SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026 · CLARKS HILL (J. STROM THURMOND LAKE)
Fall transition with low pool and clear water: deep structure all day, main-lake humps and points from first light through dusk.
WATER 72°FAIR 48°FWIND 4 MPH NNESEASON FALLPOOL -10.8 FT
Water's sitting comfortable in the low 70s and hasn't turned over yet, so the bass are still split between deep and shallow rather than bunched up in the creeks. Clear water, low pool, and full sun all day mean you need to be precise. The lake's 10.8 feet low, which compresses every depth range about 11 feet shallower than the map shows and puts shoals and humps where they normally aren't, so confirm your ramp has water and run with your electronics on for navigation safety. Light northeast breeze all day keeps it manageable. Bass will set up on main-lake structure in 15 to 25 feet, hunting the herring and shad that are still roaming the deep zones before the real cold snap drives everything toward the creeks. This is a sonar-game day: find the structure, confirm fish or bait on it, then work it methodically.
The day's game plan
EARLY MORNING · 7:42 AM to 9:30 AM
Main-lake points and humps in 15 to 25 feet with rock or brush; focus on the channel-side break where structure drops to deep water.
Rapala DT10 or DT16 crankbait in shad or herring colors, cast long and crank it down to 15 feet, then work it across the point with a steady retrieve that ticks the bottom when the depth allows. Follow up with a jerkbait if they're short-striking.
Low-light window is still the most aggressive feeding time even though the water's warm. The clear conditions mean bass see your bait coming from a distance, so a crankbait covering ground fast triggers reaction strikes before they inspect it too closely. Points with brush and rock concentrate both bait and bass, and you want to be working them before the sun climbs and the bite tightens.
MORNING · 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Same main-lake points and humps, but shift down the structure. Work the 18 to 25 foot zone. If you find suspended bait on sonar, position the boat in deeper water and cast up.
Zoom Super Fluke in natural herring colors on a light head, 1/8 to 1/4 ounce. Cast to the structure, let it fall on a slack line and glide down, then work it with small twitches. Pause on the fall to let it flutter through the strike zone.
Sun's higher now and bass drop deeper to stay comfortable. The fluke excels at suspending and falling naturally, which matches how forage moves in these clear-water conditions. Bait schools are pushing through the deep structure at this time of year, so the fish are relating to movement and depth more than to shallow cover.
MIDDAY · 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Deep brush and timber on main-lake humps and long flat points that extend toward the river channel, 20 to 28 feet.
Football jig in peanut-butter or green pumpkin, 3/4 to 1 ounce, tipped with a crawdad-colored chunk trailer. Hop it along the bottom and pick apart the brush methodically. Make short casts and let it settle; don't move too fast.
The hardest part of the day but not dead. Bass are deeper and tighter when the sun's high, but they're still eating on and around quality brush. A jig soaking in front of their face and moving slowly keeps them honest. The deeper you go now, the less light penetration and the more the bass relax slightly.
LATE AFTERNOON · 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Transition back to shallower structure: secondary points and inside-creek channel swings in 12 to 20 feet. Anywhere with a hard bottom and close access to deep water.
Shaky head with a 4-inch finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon, 1/8 ounce. Work it slowly on the bottom, dragging it 3 to 5 feet, then pause. Let it sit and shake subtly in place.
As the sun starts to lower, bass begin sliding up from their deepest holes and positioning on the intermediate structure they'll use to feed. A shaky head is the perfect tool for this transition because it matches small baitfish and keeps you picking apart the edges where depth changes fast. The pause-and-shake triggers strikes from fish that are turning on but not fully aggressive yet.
EVENING · 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Shallow main-lake points, inside-creek points, and the first cover on secondary points in 8 to 15 feet. Any structure with nearby deep water.
Crank a Rapala DT10 or throw a walking topwater bait like a Crock-O-Gator in white or chartreuse patterns over the shallower crown and down to 12 feet. If you get a swirl, follow up with a shaky head or fluke.
The sun's dropping and bass are moving shallow to feed before dark. The topwater or shallow crankbait covers water and triggers the more aggressive strikes that come when feeding windows open. You're matching the bait migration: shad and herring are pushing up into the shallower zones at dawn and dusk, so bass are positioned there to ambush them.
DUSK · 6:30 PM to 6:45 PM (sunset)
Same shallow points and secondary structure inside creeks, 5 to 12 feet, anywhere with cover or a hard bottom.
Walking topwater bait in black, white, or chartreuse, fished slowly with a walk-the-dog cadence. Keep the cadence tight and deliberate; don't burn it. Follow up misses with a dark-colored shaky head or small jig.
Last light is the second-best feeding window of the day. Bass feel protected from overhead predators in the low light, so they move up to hunt baitfish. Topwater creates a disturbance that bass can't ignore, even if they're not fully committed to feeding. This is your last clean bite before the lake gets too dark to run safely.
NIGHT · 6:45 PM to full dark
Stay off the water unless you know this lake cold. Confirm your ramp before dark and plan to be loaded by sunset.
None. Night running on Clarks Hill at 10.8 feet low is a risk. The marked shoals are standing 12 to 15 feet out of the water, every main-lake hump is exposed several feet higher than normal, and if you don't run these waters regularly with electronics, waiting until first light is the safe move.
Low pool means hazards are higher and closer to the surface than any normal depth reading. The regular danger markers and depth references are sitting way out of the water or repositioned entirely. If you know the lake intimately and run forward-facing sonar, you can run it, but if there's any doubt, stay in. A guide on this water doesn't night-run it in these conditions with a visitor or someone who doesn't have the water dialed in on electronics.
Where to fish
- Main-lake points — 15 to 25 feet on the break; shallow crown 8 to 12 feet · Rock, clay, or hard bottom with brush or timber on the break. Points extending toward the river channel with nearby deep water access.
Main-lake points funnel bass movement between deep and shallow water. In fall, they're holding on the break and feeding on herring moving through deep water. The hard bottom holds crawdads and small bluegill, and the proximity to deep water gives bass a secure holding zone. - Main-lake humps — 20 to 28 feet with brush; shallow crown 15 to 20 feet · Submerged humps and ridges with planted or natural timber and brush. High spots that rise to 15-18 feet from deeper surrounding water.
Humps concentrate bait and bass in fall. With the lake 11 feet low, many normal humps are closer to the surface and easier to locate on sonar. Bass school around hump brush in the mid-70s water, especially where baitfish are present. - Secondary points inside creeks — 8 to 18 feet with 20+ feet nearby · Hard bottom, grass edges, and timber staging areas. Points where creeks meet the main lake or where inside-creek channels bend sharply.
Secondary points hold staging bass during the fall transition. They're shallower than main-lake structure but tied to deep water, making them perfect for fish moving between feeding shallow and resting deep. Evening and dusk see active feeding here. - Creek channel swings — 18 to 28 feet on the bend; 10 to 15 feet inside the swing · Inside bends with soft bottom and brush or timber; outside bends with steep drop-offs and hard bottom.
Creek channels serve as migration highways for bass and bait. Inside swings create current breaks and rest areas. With the lake cooling and bait starting to position into creeks, these swings are transition zones where bass stage before moving fully shallow.
What to throw
- Rapala DT10 or DT16 crankbait — 2 to 2.5 in · shad, herring, or chrome patterns · n/a (Early morning and evening transitions when the bite is aggressive and reactive strikes are highest.)
Cast and crank with a steady retrieve, covering the water column from 8 to 18 feet depending on the crank depth. Let it tick bottom on points when the structure allows. Reel it down and cover ground fast in low light. - Zoom Super Fluke — 4.5 to 5 in · natural herring, white, smoke, or pearl · fished on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jighead (Mid-morning through early afternoon when the sun is high and bass are suspended or relating to bait in the water column.)
Cast and let it fall on slack line with a natural glide. Work it with small twitches and pauses, letting it flutter down through the strike zone. Keep the retrieve methodical and spend time on each cast. - Football jig with chunk trailer — n/a · peanut butter, green pumpkin, or brown · 3/4 to 1 oz (Midday when the sun is high and bass are deep and tight to structure.)
Hop it along the bottom and around brush with short, deliberate movements. Let it settle and sit still for 3 to 5 seconds between hops. Cover brush and timber vertically and pick apart every piece of cover. - Shaky head with finesse worm — 4 in worm · green pumpkin, watermelon, or natural · 1/8 oz head (Late afternoon on the transition structure between deep and shallow zones.)
Drag it slowly along the bottom for 3 to 5 feet, then pause and shake it subtly in place for 2 to 3 seconds. Let it rest on the bottom between drags. Make frequent casts and work the edges where depth transitions. - Walking topwater bait (Crock-O-Gator or similar) — 2.5 to 3 in · white, chartreuse, or black · n/a (Evening and dusk over shallow structure and secondary points.)
Walk it with a side-to-side cadence, keeping the pace tight and controlled. Let the bait dig and push water. Work it over the shallow crown and down the drop-off. Follow up missed strikes with a jig or fluke.
How to work it
- Point and hump rotation — All day, with emphasis on early morning, midday, and late afternoon. Rotate two or three quality points until you dial in the depth and cover type that's producing. · Primary points on the main lake and long flats that extend toward the river channel, 15 to 28 feet.
Run the GPS to main-lake points and main-lake humps marked in your electronics. Confirm the presence of bait or suspended fish on sonar before committing time. Work the break where the shallow crown drops into deep water. Use a crankbait to cover ground and a jig to pick apart the bottom cover. - Sonar-based structure identification — All day. Electronics are your edge on clear water and low pool. Spend 5 minutes scanning before you start casting. · Anywhere on the main lake structure, especially humps and points in 15 to 25 feet.
Use forward-facing or side-imaging sonar to scan the structure before you fish it. Look for baitfish marks and bass holding on the break. Mark the exact GPS coordinates of productive spots. Return to confirmed spots rather than fishing empty-looking structure. - Depth transition fishing — Mid-morning through late afternoon, especially on transition structure inside creeks. · Secondary points, channel swings, and inside-creek structure where depth changes from 8 feet to 20+ feet over a short distance.
Position the boat in deep water (20+ feet) and cast shallower, dragging a jig, shaky head, or fluke back toward the boat as it falls and swings down the slope. Work the slope methodically from top to bottom. Fish move to these transitions to feed, especially in mid-fall. - Shallow-to-deep evening transition — Late afternoon through dusk, roughly 3:00 PM to sunset. · Secondary points with nearby deep water access, 8 to 18 feet.
Start on the main-lake points and inside-creek points in 8 to 15 feet as the sun drops. Work topwater and shallow crankbaits to pull fish from cover. As light fades, shift to a fluke or shaky head and slow down. Follow the bite shallower as the sun sets.
Pro tips
- Confirm your ramp is open and has water before you drive. With the lake 10.8 feet low, roughly a third of the public ramps are unusable or running with fewer lanes. Don't get stranded.
- Use electronics for navigation as much as for finding fish. Shoals and humps that are normally submerged are standing several feet out of the water. Run with your sonar on and move carefully in low-light conditions. Avoid running at night unless you know this water intimately.
- The fall transition here takes time. The water's still in the low 70s and the lake hasn't turned over yet, so bass are still scattered between deep structure and the early-season creek staging zones. Don't commit all day to one pattern. Run a rotation of main-lake points and humps in the morning, drift deeper creeks at midday, and shift back to secondary points as the sun drops. Cover ground and read the sonar.
If conditions change
If a front rolls in and the pressure drops before the next day, fish will turn on even harder before it arrives. Lean into aggressive crankbaits and topwater first thing and cover as much ground as possible. If a cold front blows through with clearing skies and rising pressure, expect a tight bite. Move to the thickest brush, downsize to a 4-inch shaky head or small jig, and fish slowly on the deepest structure available. If the wind kicks to sustained 15+ from the north, the shallow bite will thin out. Stick to the deep main-lake structure and work it methodically. If rain muddies the water from run-off upstream, shift to darker colors like black or dark green pumpkin, upsize your vibration (bigger paddles and blades), and slow your retrieve. The clear water should hold for at least a few days into the week, so play the main lake while you have it.
FISH THIS REPORT ON CLARKS HILL (J. STROM THURMOND LAKE)
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