide Bradd Sasser reports, “The slightly cooler nights have really started kicking off the crappie bite. They are holding and feeding aggressively 15 feet deep around structure and submerged timber. Trolling jigs is starting to pick up, and as always, anchoring and using small minnows is working well.”

Catfish: Guide Bradd Sasser reports, “The catfish bite has still been fantastic with blues, channels and flats being caught off the sides of humps 25 to 30 feet deep. Cut herring has been working good, but cut gizzards has produced the bigger cats.”