02/05/2026
Strategy will be key at Savannah River opener on Clarks Hill
Image for Strategy will be key at Savannah River opener on Clarks Hill
Catching some of the chunky largemouth that live in Clarks Hill Lake will be paramount at the Savannah River Division opener. Photo by Jody White.
February 3, 2026 • Sean Ostruszka • Phoenix Bass Fishing League
APPLING, Ga. — Straddling the Georgia-South Carolina border, Clarks Hill Lake is hard to miss on a map thanks to its length. At more than 70,000 acres, it produces some dramatically different fishing conditions depending on what end an angler chooses.
And competitors will need to make choices at the first Savannah River Division event of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine season on Feb. 14, because choosing the right area and timing should be key for those looking to win.
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What to expect
Clarks Hill offers a wide range of water clarities, depths and types of habitat. Photo by Rob Matsuura
It’s been more than five years since Clarks Hill popped up on the schedule this early in the season for either the South Carolina or Savannah River divisions, and those events were all in early March. That alone will force anglers to reassess the typical strategy, according to local Joe Anders.
“This tournament is going to be true prespawn, but the thing about the lake is the water temperatures can shoot up so quickly,” Anders said. “We’re so cold right now, but everything can change so quickly this time of year.”
Whereas in past early season events, bass could typically be found on or near spawning beds, this one should see fish both deep and shallow.
Out deep, pros are going to find massive schools of both largemouth and spotted bass gorging on blueback herring. That’s prime to get a quality bag quickly for anglers using forward-facing sonar – for the three-hour period it’s allowed, per the new rules.
Those limitations mean anglers will either need a backup plan or to skip sonar altogether and run up the lake to power fish in dirtier water for largemouth.
“If this was before the new sonar rules, I think you could win just grinding it out deep,” Anders said. “But now, I think you’ll see a lot more pros heading to dirty water to focus solely on largemouth this event.”
Baits to bring
By now, the staples for forward-facing sonar are pretty well established – minnows, Alabama rigs, jerkbaits and drop-shots should all be popular tools.
Where this event gets interesting, though, is how productive power fishing can be. Anders figures jigs, crankbaits, vibrating jigs and spinnerbaits will all get a lot of use in the dirty water near Fishing Creek, Soap Creek and both Little Rivers.
What will it take?
Regardless of the time of year or sonar rules, an angler is going to need to eclipse the 20-pound mark on Clarks Hill to have any shot at victory. To do that, Anders says a boater might bring in a quality spotted bass or two, but they’ll likely need largemouth to do the heavy lifting, whether they’re caught out of shallow, stained water or gorging on herring out deep.
