Share your catch
US

Clarks Hill Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Clarks Hill (J. Strom Thurmond) Lake: the Corps' largest project east of the Mississippi, fished under a Georgia-South Carolina reciprocal agreement.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
319.22 ft -10.78 vs pool
Air / High
71 / 72 F
Wind
NE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02193900, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Clarks Hill Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The gauge reads 319.22 ft, 10.78 ft below pool, easing 0.54 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 7 mph, steady pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

WalleyeGood

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Georgia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $15.00 for residents. What a Georgia licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with GA DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Georgia, read off the agency, are on the Georgia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02193900. Conservation pool is 330 ft.

321.11324.61328.11pool 330319.22 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low72 / 43 F
WindNE 7-11 mph
Pressure1022.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:41 / 18:46
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)72 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Clarks Hill Lake this week

The best day on Clarks Hill Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:32 PM-12:32 AM
Minor period
4:26 AM-5:26 AM
Sun
07:41 to 18:46
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Clarks Hill Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Clarks Hill Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Striped bass
White bass
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Clarks Hill Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Georgia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Georgia-South Carolina reciprocal agreement, possession limits (Georgia regulations updated August 27, 2026): striped bass, hybrid bass or combination 10, only 3 over 26 inches; black bass 10 combined, 12-inch minimum on largemouth; white bass 10; walleye/sauger 8; trout 5; 40 game fish in aggregate, catfish excluded. A license from either state covers the lake but not flowing tributaries.

Access

Corps-operated boat ramps stay open year-round, including Deer Run, Amity and Parksville; see the Corps' boat ramp open/closure list before launching.

About this water

J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake (Clarks Hill), a Corps of Engineers project on the Savannah River on the Georgia-South Carolina border, built 1946-1954.

Fishing Clarks Hill Lake: the full guide

One lake, two names

The Corps' Savannah District calls the project J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake at Clarks Hill and says it is the largest Corps project east of the Mississippi River. It was built between 1946 and 1954 as part of the development plan for the Savannah River Basin and is one of the ten most-visited Corps lakes. Georgia's regulations name it Clarks Hill Reservoir (Strom Thurmond).

The border-water agreement

Under the Georgia-South Carolina agreement, anyone meeting either state's freshwater license requirements may fish all waters and banks of Clarks Hill without another license. The agreement does not cover flowing portions of tributary streams, commercial fishing or saltwater fishing, and it sets shared limits for striped and hybrid bass, black bass, white bass, walleye, trout and an aggregate of game fish.

Fall and winter facilities

The Corps closed some Georgia day-use areas (Gill Point, West Dam) on September 8, 2026, and the Winfield, Ridge Road, Hawe Creek and Modoc campgrounds on September 13; Petersburg keeps loops 1 to 27 open all year. Bussey Point, Deer Run and its ramp, the Amity and Parksville ramps, Clarks Hill Park day-use areas and Leroys Ferry stay open year-round, as do all other Corps-operated boat ramps.

Common questions

Clarks Hill or Thurmond?

The same lake: the Corps' name is J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake at Clarks Hill, and Georgia's regulations list it as Clarks Hill Reservoir (Strom Thurmond).

Can I fish with a South Carolina license on the Georgia side?

Yes. Under the reciprocal agreement, anyone meeting either state's freshwater license requirements may fish all waters and banks of the lake, but not flowing tributaries.

What is the striper and hybrid limit?

Ten striped bass, hybrid bass or a combination, with only three over 26 inches, under the Georgia-South Carolina agreement.

Is fishing good at Clarks Hill Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Thurmond Lake12 miLake Russell28 miLake Greenwood47 miLake Oconee53 miLake Sinclair56 miLake Murray66 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02193900 β€” THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.6604, -82.4146 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.