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Clarks Hill Lake

Lake Strom Thurmond, known by most Georgia fishermen as Clarks Hill Lake, is a reservoir at the border between Georgia and South Carolina in the Savannah River Basin. It was created by the J. Strom Thurmond Dam during 1951 and 1952 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near the confluence of the Little River and the Savannah River. Fishing for largemouth bass and striped bass in particularly popular at Clarks Hill, and the lake also offers very good shellcracker fishing during the late spring spawn, and there are some giant catfish in the lake. Crappie fishing can also be very good on Clarks Hill. At 71,000 acres, it is the third-largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi River, behind Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River and Lake Marion on the Santee River. The J. Strom Thurmond Dam is located upstream from Augusta. Clarks Hill is one of the southeast's largest and most popular public recreation lakes.

Clarks Hill Lake Resources

Clarks Hill Fishing Report – June 2025

By GON Staff | May 28, 2025

Clarks Hill: Level: 0.4 feet above 330. Temp: Upper 70s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: David Earl Thorton, with Franklin Gun Shop in Athens, reports, “Expect bass to be busting topwater in June. Throw a buzzbait or walking bait for schooling fish. Also, fish a shaky head or a Greenfish jig before leaving the area. For largemouth, go upriver and throw a Toad Toter buzzbait and a Davis buzzbait with Zoom Horny Toad on them. Hit all shallow cover.” Clarks Hill Page: Archived Articles, Fishing Reports & Lake Records

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Clarks Hill Lake Articles

Hadden Sets Clarks Hill Spotted Bass Record

What began as a slow day on Clarks Hill Lake for Tanner Hadden and his guide party turned exciting and memorable with one key bite. Tanner decided to find some keeper spotted bass in deep brush for his clients to catch. When Tanner cast a 3/16-oz. Greenfish Cleanup shaky head jig threaded with a green…

Giant 72-Pound Clarks Hill Blue Cat Shatters 45-Year Record

You would have to consider it quite unusual if a 45-year-old lake fishing record was shattered by someone fishing from the bank in a community fishing hole that everyone knows about. Well, Walker Crowe is a quite unusual 16-year-old. While others his age are playing video games and worrying about teenage anxieties, Walker is dominating…

Clarks Hill Catfish On The Rocks In May

Flathead catfish are spawning on rocks at Clarks Hill right now, and you can have fun catching them for the next two months. Go after a mess to eat, or try to break the lake record—but be forewarned, breaking a catfish record at Clarks Hill will require a monster fish! The flathead record was set…

44 Pounds Wins Two-Day Clarks Hill BASS College Tourney

Anderson Jones, of Lander University, saved the best for last en route to singlehandedly sacking up 43 pounds, 15 ounces and winning the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill Reservoir presented by Bass Pro Shops. After placing third on Day 1 with 19-12, Jones stepped on the gas and sacked up a second-round…

Bussey Point 2023 Deer Hunt Dates

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, J. Strom Thurmond Project, Forest, Fish, and Wildlife section have set the dates for primitive weapons deer hunts in Bussey Point Corps Management Unit, located in Lincoln County. The first 100 hunters to arrive each day will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Archery hunters are invited…

Clarks Hill Lake Record Fish

Largemouth Bass14-lbs., 14-ozs.Carl Sasser02/16/72
Spotted Bass5-lbs., 7.2-ozs.Tanner Hadden04/23/24
White Bass3-lbs., 9-ozs.Ed Lepley03/09/15
Striped Bass55-lbs., 12-ozs.Sam Porter05/27/93
Hybrid Bass16-lbs., 12-ozs.Jim Hankinson-----
Black Crappie4-lbs., 8-ozs.Dewey Marks1979
White Crappie4-lbs., 12-ozs.Weldon Clark03/30/06
Blue Catfish72-lbs., 3-ozs.Walker Crowe05/07/24
Flathead Catfish70-lbs.Michael Dollar03/04/23
Channel Catfish25-lbs., 2-ozs.James Gunn05/13/93
Yellow Perch2-lbs., 8-ozs.Brad Murphy12/89
Sauger4-lbs., 3-ozs.Stuart Bowers04/05/86
Warmouth13-ozs.Daniel Rawlins04/15/01
White Perch1-lb., 4-ozs.Dennis Franklin02/22/15
Shellcracker2-lbs., 6-ozs.Allen Fitzgerald04/24/25