Carters Lake Fishing Report – January 2007

Carters: Level: 3.4 feet low. Temp: 50 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Right now the bass are holding on river-channel ledges in 35 feet of water. “The ledges are better if you can find some kind of cover on them,” said Buddy Callahan. Fish your favorite jigging spoon or a 3/8- to 1/2-oz. green pumpkin jig. “Fish real slow; just shake the jig in the brush,” said Buddy. “The (pot) tournament Saturday was won with 21 pounds,” he said. “They said they were doing the jig deal (on ledges).” Buddy added that some fish are being caught on the ledges while swimming a jig. Another thing that’s working some is to parallel steep, red-clay banks with spinnerbaits. Slow-roll the bait back to the boat. This month expect bass to move onto breaks in 30 to 60 feet of water. Buddy likes a 3/4-oz. spoon and a drop-shot finesse worm. “You’ll catch more fish if you have a drop-shot rod; you’ll need that limberness at that depth,” said Buddy. “I prefer fishing 6-lb. line. Use dark-colored worms.” Look for two of these good drops in the backs of Harris Branch and Fisher Creek.

Stripers: Great. In mid December, Buddy and a friend caught a 10-, 24- and a 28-pounder in a morning of fishing. He weighed one later that day that went 26 pounds. In a half day Buddy has been going through 18 to 24 trout, fishing them on planer boards and balloons. Buddy has been picking up fish on the main-lake humps and at the mouths of the creeks. Watch for birds and surface activity. This month look for fish to transition back into the creeks. “Don’t get tunnel vision,” said Buddy. “One day they’ll be in the back of a pocket, and the next day they’ll be in the middle of the pocket.” Keep a fluke tied on for any surfacing stripers. Guide Robert Eidson also said Carters has been excellent. He’s been catching stripers on humps and flats on the south end of the lake using 10- to 14-inch trout. A youngster caught a 7-lb. lake-record hybrid with Robert last month. “A lot of big hybrids are showing up. All the striper fishermen are using those huge trout, which are too big for the hybrids. I’m taking a bait tank full of threadfins and catching some good hybrids.”