Carters Lake Fishing Report August 2011

Carters: Level: 1.5 feet below full pool. Temp: 87 to 89 degrees. Clarity: Clear; 4 to 6 feet visibility.

Spotted Bass: Good. Louie Bartenfield reports, “The day bite has improved for me over the past few weeks. I’ve been out on a few rare July day trips as of late, and to my surprise the bite has been good. We’ve caught decent numbers of quality spots on drop shots over submerged timber 30 to 40 feet deep, along with getting a good jig-head bite fishing deep points, also 30 to 40 feet deep. The new Big Bite Shaking Squirrel Worm in sunrise and green pumpkin has worked great on both jig heads and drop shots. I’ve used the 6 1/2-inch on the jig head and the 4 1/2-inch on the drop shot. The night bite has been consistent at the least — great some nights. I’m staying busy with night trips right now, and my guys have been catching good numbers on both 1/2-oz. football jigs and jig-head worms. Black Trick Worms have been my best bet for numbers fished 15 to 25 feet deep around bluffs and wood cover like laydowns and timber. Our bigger bites have come on deep crankbaits and the 1/2-oz. football jigs, also fished around bluffs and steep sloping banks, both on the main lake and back in the creeks. If you plan to fish Carters Lake in August, try to come at night and be armed with jigs, worms and medium-deep diving crankbaits in dark colors like black/blue and black/red. The cranking bite in August is always good.”

Linesides: Eric Crowley, of Lake and Stream Guide Service, reports, “Fish are holding on humps and shallow spots in the creek mouths in the evening and pulling out in the deeper water during the heat of the day. We have been catching fish over a 75- to 120-foot bottom. Live herring and big threads fished on downlines near the bait pods will get the attention of these summer stripes. If the fish are window shopping, try downsizing to 12-lb. fluoro and a 3/0 live-bait hook. Trolling is another way to catch fish in this heat. Bucktails or bucktails with a herring trailer trolled about 2 mph with your baits down 30 to 40 feet is a good way to start. Fishing within sight of the marina will be key most days from now until the end of summer.”