Part of the Savannah River chain of lakes, Clarks Hill is located in northeast Georgia, with portions of the impoundment being shared with South Carolina. For years known as a very good fishery, the lake was impacted by the drought in the late 1990s, a fact that led to the body of water being down as much as 15 feet. The fishing apparently was not hurt during this period, as the lake still brims with 3- to 4-pound bass.

Now, however, with the lake at full pool for two years, the largemouths are easily accessible, and they should be biting well this month, said John Pethel.

On a typical day in spring, Pethel launches his boat at the Dorn Sport Fishing and Boating complex, located on the South Carolina side of the lake, and then proceeds to fish the Savannah River arm. He looks for main-lake pockets having sandy bottoms and deep-water access nearby. When he finds such a spot, he has just the bait for the occasion.

“I run a Fat Free Shad in crawdad or a Bomber 7A in firetiger or shad color through the area,” he said. “As the water warms up, those fish move up shallow to feed.”

“March is a good month

for both size and numbers on Lake Varner.”

Other baits to keep tied on in the spring are spinnerbaits and Carolina-rigged plastic worms. The spinnerbait in 3/8-ounce size is for throwing around wood cover, Pethel said. The Carolina rig is an awesome bait to use as the fish move into and out of the creeks, where they stage pre-spawn and post-spawn on main-lake points. Use 6-inch black lizards to entice these bass.

As spring turns to summer, Clarks Hill becomes bass fishing central. In early summer, large numbers of big bass can be caught in the shallow areas between the islands that are all over the lake. The large females move into these areas, pushing shad to the top and creating plenty of opportunity for anglers wanting schooling action. This is the period when you do not want to leave home without topwater baits, especially chuggers, prop baits and stickbaits.

This pattern, which holds through summer and into fall, yields some of the biggest fish of the year, with many 7-plus-pound bass being caught. As summer turns to fall, follow the fish back into the creeks, where spinnerbaits and crankbaits are once again the go-to lures for most anglers. Also, keep a soft-plastic jerkbait ready. The fish on Clarks Hill can hardly resist the lure, even in the fall and winter months.

LAKE VARNER

A look at premier bass fishing locales in the state wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Lake Varner, a Newton County watershed impoundment located just outside Covington. The diminutive lake, only 836 acres, is loaded with big largemouths. A 2003 sampling by Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division found that largemouth abundance and quality have remained solid for the last several years. The sampling also found that roughly 50 percent of the bass are 14 inches or longer. What’s more, Varner offers a great opportunity to catch a largemouth bass over 5 pounds.

“Any discussion of largemouth fishing in the state has to include Varner,” stated Alfred “Bubba” Mauldin, senior fisheries biologist with the WRD.

A five-fish tournament catch in March typically takes more than 30 pounds to win. If that’s not remarkable, consider that several catches of above 30 pounds are often brought to the weigh-in, and among them are several fish over 10 pounds. Moreover, unlike the situation at most lakes in the state, the size of catches from Varner does not drop in the summer months, with numbers of 6-plus-pound bass caught well into the dog days of August.

To have success on Varner, anglers need to find the cover, specifically the wood and the grass. In spring, target the largemouths in the shallow pockets in the northern sections of the lake. Look for patches of grass and throw lipless crankbaits right into the cover and rip them out.

Another great place for catching big largemouths in spring is near the numerous stump fields in the northeast section of the lake. These are great locations for a spinnerbait or jig.

“March is a good month for both size and numbers on Lake Varner,” said Wayne Glaze, a Covington resident who frequently fishes the lake.

In late spring and summer, use your electronic graph to locate fish along the old creek channel or along main-lake points in 12 to 15 feet of water. Carolina-rigged lizards are great here, as are deep-diving crankbaits.