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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: Level: 3.1 feet below 330. Temp: Low 50s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: David Earl Thorton, with Franklins, reports that bass will be in or near ditches. “Also check channel swings,” David said. “As we move into February, look for the bass to move back in the creeks and coves. They will be feeding up on the flats early. Try a Spot Choker and a Zoom Fluke Jr. in the ditches. Also, a Greenfish Bad Little Shad head and a 2.8-inch swimbait will get you bit. On a bright, sunny day, throw Shad Rap and Stray Dog crankbait on rocky banks. Keep a Greenfish jig ready for any wood or blowdowns for a big bite. Clarks Hill Page: Archived Articles, Fishing Reports & Lake Records
Read MoreClarks Hill Lake Articles
After more than five years of studies and discussion, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will ask Congress to fund an Environmental Assessment to determine if sterile grass carp can be introduced to Clarks Hill Lake to control hydrilla. Hydrilla at Clarks Hill has been linked to an algae bloom and neurotoxin responsible for the…
Summer is a great time for outdoor recreational activity, particularly if it has anything to do with water. Clark Hill, near Augusta, is a favorite of local residents and fun seekers from both Georgia and South Carolina who show up in large numbers to enjoy this beautiful body of water. Clark Hill is a fine…
If you wait for the peak of spawning in March to go crappie fishing, you are missing out on some of the best fishing of the year, especially for big fish. Clarks Hill, a 71,000-acre reservoir on the Savannah River, offers great crappie fishing. There are many creeks and smaller rivers entering this huge lake…
Striper fishing on Clarks Hill can be a lot like another popular November pursuit… deer hunting. Want to know why? Ask guide William Sasser, a veteran of the better part of 30 years on the lake. On a recent evening, I caught up with William, owner of William Sasser Guide Service, and picked his brain…
September can be a tough month to have a good day of bass fishing. The water is as hot as it gets, and oxygen levels are at their lowest. There is some hope of improvement by the end of the month as the water starts to cool. But the good news is, regardless of…
Clarks Hill Lake Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 14-lbs., 14-ozs. | Carl Sasser | 02/16/72 |
| Spotted Bass | 5-lbs., 7.2-ozs. | Tanner Hadden | 04/23/2404/23/24 |
| White Bass | 3-lbs., 9-ozs. | Ed Lepley | 03/09/15 |
| Striped Bass | 55-lbs., 12-ozs. | Sam Porter | 05/27/93 |
| Hybrid Bass | 16-lbs., 12-ozs. | Jim Hankinson | ----- |
| Black Crappie | 4-lbs., 8-ozs. | Dewey Marks | 1979 |
| White Crappie | 4-lbs., 12-ozs. | Weldon Clark | 03/30/06 |
| Blue Catfish | 72-lbs., 3-ozs. | Walker Crowe | 05/07/24 |
| Flathead Catfish | 70-lbs. | Michael Dollar | 03/04/23 |
| Channel Catfish | 25-lbs., 2-ozs. | James Gunn | 05/13/93 |
| Yellow Perch | 2-lbs., 8-ozs. | Brad Murphy | 12/89 |
| Sauger | 4-lbs., 3-ozs. | Stuart Bowers | 04/05/86 |
| Warmouth | 13-ozs. | Daniel Rawlins | 04/15/01 |
| White Perch | 1-lb., 4-ozs. | Dennis Franklin | 02/22/15 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 9-ozs. | Kathleen Weeks | 06/23/11 |