Clinton Reservoir?

[nickbartolone]

I’ve been hitting Clinton Reservoir hard the past couple of weeks and I can’t seem to figure it out. Not looking to spot burn, but does anyone have any tips they can provide? I’ve been struggling with jigs due to all the snags but getting a few here and there on plastic swim baits. Any tips or assistance would be appreciated!

[oelgnal1]

Looking at your posts, you may want to stick with the "Cong" LOL because Clinton will only get much tougher in the Summer. IMHO, everything around here sees a ton of pressure and you need to make your style of fishing work or change it. I always have seven rods with different baits, use my electronics to find the fish, the bait and I'm 2/3 of the way there but the catching is the hard part, no matter where you fish.

I copied this from another response to a comment someone made:

Strange how it goes from 0 to that many bass in one day, isnt it.

That's why it's called fishing.... but if it's going to happen, I'd rather have the scenario we had as opposed to a good day and then getting skunked the next. LOL I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure it out because it's something that I have no control of and it is what it is, a front came thru, pressure went up, the fish were there and maybe a few hours later could have been the difference. Post spawn can be a tough time of year because you never know when they will turn on and it can vary from body of water. On Tuesday conditions were right, some what overcast, the bass were active and busting bait on the surface.

[nickbartolone]

Definitely agree! The place just looks like it’s stacked with smallmouth and I’ve only gotten a couple small ones in about three trips. Maybe it’s just one of those places that looks a lot more “fishy” than it really is? Maybe I’ll give the other shed spots a go.

[Rich196]

Nick, I fish clinton A LOT in the spring and in the fall, at that time you will not believe how awesome it is, but as soon as the weather gets hot, those bastards disappear and it gets tough...LOL Trust me, DO NOT give up on this lake, take a break from it, and come back in the fall, you will not regret it. If Clinton happens to be close to you, then I would start fishing Oak Ridge, it's right down the road, MUCH BETTER lake in the summer because of all the grass for Large Mouth. Good luck buddy

[nickbartolone]

Thanks Rich much appreciated! Looking forward to some cooler water.

[Chrisper4694]

drop shot and ned rigs all summer long imo. if you find bass, you will catch them on those presentations.

[Hookmanski]

drop shot and ned rigs all summer long imo. if you find bass, you will catch them on those presentations.

x2, the ned rig is deadly in the summer time when targeting bass, Z Man makes a weedless jig head which might help with the snags a bit.

[Jigman13]

If you like the z-man ned rig jigheads and micro jigs, check out the nanos made by molix. Stronger hooks and fuller skirts equate to a more robust underwater presentation. The hooks wont bend out like z-man's do.

[Hookmanski]

If you like the z-man ned rig jigheads and micro jigs, check out the nanos made by molix. Stronger hooks and fuller skirts equate to a more robust underwater presentation. The hooks wont bend out like z-man's do.

Thanks for the tip!

[bulletbob]

Nick, I fish clinton A LOT in the spring and in the fall, at that time you will not believe how awesome it is, but as soon as the weather gets hot, those bastards disappear and it gets tough...LOL Trust me, DO NOT give up on this lake, take a break from it, and come back in the fall, you will not regret it. If Clinton happens to be close to you, then I would start fishing Oak Ridge, it's right down the road, MUCH BETTER lake in the summer because of all the grass for Large Mouth. Good luck buddy

Try it on a weekday in October at the break of dawn....
Either that, or get out this time of year pre dawn and stop fishing by about 8 am, and use live bait if its legal.... bob