We’ve been enjoying the reports and pictures coming out of Clark Hill. Since the Capt has a goal of catching a big fish (modest 10 pounds plus) and immortalizing it on her wall before we depart this earth, and we may not have the necessary skill sets ourselves to do it on Lake Murray (been really close several times but no cigar), thought we might take a different approach.
Does anybody have a recommended Guide Service for Clark Hill and best time of year to attempt it up there?
Try William Sasser,(Sasser’s Guide Service). Cell # 706-589-5468
Tell him I said hello. I did some work for him a few yrs. ago.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
If you want a bonafide trophy trip and willing to hire a guide, then your best bet would be to go to east TN…or take her a little north to Virginia Beach and fish the Chesapeake Bay…Book a trip with Devin Cage. Look what he has caught the last few days…lol http://www.reelbuzz.com/fishreports/poacher/ My buddies Mike Maddalena and Ken West down on Lake Lanier run a “trophy” guide service… http://www.bigfishonguide.com/ Get them to take you to East TN and you can’t miss…They guarantee it! Try and find that anywhere else…
Team Shad Up & Fish
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
be careful, some guides will take you out and get you a 10 fish limit of little fish real fast and you are done. Let the guide know your intentions
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
get yourself a guide on lake russell—real hard to catch fish up there but you stand the best chance of catching a wallhanger out of that lake than any other around here–if you get a guide on the hill you will catch fish but they will almost all be “party fish” (2-6 #ers)although they get lucky and sometimes pull a 10# + outta there—sasser also guides on russell and from what i hear does pretty good on that lake
84 HYDRA SPORT 1800SS
89 Yamaha 150
‘BAD HABIT’
89 TRACKER 17 TX
MERC 50
‘OL LEAKY’
Lake Cherokee might be your best bet. Good numbers of fish and nice sized fish. Lots of 10 to 15 lb. fish there. Go down to the midlands striper club forum below and look for the post about their trip to Cherokee. More fish than Russel and bigger fish than the Hill.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I would go to where reality - bites said if u have time and money for all that
…Sundance b22 …
140 Johnson
TEAM LAID BACK
Its just a question of how many times will you need to go to accomplish your task. You could certainly do it at Clark Hill but it might take a few trips. Probably even more trips to Russel. Lake Cherokee would be a good bet for one all-day-trip and a fish over ten pounds but if you are going to drive that far, you might as well fish the tailraces of East TN and go for a monster. Although, I will say them east TN guides are protective of their fish and will probably require that they be released, so a replica mount will have to satsfy for the wall mount. Hartwell would be a good option too for a one day trip for a fish over 10 lbs. You can buy some big gizzards or trout there for bait to increase your odds too. You shouldn’t eat Hartwell fish because they are contaminated with PCBs so they all pretty much get released to grow bigger.
You can about guarantee a fish over 20 lbs if you go up north to fish the ocean stripers. She may have a hard time though reeling in a fish from a sportfisher while trolling. Them guys lock down the drags and either you reel in the fish or the fish will take your rod. There is no fish taking line, so it takes some pretty good strength when trolling. Live bait fishing with eels or bunker is a different story though.
Team Shad Up & Fish
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
Appreciate the responses and considerations. Gives us something to think about and plan for anyhow. As the Capt isn’t all that big, don’t want her to latch into something bigger than her.
Oh i’m positive that she can play out a big 30 lb fish on a reel with a properly functioning drag system. As long as she keeps that line tight and gains line when she can get it, that fish will eventually come to the net no doubt. But when trolling out on the ocean for striper, those guys use heavy line and tight drags to winch them in quick so they can get them back out quick to catch another. The boat doesn’t slow down. Here’s a 39 lb Striper I caught on The Poacher with Devin Cage…and it took some work…lol We got our boat limit of 16 fish that day and most were over 20 lbs …
Team Shad Up & Fish
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…