Most of the water in Juliette is pumped in from the nearby Ocmulgee River. Since there is little natural inflow, the water stays clear, a definite advantage when fishing for cold-water bass. The lake gets relatively little fishing pressure due to the horsepower limit, meaning the bass should be a little easier to catch.

Although small, Juliette is full of structure and cover. Long points run off banks and islands, and many have submerged standing timber on them. Stumps are everywhere, and there are a good many rocky areas. But the main cover in Juliette is grass. It grows down to 30 feet deep in many areas and bass love it, even in the wintertime when it is dead.

Shad also love the dead grass, feeding on it. The presence of the baitfish may be the major attraction for the bass. You can usually find a grass line down in 25 feet of water on points and humps, and bass hold right on the edge of that old grass line. It is a little harder to spot this time of year since it has died down, but it is there.

You can jig a spoon or drag a Carolina-rigged worm along the edge of this grass. On the Carolina rig try small worms in clear green colors, but don't hesitate to go to a big worm. Sometimes big bass want big baits.

A spinnerbait slow-rolled along the old grass edge is good, too. You can cover more water with it and locate the bass. Make long casts, let the spinnerbait sink to the bottom, then pump it up a couple of feet and let it fall back on a tight line as you reel it in. Fish it all the way back to the boat.

From the Plant Scherer power-generating station at lake's mid-point down to the dam, the water is more open and the standing timber is down deep. Upstream of the power plant, trees stick out of the water everywhere. On both areas of the lake fish points and humps, casting near the bottom around grass. If baitfish are present, the bass will be there.

Although known for its numbers of keeper-sized bass, Clarks Hill also produces some big fish every year. During the past few years the introduction of blueback herring and hydrilla have changed angling on the lake, and those two things can be keys in finding and catching bragging-sized bass.

Blueback herring are a favorite food of big bass, and they are open-water baitfish. The herring have caused many big bass to become oriented to open water, too. You are more likely to find them hanging around midlake humps and on long points than in shoreline cover. Fishermen targeting hybrids in open water take many big largemouths. In fact, largemouths have started acting like hybrids in many cases on this lake.

Hydrilla has added to this open-water dimension. It grows in the shallows all over the lake now and bass often hold right on the top of the outer edge of it. As it dies back in the winter, bass continue to hold in these same areas.

For big bass at Clarks Hill, look for humps topping out at 15 to 20 feet deep. There are a lot of them in the area around Georgia's Mistletoe State Park. The park is on Cliatt Creek, about halfway up the Savannah River arm of the lake. The small islands and visible humps in this area get a lot of fishing pressure, but if you find the deeper humps you are more likely to discover undisturbed bass.

Also look for long points running way out to deep water. Bass hold on the ends of these, often suspending and waiting on passing schools of herring. If there is hydrilla, brush or other cover on the point, the bass suspend over rather than in it.

When you find a likely looking hump or point, making long casts with big crankbaits that run 12 to 15 feet deep is your best bet. Use fairly light line to get deeper. Since the bass are above the cover, you don't have to worry as much about the fish running your line into the vegetation.

Fish shad-colored crankbaits with some blue in them. Herring are silver-sided with backs that have a blue sheen, so you want to match that color scheme. Herring get big and a favorite size for bass is about 7 or 8 inches long, so a big crankbait is best.

You can also use a big one-ounce spinnerbait. A silver No. 7 willowleaf blade with a silver and blue skirt matches herring coloration. Make long casts and fish it back with a steady reeling action to mimic swimming herring.

Big bass are scattered, so cover a lot of water with either your crankbait or spinnerbait. You will not get a lot of bites, but anything you catch should be well worth the effort.