Fishing Report For Clarks Hill Lake, GA
AKA: Lake Strom Thurmond
By Rick Seaman
January 14, 2025
Fishing Reports
Popular Fish Species Clarks Hill Lake, GA
Largemouth Bass
Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good
Recently, vibrating jigs have become a very popular lure by both locals and tournament anglers alike. The Z-Man Chatterbait Jack Hammer Evergreen Custom Bladed Jig accounts for many big bass, according to local reports. The 2024 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Clarks Hill Reservoir took an average of over 4 pounds each, for 15 fish to take the top prize. so there are plenty of big bass to catch. There are always shallow fish here, however during Summer and winter the majority of bass move to deeper holding areas on points, ledges and river channels.
Striped Bass
Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent
Georgia residents report Clarks Hill Lake to be one of the very best striper lakes in the state. Starting in Spring, expect to find stripers running up rivers to spawn, where they may reside for a couple months. In Summer, they migrate to the deeper areas of the lake until Fall when they begin to feed aggressively preparing for Winter. During this time you may find them so shallow they are feeding on the surface. Being successful at fishing for stripers is a matter of locating schools of bait, and wolf packs of stripers are likely to be nearby. Fish finders are a big help in locating these roaming schools. Swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spoons, live bait and cut bait are all effective here.
Bluegill
Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good
As a major part of table fare for the big bass that Swim the waters of Clarks Hill Lake, bluegill play a major role in the lake ecosystem. Fortunately bluegill are prolific spawners and maintain a very healthy population here. My favorite way to catch bluegill is bobber fishing with a size 8 hook, on 4-pound monofilament, using small pieces of earthworms as bait. Fish anywhere there is cover - fish around brush, wood, docks, vegetation and bridge pilings.
Fish species to fish for...
Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, striped bass, hybrid striped bass and chain pickerel at Lake Strom Thurmond in Georgia.
Because of on-going, great largemouth fishing, Clarks Hill Lake continues to be reported as one of the top 20 bass-fishing lakes in the Southeast. This 71,000-acre reservoir is located along the eastern border of the state. The lake has 1,200 miles of shoreline, about one third are in Georgia.
Primary fish species residing in Clarks Hill Lake
Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings
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Marinas
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Fishing License
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Map - Fishing & Access
Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".
Contact Information
Clarks Hill Lake
Clarks Hill Marina
4271 Old Lincolnton Rd
Appling, GA 30802
706 309-0046
Fishing lakes in each state.
011425
Lake Strom Thurmond, GA Report
GEORGIA
Information about fishing lakes in Georgia
Clarks Hill Lake provides anglers a choice of fishing for stripers, hybrid striped bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill, sunfish and chain pickerel along the eastern border of Georgia.
