Carters Lake Fishing Report – September 2024

Carters: Level: 1 foot above 1074. Temp: 80-85 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Louie Bartenfield, with Carters Lake Guide Service, “Shorter days mean better fishing. September is a month of changes. Spots and stripers truly have no depth range in September. Fish will be schooling on the surface one minute and in 50 to 60 feet of water the next. Start fishing the creeks and rivers again in September. Look for large schools of bait and gamefish to start showing up toward the back half of major feeder creeks. Keep your lure arsenal versatile for fish near the surface, as well as deeper fish. Use drop shots and small swimbaits out deep, poppers and walking topwaters for the fish high in the water column.” 

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “This has been one of the best summers in years, and it looks like the fishing will remain good this month, as well. The walleye are still holding deep for the most part. Humps and points on the main lake and bigger creeks in the 60- to 80-foot depths have been producing quality fish in the 24-inch range all summer. Getting baits to them is key. Spoons, lures, jigs and live bait will all catch fish when it’s in the strike zone. The fish are feeding on alewives, so any imitation of them should be a factor in bait selection and color. There are some fish holding shallower, as well, in the 35-foot range, but these have been smaller fish on average. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics fished in low-light conditions are your best bet. Remember that walleye like wild colors, and this is the time of year to try some of the radical colors available. This holds true for vertical fishing or trolling baits. Don’t be hesitant to try something that looks plain silly. There’s still a good bite under the HydroGlow lights before sunrise. Get set up in 50 to 80 feet with the light in the water and work small spoons or jigs just under the baitfish along with live baits on the bottom. Don’t be surprised if the striped fish show up and crash the party.” 

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Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “The striper bite has been better this year than the past several years, with lots of fish being caught in the 15- to 25-lb. range. Live alewives, threadfins and gizzards have been getting smashed on flatlines and downlines all summer. Using 12-lb. fluorocarbon and small circle hooks will increase your number of bites versus heavier gear. There’s fish up much shallower than normal right now, allowing us to target the entire water column versus the typical deep summer downline bite, which has made things fun. The trolling bite has been HOT, and with the fish spread out over the main lake chasing the giant schools of baitfish, it’s made for some great days pulling artificials. Again, depth is key here and utilizing some sort of controlled depth method of trolling is needed to keep baits in the strike zone. One of the best bites has been on a Fish Head Assassin 1/2-oz. white bucktail with a Cast Prodigy 3 in nightcrawler or blueback herring colors fished just above the fish at 3 mph. These jigs have a thinner bucktail and lets the colors of the swimbaits show through. Plus, the action of the Prodigy will still wobble the jigs at speed. This action draws a lot of strikes and is lost in most bucktail/trailer combinations.”