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May 2, 2008
CLARK HILL IS DOWN 9 FEET & 70 DEGREES BY RAPALA PRO STAFFER TIM WHITE
Bass fishing is great right now and the water temperatures will vary depending
on where you put in. Top water action is hot right now. Skitter Pops and Chug
Bugs are working as it still takes at least twenty pounds of Bass to win the
weekend tournaments. Mop Head Jigs are also catching big bass according to some
local anglers. Tom H. reported a good top water bite all day long last weekend
which is normally a bit unusual. The Number Eight X-Raps in the Mossy Back color
is also a good follow up bait to use, especially when the top water action cools
off. As the Bass come off the beds, back off a little too at least ten feet of
water before making your cast. Rain is expected once again for this weekend, so
stay alert while fishing.
The FREE map card deal is still on with any Lowrance 5 inch sonar/GPS or
Lowrance GPS unit. See www.lowrance.com
SPECIAL NOTICE: See the 2008 Georgia Department of Natural Resources Reservoirs
Predictions on our site: www.havefunfishing.com. Look on the bottom of the lake
report.
“SONAR WITH KEN STURDIVANT” at Bass Pro Shops “Outdoor World” in the Outdoor
Skills Workshop. Lowrance Pro Staff Member Ken Sturdivant will go over the
settings for the sonar. June 7 @ 2pm
If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail
to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.
We have these books for sale: “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”.
These books are written by Tim White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65
locations exclusively for bass and covers every week of the year. Each book
$39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools
Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We have 3 books that cover all species in the lakes, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE
ALLATOONA, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE LANIER”, and “52 WEEKS ON WEST POINT LAKE” on sale.
Each book is $23.95. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106
Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
Lake levels from http://lakes.southernco.com/
Lake Lanier Striper Survey: www.stripersurvey.com
You can see the feeding times daily with a Data Sport Fish and Game Forecaster
on our web site.
We teach “ON THE WATER SCHOOLS”: “Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or Maps and
Depth Finders. Call 770 889 2654 for details or see the web site:
www.havefunfishing.com.
Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera. Copyright 2007,
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school “Rods, Reels and Lures
for Bass”. See our web site, www.havefunfishing.com for more details or call us
right away, 770 889 2654.
Clarks Hill (J. Strom Thurmond) is
Georgia’s largest reservoir at 71,535 acres. This Corps of Engineers (COE)
reservoir is located 30 miles northeast of Augusta on the Savannah River. The
numerous creeks feeding the lake, over 1,200 miles of shoreline, and large areas
of open water provide a wide range of fishing opportunities. Navigation charts
can be obtained from the Clarks Hill COE office (800 533 3478). Striped and
hybrid bass are stocked each year to help control forage fish populations and
provide great action for big fish. Clarks Hill consistently ranks near the top
in Georgia for crappie fishing. Although hydrilla and blue back herring that are
present in the lake impact largemouth bass behavior, there are plenty of bass to
fill your cooler once you are on the right pattern. Shellcracker in the spring
is a local favorite. A 2008 creel survey will focus on the impact of pump back
operations at upstream Russell Dam on fishing in Clarks Hill Lake.
Crappie fishing was excellent last year and looks the same for 2008. Crappie
will average ¾ pounds with the bigger slabs going 1 ½ to 2 ½ pounds Fishing,
Soap, Grays and Newford Creeks and Little River near Raysville are great spots
for spring crappie. There are several fish attractors in the lake and they will
come into full play when the spring spawning frenzy ends. Fish attractors are a
great place to take kids fishing. In addition to crappie, they hold good numbers
of shellcrackers, bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish. Late summer and fall
are a great time to fish under the bridges for feisty paper mouths. Try the
backs of creeks such as Big, Hart, Dry Fork, Knoblick and Cherokee for winter
and pre spawn action.
The COE resumed reverse flow generation at Russell Dam in September 2002.
Fishing success for striped and hybrid bass below this dam, located in the
uppermost section of Clarks Hill Lake, is expected to decrease, particularly at
night due to increased flow and water temperature from reverse flow generation.
A wet 2005 resulted in little pumping and minimal impact on fish behavior and
fishing. A dryer 2006 and 2007 resulted in substantially more pumping. Strong
year classes in recent years are producing good numbers of fish. Average weights
should range from 3 pounds for hybrids to 7 pounds for stripers. Winter and
early spring angling areas include Big Creek, the Little River near Germany
Creek upstream to Holiday Park, Soap Creek from the confluence with the Savannah
River to U.S. Highway 378, the north bank of the reservoir above the dam, and
major creeks near Bussey Point. Drifting live blue back herring usually provides
the best results. A light to moderate breeze makes for good drift fishing.
Otherwise, use your trolling motor to control speed and direction. Planer boards
work great to get several baits away from the boat while trolling. Other
techniques that work well are slowly trolling red fins, Norman lures or rooster
tails 80 100 feet behind the boat, and jigging spoons near drop offs, ledges or
humps in 20 30 feet of water. By summer and into the fall the hot spots for line
sides will be in the mouths of major feeder creeks and rivers. Again, blue back
herring is the best bait. You can catch your own herring with a cast net or buy
them at local bait shops. Dead or cut blue backs, shad and large minnows on the
bottom work great. Surface action for schooling fish occurs predominately during
late summer and fall. Bucktails, Gotcha shad and pencil poppers work well on
schooling fish. Results from a recent largemouth bass tagging project indicate a
high release rate (63 percent) of caught bass. The high release rate combined
with strong year classes has resulted in numerous small bass. Anglers are
encouraged to take some of their catch home, particularly bass in the 12 15 inch
size range. Harvesting these fish will allow their “brothers and sisters” to
grow faster, providing for more 3 pounds + bass in the future. Bass in Clarks
Hill tend to orient away from the banks more than in many other Georgia lakes
due to the presence of hydrilla and blue back herring. Best bets in the fall and
winter are Grays, Lloyds and Rousseau creeks in the Little River arm and Soap,
Murray and Fishing creeks in the main Savannah River arm. Jigging spoons in
creek channels, or where bait fish “bunch up,” is a great mid winter tactic.
During spring and summer concentrate your efforts near Bussey Point, and in
Cliatt, Cherokee and Big Creeks. The flats around the confluence of the Savannah
and Broad Rivers are usually productive all year. Be sure to fish over hydrilla
beds, particularly in the fall, for some great surface action. Look around
Bussey Point, Cherokee Creek and Ft. Gordon for the best concentration of
hydrilla. Shellcrackers are big (many in the ½ to ¾ lb. range) and easy to
catch. Try crickets, worms, grubs, spinners, flies or wasp larvae. The best
areas are Keg, Lloyd, Grays, Cliatt, Soap, Big and Fishing Creeks. Hot spots for
catfish are Little River near Holiday Park, Germany, Big and Hart creeks and the
Broad River. Several 40 pounds + flathead catfish have been caught in recent
years. WRD sampling efforts indicate there will be plenty of white perch in the
lake for the next couple of years. White perch, a relative of the white bass and
striped bass, are tons of fun on lightweight tackle and make an excellent meal.
Look for white perch in 20 60 feet of water near ledges, drop offs and standing
timber with small jigs, spoons, or minnows working best. A population of chain
pickerel (known as jackfish) has been steadily increasing since the arrival of
hydrilla in 1995. These weed loving fish are concentrated around Bussey Point,
and in creeks on the lower end of the lake including Cherokee, Grays, Cliatt,
Keg, Mosley and Shriver. A variety of weedless lures and surface plugs work
best. A wobbling spoon with trailing pork rind, plastic lizards and hollow faced
chugger type surface plugs are some good bets for jackfish.
FREE SONAR SET-UP SHEET:
If you would like
to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick
List”.
We have these books for sale: “BASS
FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST
POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”. These books are written by Tim
White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65 locations exclusively for bass
and covers every week of the year.
Each book $39.00. If you would like a sample
of any book, send us an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net Our mailing
address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia
30040.
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