Carters Lake Fishing Report May 2017

Carters: Level: 6 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 60s. Clarity: Clear.

Linesides: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “All the fish being caught are fat and healthy and seem to be in great shape. The striper bite has been awesome early in the morning, and we have been catching fish on planers and flatlines fished on the banks with big baits. As the morning turns to midday, the fish are pulling out to the main-lake points and creek mouths. They are always near the schools of bait and suspended about 35 feet down. These fish seem to prefer the smaller baits in the 3- to 5-inch range. The hybrid bite is best either on the edge of or actually in the trees. The submerged timber all over the lake has been holding hybrids from 5 to 10 pounds all month. We have seen lots of smaller hybrids this year, and I think that’s due to the change in stocking by DNR. Hopefully, we will see more and more numbers in the next few years and have a great hybrid fishery again. Woodring, Camp Branch and Fisher are good places to start.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The walleye we have been catching are mainly at night under the Hydroglow lights. We are fishing live baits on the bottom directly under the boat. Small hooks and fluorocarbon with a big split-shot make up the simple rig we use, and it works well. We have seen some big fish this year, and we are just waiting to see a real giant. No doubt there’s double-digit walleye in Carters. We have good results fishing for walleye like this until about July when they go deep again. If you would like to get in on the action, we run night trips all summer long.”