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The newest Clarks Hill fishing report can be found at: http://www.anglersheadquarters.com/ahq-insider-clarks-hill-gasc-fall-2019-fishing-report/

August 22

Clarks Hill water levels are at 327.99 (full pool is 330.00) and surface water temperatures in the morning are in the upper 80s.  Despite some rain the ground has absorbed most of it this week and so the lake remains pretty clear, although there is a little floating debris.

While there are still some shallow fish that can be caught on a buzzbait, tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that from what he has seen most of the fish are deeper.  There is already some schooling activity starting around humps, and when fish are not on the surface they can be caught on deeper drop shots.  Because fish are feeding on smaller baitfish flukes, smaller topwaters, or clear baits that have a smaller profile are good options.

Tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, GA reports that he is also seeing some schooling in open water, but overall pretty much everything seems to be deep.  In addition to humps he has also found deeper fish around brush and fish attractors in about 30 feet.

The striped bass and hybridfishing has finally slowed down on Clarks Hill, but  even though William Sasser Guide Service (706-589-5468) reports that we are in the dog days of summer they have still had some good fish. It’s just not as easy as a month or two ago, and instead of limiting out on one group of fish catching 3 or 4 out of one school is as much as you can expect.

The early morning bite has been hit-or-miss fishing on the side of humps 30-35 feet deep in the channel, and one day you can do really well while the next day the fish are gone.  The most consistent bite is 20-40 feet down over 80-100 feet of water along the edge of the channel for suspended fish on the lower or upper end, where they are doing most of their fishing.  You could catch fish pulling umbrella rigs but down-lines have been working.

In the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) confirms his boat is still finding a pretty good down-line bite.  Early in the morning fish can be found pretty shallow in the 15-20 foot range, and then as the sun gets up they move out to the 25-35 foot range.  Humps and points that top out at that depth have been working the best, but there are also plenty of suspended fish in the same zone.

On the catfishfront, Captain Chris reports that 1-10 pound blue and channel catfish are still biting pretty well.  Slow tapering points and ridges in the 5-15 foot range at night, and 15-35 foot range during the day, seem to be fishing best right now.  Anchoring on these areas and fan-casting cut herring, shrimp and dip baits is the best way to put some fish in the boat right now.

Night-time fishing for flathead catfish has been pretty good recently, and rocky points have been by far the best.  Anchoring in the 5-10 foot range and fan-casting live bream all around the rock piles from as shallow as 5 feet out to about 25 feet has been the best approach. Give each spot plenty of time, up to 2 hours or more, because the fish will feed in cycles.  You can also pick up the occasional big blue catfish (and gar) this way.

Captain Brad Sasser reports that there are still not many anglers targeting crappie, but they are still holding around brush 20-25 feet down in 25-35 feet.

August 1

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.05 (full pool is 330.00) and surface water temperatures in the morning have rebounded to 85 or 86 after dropping from 89 to 83.  The water is still very clear for Clarks Hill.

The striped bass and hybridfishing continues to be really good, and William Sasser Guide Service (706-589-5468) reports that first thing they are catching fish off humps in the main channel that are about 35 feet deep.  After the sun gets up fish can be caught on the bottom in 45-60 feet of water off the sides of ledges and along the main channel.  When the sun is higher fish can be a bit more lethargic, but some really good ones have been caught.  A 36 pounder was caught by another boat earlier this week!

For the last few days the evening bite has actually been better than the morning bite, and in the evening fish are still in the daytime depth range.

In the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) confirms his boat is still finding a good bite, and down-lines are the best bet.  Early in the morning fish can be found pretty shallow in the 15-20 foot range, and then as the sun gets up they move out to the 25-35 foot range.  Humps and points that top out at that depth have been working the best, but there are also plenty of suspended fish in the same zone.

It’s still taking at least 17 pounds to win most basstournaments, andtournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, GA reports that the same basic patterns are still catching fish.  Especially with high water levels early and late fishing a buzzbait or frog around bushes and grass is one pattern that is working, but there are also a lot of people fishing deep brush in 20 feet or more.  Deep humps with some rock on top are also producing, with drop shots, jigs, and Carolina rigs all working around the deep stuff.  There are also some fish being caught on deep boat docks and marinas in 20-25 feet.

While the middle of the day is generally considered the toughest time to catch bass in the summer, tournament anglerJosh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that he gets some of his best buzzbait bites in the middle of the day fishing around shallow cover.  A frog will also work, and even in the heat of summer he still finds fish in less than five feet.

Josh also points out that bridge pilings hold lots of small fish that can be caught on drop shots.

On the catfishfront, Captain Chris reports that 1-10 pound blue and channel catfish are still biting pretty well.  Slow tapering points and ridges in the 5-15 foot range at night, and 15-35 foot range during the day, seem to be fishing best right now.  Anchoring on these areas and fan-casting cut herring, shrimp and dip baits is the best way to put some fish in the boat right now.

With the heat Captain Brad Sasser has not been targeting crappie, and from minnow sales it doesn’t appear that anyone is!  However, fish are probably holding around brush 20-25 feet down in 25-35 feet.

July 22

Clarks Hill water levels are at 329.49 (full pool is 330.00) and water temperatures range from about 87-90. The water is very clear.

The striped bass and hybridfishing continues to be really good, and William Sasser Guide Service (706-589-5468) reports that their boats are catching fish at daybreak on points along the main channel 30-35 feet down.  Then as the sun gets up they are finding fish suspended in the 40-60 foot range along the edge of the channel, or on the bottom in 40-50 feet.

Typically they would pretty much be fishing the lower end in late July, but right now Captain Brad Sasser reports that you can pretty much pick a part of the lake you want to fish.  There are some very nice fish being caught on the upper end, the lower end, and in-between, so it is appears that the population is very healthy.

In the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) confirms that the bite is pretty good, with down-lines are the best bet.  Early in the morning fish can be found pretty shallow in the 15-20 foot range, and then as the sun gets up they move out to the 25-35 foot range.  Humps and points that top out at that depth have been working the best, but there are also plenty of suspended fish in the same zone.

Even in mid to late July there have still been some good bags caught in recent bass tournaments, andtournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, GA reports that the last one he fished took almost 20 pounds to win.  With the water levels very high fishing a buzzbait around bushes and grass is one pattern that is working, but there are also a lot of people fishing deep brush in 20 feet or more.  Deep humps with some rock on top are also producing, with drop shots, jigs, and Carolina rigs all working around the deep stuff.  There are also some fish being caught on deep boat docks and marinas in 20-25 feet.

While the middle of the day is generally considered the toughest time to catch bass in the summer, tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that he gets some of his best buzzbait bites in the middle of the day fishing around shallow cover.  A frog will also work, and even in the heat of summer he still finds fish in less than five feet.

Josh also points out that bridge pilings hold lots of small fish that can be caught on drop shots.

On the catfishfront, Captain Chris reports that 1-10 pound blue and channel catfish are still biting pretty well.  Slow tapering points and ridges in the 5-15 foot range at night, and 15-35 foot range during the day, seem to be fishing best right now.  Anchoring on these areas and fan-casting cut herring, shrimp and dip baits is the best way to put some fish in the boat right now.

With the heat Captain Brad Sasser has not been targeting crappie, but he says that fish will be 20-25 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet.

June 26

Clarks Hill water levels are above full pool at 330.31 (full pool is 330.00) and water temperatures remain in the low to mid-80s and rising. Due to afternoon showers there is a little stain to the water.

There continues to be a deep pattern for bass fishing on Clarks Hill right now, but tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta reports that bite appears to be slowing down.  You can still catch some fish dragging a big worm or football jig, or going finesse with a drop shot rig, while moving baits are not catching much around offshore humps.

The best pattern is fishing a shallow buzzbait – especially with the lake really full.  At times he is fishing a traditional skirt and trailer and at times he is fishing a Horny Toad on it, and Josh is alternating between double and single-bladed buzzbaits.  White has been working well in shallow, dirty water.  If you can find some grass that is ideal.

While you will certainly get the most bites early on a buzzbait, most of the biggest fish seem to be coming between 10 and 12 Noon.

The striped bass and hybridfishing continues to be really good, and William Sasser Guide Service (706-589-5468) reports that fish remain in 25-35 feet of water off channel points, with 90% of the fish on the bottom but some suspended over deeper water at the same depth. Everything is coming on down-lines.

Usually by this time the vast majority of the fish are in the lower lake, but this year the mid-lake has been fishing really well for June.

In the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the planer board bite is done and it’s all a down-line bite.

Captain Brad Sasser reports that crappieremain a little shallower than usual, and he has found fish 12-15 feet down in brush over 15-20 feet of water.  While there are probably fish along the channel edges and that will eat jigs, he has been doing all of his fishing in the creeks with small minnows.

Catfishc an still be caught anchoring on red clay points and fan-casting baits at a variety of depths, with Chris reporting that 1-10 pound blues and channels remain relatively shallow.  Anchoring on humps in the 20-35 foot range is the better pattern for bigger, but fewer, blues.  Fishing early and late is the best bet.

June 21

Clarks Hill water levels are above full pool at 330.07 (full pool is 330.00) and water temperatures are in the low to mid-80s and rising.  For the most part the water is fairly clear.

There are a couple of productive patterns for bass fishing on Clarks Hill right now, but tournament angler Josh Rockefeller of Augusta says that nothing seems to be working as well as fishing a shallow buzzbait – especially with the lake really full.  At times he is fishing a traditional skirt and trailer and at times he is fishing a Horny Toad on it, and Josh is alternating between double and single-bladed buzzbaits.  White has been working well in shallow, dirty water.  If you can find some grass that is ideal.

While you will certainly get the most bites early on a buzzbait, most of the biggest fish seem to be coming between 10 and 12 Noon.

At the beginning of June there was a brief window where the offshore bite was really strong and you could catch the fish on moving baits, but now that has slowed down and they have shut off taking deep diving crankbaits at the community holes.  Dragging a big worm or football jig, or going finesse with a drop shot rig, is the better option now for fishing offshore humps.  This is mostly a numbers deal and the better fish seem to be shallow.

The striped bass and hybridfishing has been really good, and William Sasser Guide Service (706-589-5468) reports that fish were starting to go deep but then the cool snap a couple of weeks ago shallowed them back up.  For now fish can be found in 25-35 feet of water off channel points, with 90% of the fish on the bottom but some suspended over deeper water at the same depth.  Everything is coming on down-lines.

Usually by this time the vast majority of the fish are in the lower lake, but this year the mid-lake has been fishing really well for June.

In the mid-lake Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that there are still a few fish being caught on planer boards, but down-lining is much more consistent.

Captain Brad Sasser reports that crappiehave been a little shallower than expected, and he has found fish 12-15 feet down in brush over 15-20 feet of water.  While there are probably fish along the channel edges and that will eat jigs, he has been doing all of his fishing in the creeks with small minnows.

Catfish can still be caught anchoring on red clay points and fan-casting baits at a variety of depths, with Chris reporting that 1-10 pound blues and channels remain relatively shallow.  Anchoring on humps in the 20-35 foot range is the better pattern for bigger, but fewer, blues.  Fishing early and late is the best bet.