January 9

Clarks Hill water levels are at 326.34 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity is fairly high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 49 degrees.

The creeks and big coves on Clarks Hill are absolutely stacked with baitfish of all sorts, and Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that every predator fish seems to be there feeding on them. For catfish anchoring on the edge of the creek channels around the big schools of baitfish is working well, and dragging baits in and out of the creeks that don’t have too much timber is also working. 10-35 feet has been the most productive depth, and gizzard shad, white perch, and herring are all working. 

While there are still fish on the main lake, the creek fish are usually more aggressive right now. 

The black bass are also present in the creeks and coves, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) and tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia both report that the ditches are loaded up with bass right now.  First thing in the morning you can find them schooling in the back of ditches, and throwing an underspin with a fluke on it and then slow-rolling it has been the best way to get these fish to bite. Even in very, very cold temperatures they will head very shallow and feed first thing.

When fish aren’t schooling shallow then anglers are targeting them in deeper parts of the ditches with a minnow-style bait, crankbait, or jerkbait. Often they are looking at them on LiveScope. 

Finally, anywhere you can find rock or deeper brush it’s worth fishing. 

January 2

Clarks Hill water levels are at 326.12 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity is fairly high. Morning surface water temperatures are around 52 degrees.

It’s a phenomenal bite for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that fish are still running the channels (and sometimes adjacent flats) all over the lake.  Captain Rocky’s boat has been marking fish at a variety of depths, and sometimes they will see fish at 10 feet and other times they will see them as deep as 70 feet. However, day-in and day-out the best bite is 35 feet down whether that’s on the bottom in 35 feet or over 90 feet of water. 

Rocky’s boat is catching everything on down-rods. 

While there are plenty of birds around, they aren’t helping one bit right now. Right now they are just setting up when they mark fish and pretty consistently they are biting aggressively. 

It’s a different story with the crappie on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky reports that he is putting off trips for now. That’s not because you can’t catch crappie, but they are not set up on brush and you can’t easily catch them trolling with multiple rods. Basically it’s LiveScope fishing right now, and while a pair of experienced anglers can whack the fish chasing them in open water and casting at them with jigs (or minnows), they don’t set up well for parties. 

Most of the fish are channel-oriented right now, and Rocky has caught some 2-pounders at 70 feet this week. And while they aren’t on brush right now, some of them are related to standing timber in the river channel.

More to follow. 

December 19

Clarks Hill water levels are at 326.50 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 55 degrees.

It’s still a strong bite for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that fish are still all over the lake from the lower lake to the mid-lake to the upper lake, up all the major rivers. 

The common denominator is that fish are related to the edges of channels in 30-40 feet of water, and they are running about 10-20 feet deep. Humps off the edge of the river channel are still a magnet for fish. 

Free-lines and planer boards are working, but Captain Rocky’s boat is catching everything on shallow down-rods. 

While many people going after black bass on Clarks Hill are throwing minnow-style baits on jigheads while looking at fish around bait schools on forward-facing sonar, Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that if you want to do something different there is still a good spinnerbait and crankbait bite on rock veins that extend out into the lake. When water temperatures drop much further this pattern should fall off, and already he can tell that some fish are sliding in the belly of ditches where they can be caught on blade baits and jerkbaits.  

Just off the water, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia concurs with Josh’s assessment that you can still fish warmer water patterns. He was very surprised by how active the fish still were today, and first thing this morning this morning caught a limit burning a Sebille across the surface for schooling fish. He also caught several fish under a dock, typically not an early winter pattern, and even saw a bunch of bream up shallow. Other fish came off laydowns.

While much of that is about to change, after a few warm days (and with water temperatures approaching 60 during the day) fall patterns may hold a little longer than expected even with a cold snap. 

Finally, Tyler strongly suggests getting on the lake as early as possible because the first 30 minutes were by far the most productive and the fish were very active early today.

The crappie bite continues to slow down on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky reports that by this point you can look at 8 or 10 brush piles and not see a single fish. More of them are scattering in open water, and while you can catch them trolling in 20-30 feet up the creeks that’s not a particularly good pattern, either. The fish are very spread out, but another factor that makes them hard to target is that they will move shallower and then deeper pretty frequently at this time of year. Overall, until water temperatures get back to about 58 on Clarks Hill it can be a tough bite. Other lakes are certainly different. 

Finally, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the blue catfishbite is still outstanding. The baitfish are piled up pretty thick in the creek runs, and the blues are right there with them. Fishing in 25-40 feet has been most productive, and dragging gizzard shad, white perch and herring is working well. Some of the creeks are so full of timber that they can’t be drifted, and in those areas anchoring at the same depth range around the big schools of bait works just as well.

Of course fish can still be caught on the main lake, but the creek fish are usually more aggressive right now. 

Next week there will be no new fishing reports with the Christmas holiday, but regular reports will resume after the New Year. 

December 11

Clarks Hill water levels are at 325.98 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity should drop after significant rainfall. Morning surface water temperatures are around 58 degrees.

It’s still a really strong bite for hybrid and striped bass on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are still catching fast limits. All over the lake – from the lower end to up both rivers – fish are related to the edges of channels in 30-40 feet of water, and they are generally running about 10-20 feet deep. Humps off the edge of the river channel are still a magnet for fish. 

Free-lines and planer boards are working, but Captain Rocky’s boat is catching everything on shallow down-rods. 

The black bass on Clarks Hill are getting deeper into winter patterns, and tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that means the fish are starting to stack up in the ditches with the colder weather. Occasionally you will find some schooling in the very back of pockets, but basically right now the best pattern is looking at fish on electronics and throwing leadhead jigs in 10-30 feet of water around bait schools.  Shallow-running crankbaits, underspins, jerkbaits and Rattle Traps will also work.  It’s not hard to catch fish right now, but finding quality can be difficult. Fish are largely grouped by size so if you get a good one there are likely more bigs there – but the opposite is also true if you catch a 12-incher. 

The information is similar from Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152), who reports that until about 9 or 10 each morning throwing a minnow bait at fish you see on LiveScope back in the drains is a really good pattern. After that they often disappear and get hard to locate.  Look for loons to locate productive areas, and Josh finds that a small Keitech swimbait is hard to beat. 

When the temperatures drop a few more degrees he expects the cranking pattern to slow down, but for now throwing a crankbait around shallow rock veins – or a spinnerbait at wood – can be a great way to catch fish. On warmer days fish often suspend over the rock and a jerkbait can be better. 

It remains a fair bite for crappie on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky reports that they are still catching about 50 fish in a day – but that’s not 100 like earlier in the fall. In general there are still a fair number of catchable fish on brush about 15-18 feet down in roughly 30 feet of water that will take minnows. The upper third of the lake is the best area to look. However, even for the fish that are still on brush the bite is slowing, and at the same time a large percentage of fish are starting to move off structure and just roam in open water. While there are certainly exceptions, in general these fish are much less likely to be biting. 

Finally, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the blue catfishbite is still outstanding. The baitfish are now piled up pretty thick in the creek runs, and the blues are right there with them. Fishing in 25-40 feet has been most productive, and dragging gizzard shad, white perch and herring is working well. Some of the creeks are so full of timber that they can’t be drifted, and in those areas anchoring at the same depth range around the big schools of bait works just as well.

Of course fish can still be caught on the main lake, but the creek fish are usually more aggressive right now. 

December 4

Clarks Hill water levels are down to 326.24 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 59 degrees.

It’s time to give the catfish his due because the big blue cat bite just could be the hottest thing going on at Clarks Hill.  Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the baitfish are now piled up pretty thick in the creek runs, and the blues are right there with them. Fishing in 25-40 feet has been most productive, and dragging gizzard shad, white perch and herring is working well. Some of the creeks are so full of timber that they can’t be drifted, and in those areas anchoring at the same depth range around the big schools of bait works just as well.

Of course fish can still be caught on the main lake, but the creek fish are usually more aggressive right now. 

If catfish are the best thing going on The Hill the hybrid and striped bass are making a strong case for second, and Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that they are catching fast limits right now. All over the lake – from the lower end to up both rivers – fish are related to the edge of the channels in 30-40 feet of water, and they are generally running about 10-20 feet deep. Humps off the edge of the river channel are still a magnet for fish. 

Free-lines and planer boards are working, but Captain Rocky’s boat is catching everything on shallow down-rods. 

As expected recent late November black bass tournaments have generally been fairly low weight affairs, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that the predominant pattern has been following bait schools and bass on LiveScope and throwing a minnow imitation at the fish. They are pretty heavy on bait right now. 

However, there have also been some really good bags caught up the rivers (and really the pattern can be replicated anywhere there is a nice rock vein running out into the lake) with square-billed crankbaits. They will also take a jerkbait around rock on days when fish are sitting higher in the water column. 

Unfortunately it’s not quite a golden time for crappie anymore on Clarks Hill, but Captain Rocky reports that there are still a fair number of catchable fish on brush about 15-18 feet down in roughly 30 feet of water that will take minnows. The upper third of the lake is the best area to look. However, even for the fish that are still on brush the bite is slowing, and at the same time a large percentage of fish are starting to move off structure and just roam in open water. While there are certainly exceptions, in general these fish are much less likely to be biting. 

November 20

Clarks Hill water levels are at 327.37 (full pool is 330.00) and water clarity is normal. Morning surface water temperatures are around 67 degrees.

The rescheduled Mr. Clarks Hill Tournament is coming up this weekend on Clarks Hill, and Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that even though he won’t be fishing he looks for cooling temperatures to move black bass off of the buzzbait bite they have been on and put them more in the mood to take a square-billed crankbait, jerkbait, or spinnerbait. Basically any point or vein of rock running out into the lake should hold fish, especially in the creeks, and on cloudy or overcast days they will hold tight to the rock and want the crankbait. On sunny days they are more likely to suspend above it and want the jerkbait. At times these fish will be dirt shallow on the rock, which brings up the other fish magnet right now.  There are a lot of shallow brush piles exposed at this time of year, and especially when they are located on steep banks or flats in the back of creeks these are a perfect target for bass. They can’t resist a spinnerbait rolled around the cover. 

Of course, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia (who will be fishing) reports that he also expects a lot of anglers to be Live-Scoping in open water for schools of fish. 

Even with fishing activity still down, Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that there is still a pretty fantastic hybrid and striped bass bite in the main Savannah River. Fish are making a slow migration up the lake, until very cold weather brings them back down again, and he estimates that most fish are about in the middle-third right now. There is some surface activity but fish are not really schooling on top, and he is finding most of the fish 10-20 feet below the surface in around 30-40 feet of water.  Humps off the edge of the river channel have been a magnet for fish. Free-lines, planer boards, and shallow down-rods will all catch them. 

It's also still a golden time for crappie on Clarks Hill, and Captain Rocky reports that it won’t be until sometime in December or January that fish get really finicky and harder to catch. For now they are still in the upper third of the lake on any structure including brush or trees in the creek or river channel. They are generally about 15-18 feet down in 30 feet of water, and while they will take jigs minnows are working much better. 

Finally, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the fall catfish bite remains remarkably consistent. The productive depth range might vary a bit from day to day, but otherwise things are pretty predictable and the fishing is very good. 

The best pattern is still anchoring on main lake points in 25-50 feet of water. You can also catch some fish dragging the bottom at about the same depths in creeks with cleaner bottoms. Cut herring, bream and gizzard shad will all catch fish.

November 13

Clarks Hill water levels are at 327.54 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is very clear because of the absence of recent rains. Morning surface water temperatures are around 68 degrees.

Fishing activity is still well below normal, but Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that he has been finding a pretty fantastic hybrid and striped bass bite. On their last trip they caught 70 fish in two hours, and even though fish are moving around a fair amount they have been able to find some very consistent spots. The best action has been coming 10-20 feet down in about 30 feet of water on the edge of the Savannah River channel, but fish are scattered all over the place. They are in both major river arms, and some days they are moving to the very backs of the creeks. 

While it’s not uncommon to mark fish on the bottom in 35 feet, once they actually start biting they usually come up to about 12-20 feet to feed. 

Captain Rocky reports that the crappie fishing is also good, and fish can be found in the river and creek channels up the lake in about 30 feet of water. They are 15-18 feet down suspended over brush, trees, or any other structure in the channel, and while they will take jigs minnows are working much better. 

But there are also crappie a little shallower, and Guide Wendell Wilson with Wilson’s Guide Service (706-283-3336) reports that they managed to catch a nice limit of crappie on the very upper end of Clarks Hill fishing in 15-17 feet of water. They have caught everything on minnows about 12-14 feet down, and while fish aren’t on every piece of structure when you find them there are some big schools. And lots of big fish. 

While the black bass fishing has also been good for numbers, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that catching decent-sized fish is a completely different matter. On the water recently he has seen and caught a good number of schooling fish, but most of them you have to measure.  He is seeing better ones on top but they aren’t biting. 

They aren’t as shallow as in the spring, and most of the action he is finding is in 12-15 feet. It’s also pretty random, and some points and humps are covered in fish while others are desolate.  Brush does seem to make a big difference.

But the hardest part is not locating the fish but getting them to bite, and with the bass on very small bait at times that is “outrageously” tough. Bright skies and calm days make it even worse. Everything he has caught has been on a small fluke or Sashimmy swimbait. 

As for other patterns, a buzzbait should only get better in the next couple of weeks but for now Tyler is not getting many bites on it. A white or methiolate floating worm should also be good, especially with all the newly fallen trees in the water.

Finally, there are a lot of fish on brush piles that you can see on electronics but right now they are more likely to follow a bait than commit. 

Finally, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the fall catfishbite remains remarkably consistent. The productive depth range might vary a bit from day to day, but otherwise things are pretty predictable and the fishing is very good. 

The best pattern is still anchoring on main lake points in 25-50 feet of water. You can also catch some fish dragging the bottom at about the same depths in creeks with cleaner bottoms. Cut herring, bream and gizzard shad will all catch fish.

October 29

Clarks Hill water levels are at 327.94 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake is relatively clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 70 degrees.

While there is still an incredible amount of clean-up to be done in the Clarks Hill area after Helene, Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that he is back on the water more often now and the hybrid and striped bass fishing is pretty phenomenal.  On his last trip he caught 70 fish in 30 minutes, with the action mid-lake fishing the main river channel. Fish are 20 feet down in 35-40 feet of water, and they are in thick schools eating aggressively. They are not seeing any schooling on the surface and everything they are catching is coming on down-rods.    

Captain Rocky reports that the crappie fishing is also pretty strong, and the best action seems to be way up the rivers around brush in the channel itself or off to the side of it. Most of the fish are suspended about 12 feet down, and in the channel the brush could be in 25-30 feet while off to the sides it is shallower – but fish are still at the same depth. Minnows have been most productive. 

While black bass fishing is still relatively limited as the area remains heavily affected by the storm, Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that there was a big-money tournament recently and the fishing seems to be fair. You can still find some sporadic schooling activity, but those fish are getting harder to catch even when you see them on top. The best way to get bites right now seems to be going along the bank with a Whopper Plopper or buzzbait. You can also fish brush piles, although a lot of the fish on brush are smaller. 

Finally, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the fall catfishbite remains remarkably consistent. The productive depth range might vary a bit from day to day, but otherwise things are pretty predictable and the fishing is very good. 

The best pattern is still anchoring on main lake points in 25-50 feet of water. You can also catch some fish dragging the bottom at about the same depths in creeks with cleaner bottoms. Cut herring, bream and gizzard shad will all catch fish.

 

October 16

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.33 (full pool is 330.00) and the lake has cleared significantly. Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees.

Always the best time to catch a giant, the last few years Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service (864-992-2352) reports that the fall catfish bite has still been extremely inconsistent. However, in spite of the extreme water conditions, so far this fall the bite has been surprisingly consistent. The productive depth range might change from day to day, but otherwise things are pretty predictable. 

The best pattern is still anchoring on main lake points in 25-50 feet of water. You can also catch some fish dragging the bottom at about the same depths in creeks with cleaner bottoms. Cut herring, bream and gizzard shad will all catch fish.

The hybrid and striped bass fishing activity remains a fraction of what it was before the storms with all the clean-up work still to be done, but Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that the best area should still be the main lake from about Fishing Village to Parksville on the South Carolina side and Grays Creek to the mouth of the Georgia Little River on the Georgia side. Fish will go back to the river channel and be following bait, and most of the bait should be from the surface down to about 20 feet down. While you can certainly look for schooling fish, Captain Rocky’s preferred method is to fish down-rods down to about 24-25 feet deep, usually over deeper water. Again, fish will be where the bait it. 

The crappie fishing has picked up a little sooner than expected, and Captain Rocky reports that as the lake has settled down the fishing in both the main lake and the creeks has come on again. Brush in less than 20 feet is the best place to look, and the best reports he has heard have been on minnows. 

While tournaments are still getting cancelled and fishing activity remains down for black bass, too, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that cooler conditions and wind have actually helped the schooling bite over main lake points and humps. Fish are generally in at least ten or more feet of water, and they will take a mix of topwater lures, soft swimbaits and Sebilles. He is also marking a lot of fish on brush piles, but for catching numbers then simply hitting as many points as possible with topwater lures is hard to beat.

Tyler continues to believe that the better fish should come on a buzzbait. 

October 10

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.77 (full pool is 330.00) and visibility is back to 3-4 feet down the lake. Morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees.

With ’round the clock trees to be cut, bait almost impossible to find (the Herring Hut just re-opened), and much of the area only just getting power back, Captain Rocky Fulmer with Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that he and most other hybrid and striped bass guides have been able to spend precious little time on the water. However, in situations like this the fish are in pretty predictable locations and he says with the high water you want to be fishing the main lake from about Fishing Village to Parksville on the South Carolina side and Grays Creek to the mouth of the Georgia Little River on the Georgia side. Fish will go back to the river channel and be following bait, and most of the bait should be from the surface down to about 20 feet down. While you can certainly look for schooling fish, Captain Rocky’s preferred method is to fish down-rods down to about 24-25 feet deep, usually over deeper water. Again, fish will be where the bait it. 

Overall, fish can be caught right now but it will be much better in a couple of weeks.

That’s even more true for the crappie, and Captain Rocky reports that they are such a finicky species that it’s honestly just worth taking a break from them for a couple of weeks. They don’t feed well when there is too much water and current. 

Back on the water after the storm, tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, Georgia reports that the bass are schooling pretty well on main lake points and humps. They are catching a lot of fish, but the only drawback is that the size is not there. Fish are generally in at least ten or more feet of water, and they will take a mix of topwater lures, soft swimbaits and Sebilles. He is also marking a lot of fish on brush piles, but for catching numbers then simply hitting as many points as possible with topwater lures is hard to beat.

Tyler continues to believe that the better fish should come on a buzzbait, but he’s having so much fun catching quantities of fish off points and humps that it’s hard to stick with it. 

And finally back on the water himself yesterday, Captain Chris Simpson with Fightin Da Blues Fishing Guide Service(864-992-2352) reports that the catfish bite was surprisingly good. He expected the massive influx of water to slow things down, but instead it looked like fish were making a normal transition and migration into fall patterns. While you have to adjust depths every day, the best pattern is still anchoring on main lake points in 25-50 feet of water. You can also catch some fish dragging the bottom at about the same depths in creeks with cleaner bottoms. Cut herring, bream and gizzard shad will all catch fish, and overall the fishing is very good right now. 

October 2

Clarks Hill water levels are up to 328.50 (full pool is 330.00) and morning surface water temperatures are around 77 degrees.

Fishing is obviously the last thing on most people’s minds in the Clarks Hill area, with the majority of the region still affected at least by power outages.  Speaking to one of our captains this morning, he has been told that they won’t have power back for at least a week. Fishing tournaments have already been cancelled for this weekend. 

Obviously our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Helene, but we will offer fishing updates as soon as we have them.