Brand new lake to me, and for once, it seems like a brand new lake to most of the guys out here.  It is a big lake, I burned more than a tank of gas today, looking around, I didn't fish as much as I should have, but I wanted to see the lake.  The lake has some "toothie characters" I think are called Sauger, they bite like a bass but you have to be careful with them.  I went looking today for hydrilla, I always feel comfortable when I can find grass.  I did get a couple of bites flipping some matted hydrilla, but I didn't set the hook because there were some other boats nearby. 

Clarks Hill is a structure fisherman's dream.  Clear water with lots of ridges, points, underwater humps and ledges.  I think you could get on some of the structure and throw a crank bait all day, but knowing which ledge to start on would be the key because there are so many of those things available.

I'm going to do a little more fishing tomorrow.  Hey, the size limit here is only 12"!  If we had that limit at Guntersville, I probably could have weighed about 12 pounds a day!

It was very cold today and very windy.  My first stop today, I began flipping and caught four modest keepers 13"-14" flipping along a hydrilla bed, boy did that feel good.

I worked a number of spots today and did catch 10 or 11 fish which has me very excited, especially since what I was doing would be considered a pattern, meaning that I duplicated what I caught fish on in different parts of the lake.

I want to weigh a limit on the first day of this tournament, I need to weigh a limit.  In fact, I promise to be as happy about a 4 pound limit as I would be about a 14 pound limit, at least I am saying that now.  I would like to find some better fish.  I bet if a guy could bring in 12 and a half pounds each day he would have a good shot at the cut.

It was cold this morning.  Thankfully, the sun came out and allowed us to feel like humans finally.  The water was cold also, when we put in this moring, the water was 42 degrees!  It warmed to 46 after a couple of hours.  I went to an area that I had some bites on the first day of pre fish.  I backed off the area into about 11 feet and slow rolled a rattle trap and a spinner bait.  The fish are still there but they are s-m-a-l-l!

I wanted to run North and look at some areas I had found on the map, and finally decided just to put the boat on the trailer and drive up there.  I went back into one creek arm and actually started fishing a rat over matted grass.  My mother is pre fishing with me this week and we caught some fish up that creek arm on crank baits.  We were fishing a little differently.  My fish continued to be small keepers, but mom stuck one that weighed 3-12.  That is a fish that could make a difference here this week.  We ran further North and came to some muddy, off colored water that I didn't like.  I decided to go back to the area where mom had caught the bigger fish and we fished the other bank.  This time mom stuck a five pounder.  Both bigger fish were positioned the same way and I don't believe it is coincidence that has them positioned that way. 

I am going to fish way up North tomorrow, that area is big and has plenty of fish, and it seems, some better quality fish.  I made mom give me that crank bait and I'm even taking her Shimano rod and reel.  I feel good about this, I think it is my turn.