This Saturday, September 29th, between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. at Elijah Clark State Park in Lincolnton, Gerald Smith will show how army doctors treated patients in the 18th century by using home grown herbs and medicines.  The link below provides more information.

http://gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?c=26924&s=146962.0.1.5 

 The hybrids and stripers have finally begun to school in earnest.  So far this year, all the schooling fish have been small.  The big fish have been almost  impossible to find.  After the full moon and another coudy forecast for the end of the week, we should have some real good fishing.  We expect the big fish to join in and feed on the surface as well.  This is what all striper fisherman love to see.

The crappie have begun to bite as well.  While crappie fishing this past weekend, my neighbor caught catfish on small minnows.  He also caught some nice crappie.  One catfish was caught that weighted 41 pounds; however, he struck on live herring.  I really feel if you targeted catfish, you could have success right now.  I don't think many people try this in the fall, but perhaps it is something we all overlook.  I really feel the next couple of weeks we will experience some really good fishing.  Whether you like crappie, stripers, catfish or black bass, they all should be biting.  Either way, you can't catch a fish without wetting a hook.

Remember, with 1200 miles of shoreline, catching fish is a lot like finding the perfect waterfront property to buy, you gotta know where to go....

.....And we know, Turner Realty is your Lakefront Property and Lifestyle Resource.  Hey, we'll see ya on the lake!

Let the cool air get you in the mood to explore primitive camping at Mistletoe State Park. These remote campsites can be reserved for groups of ten or more and are located just 100 yards from Clarks Hill Lake.  

  Pioneer Camp Ground

Visit this site for more information and to make your reservations. http://www.georgia.reserveworld.com/CampGroundInfo.aspx?i=180&p=D

The stripers are still schooling and will do so until the lake turns over near Thaksgiving each year.  Then, they will head up the rivers and creeks chasing shad into areas like Raysville, Soap Creek, and the Carolina Little River.  For now, however, I would stay at either end of the lake.  Tommy Dudley says to only go on the north end of the lake when they are pulling water at the Russell Dam.  The Corps will provide you with those times if you call them.  The larger fish have been hard to find but we expect that to change by the end of next week.

The crappie have been biting good on small minnows and a variety of jigs.  There are still good numbers under your bridges, but the best action is on brushpiles in 20 to 30 feet of water.  To find these spots, you need a good depth finder.  Ease along with your big motor down any of your secondary creeks or go to the end of your main creeks and look in the 20 to 30 feet range.  Mark your spots and go back with your troll motor and fish it for 15 to 20 minutes, trying various depths and jig colors.  If you don't catch anything, move on to another one.  Write down each spot so you can try it later that day or on another tirp.  Crappie are nomads and they regurlarly change which brushpiles that stay on.  If you fish for crappie regularly, you can always take some dog food and bait the spot up for later.  The next 2 months can be someof the best crappie fishing of the year.  Find a hot spot and it can stay hot for weeks even a month or two at a time.  Remember you can't catch a fish without wetting a hook.

Remember, with 1200 miles of shoreline, catching fish is a lot like finding the perfect waterfront property to buy, you gotta know wher to go....

.....And we know, Turner Realty is your Lakefront Property and Lifestyle Resource.  Hey, we'll see ya on the lake!

The annual Elijah Clark Bluegrass Festival begins this Friday, September 14th at Elijah Clark State Park in Lincolnton, Georgia.  You won't want to miss these three fun-filled days of great food and foot-stompin' blue grass.  Come on out and bring your lounge chairs; admission is free and parking is only three dollars.  For more information, click on the link below.

http://gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?calendarid=26920&s=65830.0.1.5

There are no real changes in my report so I would like to discuss the use of a spoon.  If you have never fished a spoon, you are simply missing out on some fantastic fishing.  Not only will it outfish live bait at times, but I delieve it catches the biggest fish.  I have seen it happen over and over again.  The smaller fish always seem to be on top.  They have more energy and that's why you'll catch smaller fish on the surface when they are schooling.  There are exceptions however, and when the big fish are up, I go to another big fish lure, the super spook.  As a general rule however, the large fish stay under the action and take the injured bait and bits and pieces falling to the bottom.  Maybe that's why the falling spoon works so well this time of year.  Watch your depth finder when you are on a school of fish and use your spoon to drag to the depth you see the fish.  I like to go as deep into the school as I can get because I firmly believe thats where the biggest fish are.   Simply use sharp jerks up and let it fall, if it stops, set the hook.  You better hold on tight when they hit because the big ones actually jerk the rod out of your hands.  Last year , one of my fishing buddies actually had a 15 lb striper break his rod into three pieces and he pulled the fish in by hand.  About three years ago, another of my friends and I jigged up a limit of 20 stripers that averaged 17 lbs a piece.  We jigged some as deep as 65 feet at the bottom of the school.  Use a good rod and bait caster reel with 15-20 pound test line.  The bait caster can be lowered quickly below the boat.  You can also use the spoon on the surface or at various depths.  All you do is cast to the school and reel it  fast across the surface, pausing the lure several times.  You can also let it sink a little and reel it in slowly with a jerk here and there.  They will almost always hit it on the fall.  I like the 3/4 oz Hopkins spoon with the white and red feather.  Other people swear by Berry's flex spoon which can be bent into a slight S shape.  No matter which spoon you choose, it won't catch a fish if it doesn't get wet!

Remember, with 1200 miles of shoreline, catching fish is a lot like finding the perfect waterfront property to buy, you gotta know wher to go....

.....And we know, Turner Realty is your Lakefront Property and Lifestyle Resource.  Hey, we'll see ya on the lake!

Lucy Nels will show how Hannah Clark made her own yarn and weaved it into cloth to make her family's clothing. Saturday, September 15, 2007 from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM at Elijah Clark State Park in Lincolnton, Georgia.

  For more information, go to:

http://gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?c=26918&s=124029.0.1.5

The fishing on Clark's Hill is ready to really get going.  Every year when the super hot days of summer begin to cool a little as we get into September, the fish begin to feed.  The last week has been on and off fishing; good one day, bad the next.  The hybrid and striper fishing has been good on either end of the lake.  You can troll while watching your depth finder to find fish or cruise until you see breading fish.  This time of year the breading fish tend to be a bit smaller.  Later, as the bait fish get bigger, so will the other fish.  Monday, we got into the one to three pound fish on the surface.  I had bought  some gummy minnow flies from Rivers and Glen, located in Surrey Center in Augusta. www.riversandglen.com   I bought them last year because they look just like the small shad the fish like to feed on this time of year.  Boy, did they work.  I could catch as many as I wanted on it.  Other lures will work as well.  The little fisher, rooster tails, small grubs, etc. will all work when they are feeding on small minnows.

I've had some good reports of black bass schooling in the northern parts of the lake around standing timber.  They were readily taking plugs and zara spooks.

Crappie have just begun to move back onto the brush piles I have in the fifteen to twenty feet range.  You need to fish in the brush and often all the way to the bottom.  Expect it to only get better in the next few weeks.  The 1/32 ounce pink and chartreuse jig has been working real good along with small minnows.

Catfish are also biting live herring around standing timber as well.  I anchor or tie up to the top of the trees.  Fish deep or even bottom at the base of the trees.  You must use 20 pound,or better, line as they will hang up in the limbs a lot.

Remember,  with 1200 miles of shoreline, catching fish is a lot like finding the perfect waterfront property to buy, you gotta know where to go....

.....And we know, Turner Realty is your Lakefront Property and Lifestyle Resource.   Hey' we'll see ya on the lake!