“It’s going to be tough and fish small with a winning weight average of 14 pounds a day and I’m figuring an average of 9-10 a day to take a check”. History shows that the blue back herring are a big factor in catching bass on Clark’s Hill. In the past B.A.S.S. has been able to ‘time’ this event right during the herring spawn but this year they are on the tail end of it. Clark said, “With the herring spawn all but over, and the recent local fishing pressure, the bass have scattered and are spooky.”
The most popular baits seem to be topwater, spooks and popper type baits. Some fish are also being caught on flukes and jigs. Most anglers are looking for schools of fish on points and humps and trying to time their movements. While the lake is large and has a ton of this type of structure, anglers are running and gunning what’s available. With the whole field doing pretty much the same thing the lake is going to fish small with the more productive pieces of structure getting pounded.
“I am not one to wear inflatable life jackets, but for this event I bought one so that I can leave it on.” Clark went on to say that, “I’ll be pulling up on a point or hump, making several casts and then moving on to the next one. The angler that wins is going to hit that quality school at the right time and load the boat.” This pattern is not a secret by any means and according to Clark many anglers will be doing the same thing.
Weather is going to be a factor. As we all know wind can position bait fish and be a huge factor. Weather forecast is for some wind and storms in the area during competition. “We all will have to be very conscious of our conditions/surroundings and adjust accordingly. These fish are very orientated to the blue back herring and to stay on fish you’re going to have to stay on the bait fish.”
“Water temps are running 80-82 degrees putting the fish into a typical summer pattern and making the morning bite crucial to a good stringer for the day.” This event appears to be up for grabs, with the numbers Clark talked about I would guess that we’ll see a lot of movement on the leader board during this event with close weights. It’s going to be very interesting!
Mike Cork
