Carters Lake Fishing Report June 2016

Carters: Level: Full pool. Temp: 72-74 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Spotted Bass: Good. Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “My guys have been working topwaters, SpotSticker jig-head worms and small crankbaits throughout the day with good luck. There are basically two patterns right now. The leftover shad spawn bite is still happening, with topwaters worked very slow around points and wood cover in the first hour of day. Also in the early morning, working shallow 6- to 10-foot crankbaits in natural-shad patterns have been best. After the early bite, we’re basically fishing 15- to 25-foot breaklines with a SpotSticker jig head and a 4.5-inch Big Bite Shaking Squirrel worm in ayu color. As the water temperatures near 80 in June, look for the fish to slide off into the 20- to 30-foot range and stay there. I will switch techniques back and forth from SpotStickers to drop shots, and key strictly on the 20- to 30-foot breaklines. Look for tight breaklines on your Lakemaster/Humminbird Electronics.”

Linesides: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “We had a great May on Carters with clients catching a lot of really nice fish, and it looks like June is going to be the same way. Live bait fished early is the way to go right now, with most of our big fish coming either at night or first thing in the morning. The stripers and hybrids are done with all their spawning nonsense and are starting to school up and feed in small groups. Look for the fish to start congregating on points, humps and fish attractors, and to feed on live baits fished right off the bottom. Big alewife, long fluorocarbon leaders and circle hooks are a big part of all my rigs in the summer time. Using 14- to 17-lb. leaders are pretty standard. Look for these fish on the lower end of the lake from the dam to Stumpy Island—there is a huge osprey nest worth looking at if you’re near the island.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The walleye bite has been the best ever. We have had more 5-plus-lb. walleye this year than we have ever seen and have had three fish over 8 pounds in the last two months. Live bait fished at night about 4 feet off the bottom has been my key to catching them. I prefer a 1/0 circle hook and a bait big enough to attract some attention. I like fishing the big rocky, main-lake points at night with the Hydro Glow lights out from 2 to 6 a.m. and even until an hour after sunrise. Woodring Branch, Camp Branch and the long point at Worley Creek have all had these toothy critters around them.”