Cast the Water

J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir

Georgia · Lincoln

Spans: GA, SC

The pin marks the middle of the water, for directions. The shoreline on the map comes from USGS NHD.

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Overview

Clarks Hill Lake, known as J. Strom Thurmond Lake in South Carolina, is Georgia's largest reservoir at 71,535 acres. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir sits on the Savannah River about 30 miles northeast of Augusta. Its many feeder creeks, more than 1,200 miles of shoreline and large areas of open water offer a wide range of fishing. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division lists largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, hybrid bass, redear sunfish, catfish and striped bass as best bets. Largemouth numbers are strongest in creeks and coves away from the main channel, and spotted bass favor deeper, clearer water. WRD reports strong crappie numbers and size in recent sampling. Channel catfish are native to the basin, and flathead and blue catfish have been established for decades. The late April and early May shellcracker spawn is a highlight, and white perch, yellow perch and chain pickerel add variety. WRD and the Corps publish fish attractor locations.

Regulations

Clarks Hill has its own daily bass creel limit and other lake rules. License rules for this border lake are covered in the regulations. See the current Georgia fishing regulations: https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing-regulations

Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division