Carters Lake Fishing Report – July 2018

Carters: Level: Full pool. Temp: 84 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Spotted Bass: Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “Summer patterns are officially underway at Carters. I’m finding fish throughout the 20- to 35-foot water column throughout the lake and river sections. My guys have been primarily fishing SpotSticker jig heads and Underspins tipped with a variety of soft plastics and minnow imitations. Most of our fish have come on the old faithful 1/4-oz. SpotSticker Pro Series jig head in green pumpkin tipped with a finesse worm or Trick Worm in either black or green pumpkin in the 20- to 35-foot depth zone. Fish slow. There has been a pretty solid morning and evening topwater bite this year, so keep that handy, too. July will be a rinse and repeat kind of month. Fish will continue to huddle in the cooler, darker, 20-plus depth zones and will continue to school up. Use your electronics and mapping and locate those depth zones. Try to keep your baits in the right depth, and you can catch fish.”

Linesides: Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “Striper and hybrid are being caught across the lake on downlined herring or shad. It’s a very basic bite, just keep your boat in 50-plus feet of water. Watch your electronics covering water at a 0.3 to 0.5 mph. I’m using 15-lb. main line to a 2-oz. sinker, and attaching 5 to 6 feet of 12-lb. Sunline 100% fluorocarbon as my leader. Striper and hybrid are sight feeders. They roam and constantly look for food, so focus on point tips, steep sides of humps/points, and look for areas they may roam looking for food. Work these areas with numerous downlines from 30 to 50 feet deep. I recommend fishing in no less than 50-foot bottoms and out as far as 120-foot bottoms.” Guide Eric Crowley reports, “We are concentrating our efforts between 4 and 9 a.m. over the Hydro Glow lights. We are fishing the upper part of the water column with live alewife and threadfins pitching them outside the green glow and letting them swim on a piece of fluorocarbon with a circle hook.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The walleye bite has picked up on our night trips. Fish light line and small hooks with just enough weight to feel the bottom. Any of the rocky points on the main lake are a good place to start.”