Carters Lake Fishing Report January 2012

Carters: Level: 3.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 54-57 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Spotted Bass: Good. Louie Bartenfield reports, “Bass fishing is at its peak for the season. We are catching spots from 5 to 60 feet deep on a variety of baits from spoons and drop shots to jerkbaits and float-n-fly rigs. The best bite for numbers seems to be using a 1/8-oz. SpotSticker jig head rigged with a Big Bite Shaking Squirrel worm in ayu or green pumpkin around steep creek banks. The Doll Mountain area has been holding good numbers of deep fish near the shoal markers just off the breaklines from 35 to 60 feet deep. Drop shots and small jigging spoons have been my choice for these fish. Look for January to be more of the same with the mild temps and shorter days.”

Linesides: Good. “U-rigs and downlines have been producing from the big island at the mouth of the river down to Doll Mountain Creek,” Louie said. “Downline trout from 15 to 25 feet over deep creekmouths, and you should pick up a fish or two. As we get into January, look for schooling action, especially in the late afternoon-evening. I love a Spro McStick jerkbait in spooky shad on a spinning rod rigged with braid/fluro leader, something you can throw long distances at the boils. If you are not into that, just freeline or downline your trout near the areas.” Eric Crowley reports, “The stripers are on the move and following bait. Look for schools of big gizzards in the backs of creeks, and fish the area around them. Live gizzards from 5 to 13 inches are what you want to be pulling right now. Pull flatlines either on planer boards or balloons. Look for the fish to be up shallow in the morning and a bit deeper in the afternoon. I start putting downlines out about 9 a.m. and will run both after that. In the fall and winter we use 20-lb. line with a 6- to 7-foot leader. Focus on the bigger creeks on the lower end of the lake. In the afternoon, watch your electronics as you’re going over points, and you should see fish moving up to feed. In the evenings, there have been some large schools of threadfin shad surfacing, and from one day to the next there can be large groups of stripers and hybrids under them. These fish are near the mouth of the river and have been coming up a few hours before dark.”