Carters Lake Fishing Report – December 2023

Carters: Level: 2.5 feet below 1074. Temp: 59 degrees. Clarity: Clear, visibility 6-plus feet.

Bass: Guide Robbie Linginfelter reports that fishing is good. Fish are transitioning into ditches and creeks, and this will speed up as the water gets colder this month. The first half of December start your search at ditches and creekmouths and work back until you find bait and bass. Later in the month, start in the back and fish out. Early mornings they should be back in the ditches and feeding deeper as the sun gets bright. We have been catching fish on a variety of baits from football jigs, underspins and drop shots to jerkbaits. Focus on water 10 to 40 feet deep with the appropriate baits. Try a Big Bite Baits Skinny Stick in dark watermelon red flake on your drop shot and a green-pumpkin Strike King Finesse Football Jig for deeper fish.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley of Lake And Stream Guide Service reports, “The never-ending turnover has finally finished and the lake is fishing pretty good. The walleye are holding near timber and on humps in 50 to 70 feet of water. Precise vertical presentations are a must or you are going to be in the trees. Heavy spoons, jigs or live-bait rigs dropped right on their heads is what you want to do. The bite isn’t consistent day to day, but when it’s on, its on.”

Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The stripers have pulled up a bit and seem to be doing normal striper stuff for December. They are feeding early morning and then spread out and cruise the open water. It’s good to have a variety of bait sizes this time of year. Some days they want big herring and the next day it’s little 3-inch baits that gets all the attention. We are mixing bait sizes and presentations with surface baits, downlines at 35 and 50 feet, even pulled some planer boards with I single split-shot the other morning and caught one. There’s fish and bait in every creek, so you can really fish anywhere right now that you’re marking life on the sonar.”

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