Carters Lake Fishing Report December 2018

Carters: Level: Full. Temp: 60 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Linesides: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The striper and hybrid bite is picking up. With the cooler water temperatures, we are starting to see fish moving in the shallower water chasing schooled-up pods of baitfish. Look for fish moving into the backs to the creeks and in the river in 30 to 50 feet of water. Planer boards with live trout, shad or alewife are great choices. I like to fish my bait anywhere from 50 to 75 feet behind the board with no weight or a very small split-shot. Pulling from the backs of the creeks out toward the main lake at 1 to 2 mph has been the ticket. We’ve seen several nice hybrids in the 10- to 12-lb. range and stripers up to 15 pounds and lots of green fish mixed in. This time of year, you don’t have to concentrate on the early morning bite. With the cooler water temps, the fish will eat midday and right before dark. The artificial bite is still good with Captain Mack’s umbrella rigs and Chipmunk Jigs pulled 125 to 175 feet behind the boat. Working these artificials from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 mph has put a lot of fish in the boat in the last few weeks. Look for the shallow-water bite to pretty much take over in the next month. Have fun, and stay warm.”