July Fishing Report

Clarks Hill water levels are very high.

 Striped and Hybrid Bass: Excellent.  Captain William Sasser (864-333-2000) reports that striper fishing is very strong on the lower 10 miles of the lake with lots of fish over 10 pounds being caught.  The best pattern has been fishing down lines 30-50 feet deep off points early in the morning.  Cut bait fishing is also working pretty well, but anglers need to anchor a bit deeper.  Some good hybrids and stripers continue to be caught from the bank around the dam.

 Crappie: Very good.  Captain William Sasser reports that crappie are in the rivers 15 feet deep in about 25 feet of water over brush.  Don’t bother looking in the very backs, but fish are also not super deep yet because water temperatures have stayed mild – especially ten feet down – which may account for the very strong bite.

 Catfish: Good to very good.  Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that at the top of Clarks Hill a lot of nice blue catfish continue to be caught in the area where the Savannah and Broad Rivers run together.  Fishing cut bait has been landing a lot of 20-30 pound fish.

 Black bass: Slow to fair.  Buckeye Lures in Augusta reports that bass fishing has slowed down on the lake, and the best pattern is now dragging soft plastics or Mop Jigs around deep humps and points.  Concentrate on 10-20 feet of water.  Early in the morning there is some topwater activity, and with high water levels more fish remain shallow in the bank grass and brush that grew up when the lake levels were down than usual.

Lake Thurmond:

Catfish: Good to very good. Guide Wendell Wilson reports that at the top of Clarks Hill a lot of nice blue catfish continue to be caught in the area where the Savannah and Broad Rivers run together. Fishing cut bait has been landing a lot of 20-30 pound fish.

 Black bass: Slow to fair. Buckeye Lures in Augusta reports that bass fishing has slowed down on the lake, and the best pattern is now dragging soft plastics or Mop Jigs around deep humps and points. Concentrate on 10-20 feet of water. Early in the morning there is some topwater activity, and with high water levels more fish remain shallow in the bank grass and brush that grew up when the lake levels were down than usual.