Clarks Hill Thurmond Lake

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Fish'n & Hunt'n Report

August 2010

The good folks at the HERRING HUT tell us that the warm weather has most people fishing very early in the day, in the evening or at night. Nice stripers, hybrids and catfish are being caught from Georgia Flats to Bussey Point using live herring off the points and submerged islands. Also try right in front of the Clarks Hill Dam. The shellcracker and bream should be bedding in the shallows before the full moon (July 25 and August 24). They can be caught on crickets and red worms fished under corks. The catfishing has been good using cut bait, worms and chicken livers off the bottom off the ends of points near the dam. Donna has worked hard to stock the store with all your fishing needs, and we now carry a lot more food like sausage dogs, hot dogs and boiled peanuts.

WILLIAM SASSER’S GUIDE SERVICE reports August is a great month for striper/hybrid fishing at night with live blueback herring under lights above the old timber in the river beds of the lake. Also trolling bucktails on downriggers or umbrella rigs mid morning will produce a lot of nice hybrids/stripers this month. Guide Mark Crawford parties have recently been limiting out by 8:30 am. This is a tricky month to fish live herring with the heat and the lake stratifying. Most of the quality fish will be at least 40 feet deep. August is also the month below Russell dam where the fish go to enjoy cooler and more oxygenated water. Schooling fish can be caught in the evenings on live bait or lures. Give us a call and let us take you fishing.

In Aiken on Hwy 1 at NORTHSIDE BAIT & TACKLE Lindsey stated that he has been selling plenty of crickets, minnows and Louisiana pink worms. School is out and now is the time to take a kid fishing and catch bream in the local ponds using crickets and worms. Catfish are being caught on worms and cut bait on the bottom in local ponds. Stop by the store for all types of live bait and check out the huge selection of slider crappie jigs. Stop by the store for all types of live bait and check out the huge selection of slider crappie jigs (12 new colors now in stock). They have “Tuffie” minnows that out live all other minnows . Stop by the store for all types of live bait, groceries and fresh vegetables.

CAPTAIN TOMMY DUDLEY is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed full service striper and hybrid guide on Clarks Hill/Thurmond lake. Tommy told us August brings pattern changes as the fish move up river into the cooler water. Most of the fish will be caught off tree lines in deep water junctions in the upper end of the lake. Early morning surface activity will continue to increase providing exciting top water action casting ice flys and poppers. A good bait tank and strong bait will be a must as oxygen levels continue to fall in some areas of the lake.

We have really been hearing of stripers and hybrids being caught, while fishing live and cut bait in about forty foot of water off points in the main river channel at night reports Chris at PALMETTO ANGLER AND CONVENIENCE, located on Hwy 378 in McCormick. Also the bream and shellcracker are being caught using crickets and worms in the shallows especially around the full moon (July 25 and August 24). Catfish are being caught around bridges and off rocky points fishing cut bait, worms and chicken livers just off the bottom. They have a huge selection of fishing tackle, live bait, minnow, worms, herring and plenty of snacks, cold drinks and cold beer. They carry all the tackle whether live or artificial baiting you need to fish for hybrid and stripers. Remember you can book striper guide parties with Captain Evan Williams in our store.

Hunting season is just around the corner. There are only a few camping slots available for this fall’s hunting, and we advise you to call or stop in to make reservations as soon as possible reports Bette and Burl at DEERFEATHERS CAMPGROUND located on Hwy 283, five miles east of Plum Branch. All spaces have water and electricity. Just a few miles below us, the season will open on August 15 and this is a good place to stay. It’s also vacation time, so bring the kids down so they can catch plenty of bream, shellcrackers and catfish right from the bank on Clarks Hill and in local ponds. We also have snacks, groceries, drinks, gas, beer, hot dogs, and BBQ sandwiches. We have a game room, and as always a deer cooler will be available during hunting season. Also come out and walk our 1/2 mile walking trail recently built by a local park ranger. The 12th Annual DEERFEATHERS CAMPGROUND Big Buck Contest will be held during the 2010 deer season. Pre-registration at our store is required.

NUMBER ONE MARKET BAIT & TACKLE located in the Clearwater area of North Augusta has an excellent tackle shop with plenty of the latest bass, bream, striper and catfish fishing tackle and live bait. They have plenty of ponds and small lakes close to their store and have heard that some bream and catfish are being caught on crickets and worms. The Savannah River is a great place to fish for redbreast, bream and catfish. Dean has a custom spinnerbait that has been deadly on bream and shellcracker in the Savannah River. On Clarks Hill most of the bass fishing is being done very early in the day, late in the day and at night using mainly large worms and top water plugs around grass, off points and submerged islands. Their store is stocked up with all types of fishing tackle for the bream, crappie, striper, bass and catfishermen.

HOOTIE’S FISHING & HUNTING stated that their indoor archery range is a great place to get out of the heat and practice shooting a bow. Deer season will be here August 15 on private land in Aiken County so you need to practice now. They have “Mathews, PSE & Bow Tech Bows” and full line of “Archery Supplies.” They also offer bow repairs, bow tuning and service. On the fishing side, late July and August is a great time to go to Clarks Hill and catch hybrids and stripers using top water plugs like the “Pencil Popper” ,“Super Fluke” or a Sebile swim bait when they are feeding on the top on bait. The bass fishing is good early and late in the day or at night on the lower part of Lake Murray and Clarks Hill around points and islands using Carolina rigged worms, large worms, Sebile swim baits, Spot Remover worms and the big Sammys and Spooks. Bow fishing at night has been great for catfish and carp. They have the largest selection of Sebile swim baits in the state and a great selection of Lucky Craft, Bass Magic swim baits, Buck eye mop jigs, Spot Removers and Carrot Stick rods. For the hunters they carry Bennelli guns.

Near I-20 on Hwy 1 in Aiken at OUTDOORS UNLIMITED they tell us that the locals are starting to get ready for deer season. Some have been out scouting, setting out food plots and getting tree stands fixed. They have an excellent selection of tree stands by Custom Outdoors Inc. They are selling plenty of crickets and are getting a few reports of bream and catfish being caught in local ponds. Some of their customers have been going to Murray and catching shellcracker.

The fish are biting early and late in the day or at night so come see us at CLIATT CROSSING located only a few miles pass the Lincolnton Bridge at the intersection of Hwy 43 and Hwy 220! We have diesel, gas, hot food, ATM, live bait and tackle and more. Fishing is good in our area of the lake with crappie being caught on minnows at night under bridges using lanterns. Most of the hybrid/stripers are being caught on live herring fished off points in the main river channel in thirty foot of water at night. The bream fishing is excellent using crickets and worms in the shallows if you can find the beds before the full moon on July 25 and August 24.

In New Ellenton Dickie at HIERS OUTBOARD SERVICE has been busy servicing outboards, ATV’s and personal water crafts. He says most of the locals this time of the year go fishing in the Beaufort area and enjoy the beach down that way. Also, before the full moon (July 25 and August 24) is a great time to go to the Savannah River and catch some shellcrackers bream in the shallows using crickets and worms. They have been servicing outboards for years and know how to make your outboard perform at it’s peak ability. They have a great selection of ATV accessories and will be glad to special order anything you need if they do not have it in stock.

In Aiken SUTTON MARINE has a great selection of Tracker aluminum boats. These boats have some great prices and they are ready for summer time fishing and playing on the water. They now carry Alumacraft boats along with boats by Mako, Nitro, Tracker, and Tahoe. They have a good selection of scooters available at affordable prices. Sutton Marine has a full service maintenance shop that is available to assist you with any mechanical situation and help keep your boat in tip-top shape from bow to stern!

Between Aiken and New Ellenton CAROLINA BAY SHOOTING CENTER is now stocking up with shot guns and rifles for the upcoming deer and dove seasons. They are open until 7:00 PM Tuesday and Thursday evenings for our many customers at the Savannah River Site. The store hours are 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Then from 8:30 AM until 7:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday. Have you considered obtaining your South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit? We have classes most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Classes are limited to 12 persons so sign up early. Group rates are available if you have family and friends that want to join in . We provide everything required to get you carry permit. You need to bring the gun of your choice, a minimum of 50 rounds of ammo and a holster for that gun, eye and ear protection. When you leave the class at the end of the required eight hours, you only have to wait for SLED to send your permit. Continental breakfast and discounted lunch available for all our students. Call 803-642-9112 for more details.

The big news at AUGUSTA MARINE is that they will be moving to their new location the end of August at just off I-20 at 4250 Belair Frontage Road, Augusta, Ga. 30909. They will have 12 service bays and a 15,000 square foot show room. David and the crew invite everyone to come by and see the new location and all the new boats and motors.

CB’s LEVER MOUNT DEER STANDS are engineered for the avid hunter and designed to fit in an average truck or trailer. All of our products are easy to assemble and designed to last. With over 75 years of hunting between the two of us, we wanted to develop a safe yet easy way to attach deer stands to trees. CB’s Lever Mount System accomplishes this in one easy motion! Our system provides utmost stability by binding the stand to the tree with a lever and chain.

"Lake Clark Hill" ("Strom Thurmond Lake")  For Infomation About J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clark Hill) Contact: Natural Resource Management Center Rt. 1, Box 12 Clarks Hill, SC 29821-0010 (706) 722-3770 (803) 333-2476   Cool Sites & Links

[Located North of I-20, on SC - GA State Line.]

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