Clark's Hill lake has been steadily rising towards full pool. The current lake level is 326.29 (roughly 4ft low). The surface temperatures have backed up to the 56-58 deg range after a return to average seasonal weather. The accelerated warm up in late February moved most fish into staging positions for spawning activities and then they slowly retreated deeper as the temperatures fell again. For the most part, fish and bait are still in the same locations just waiting on the water to get just right. When we experience the next significant warming trend, all spring tactics will be on the table.
The Crappie continue to hover close to their preferred spawning areas. They are currently holding in 8 to 17 ft of water and are most easily found trolling curly tail jigs very slowly near the ledges of the narrow creeks and coves. Colors and speed may vary day to day, so arrive with a plan to experiment until you find what they want at that that time of day.
The shallow morning bite for striper and hybrids will provide early excitement on clay points, shoals and blow thews. As the Sun gets above the treetops, follow the fish by presenting lively herring or shad using free-lines, flat-lines and also using planer boards to cover water and to keep lines spread apart to allow for maneuver. By mid day, try increasing the distance of your baits from the boat and slowly patrol the deeper water near the junctions of creeks and deep coves where they connect to the river channels. April is by far, my favorite time to be on the water. It provided comfortable temperatures, aggressive fish and some of God's most beautiful natural wonders. Get outdoors and enjoy.
