Carters Lake Fishing Report – June 2022

Carters: Level: 1.1 feet below 1074 Temp: 77 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Bill Payne reports, “As of today, the spawn is largely over and the spotted bass are beginning to feed more aggressively. Topwater action can be fairly good in the early morning on surface lures like the Berkley El Choppo or a walking bait like the Berkley Cane Walker. Even after the morning bite subsides, and later as the sun gets up, there’s a good chance that you may be able get a few topwater strikes out deeper over brush on long points or on humps. It’s exciting when you get a wolf pack of aggressive spots charging up on your topwater bait out over deeper water. There’s also a little bit of a fluke bite happening around some of the numerous blowdowns around the lake. I don’t expect this bite to last much longer, but it may go on for another two weeks. A little rigging tip to increase your hook-up ratio on a fluke is to use a straight-shank 3/0 hook with the hook exposed out the bottom side of the bait. Also, you’ll want to place a barrel swivel up the line about 10 inches above the hook. I like to use 15-lb. fluorocarbon for this. Even though most of us think of jerkbaits as an early spring lure, quite a few fish are still being caught on these baits. Many times when the topwater bite just isn’t working, a jerkbait can be just the thing to get a few bites. Probably the most consistent bite has been the shaky head or the Ned rig. Picasso makes the Rhino Head and 3/16-oz. is my favorite for shaky-head fishing. They make a weedless Rhino Ned Head in 1/8-oz. that’s been working very well, too. We’ve been using FishCo Finesse Worms and Lil’ Deuce (Ned) worms in natural colors like browns and green pumpkin. We’re using the Ned rig around blowdowns and out to around 20 feet deep, and then for depths of around 20 to 30 feet, we switch over to shaky heads. Humps and long points with brush or pallets are the best bets. As we move into June, you’ll want to expand the depth to 20 to 35 feet around any cover you can find. Don’t forget to work the sharpest drops or breaklines that fall within the 20- to 35-foot depth range. Without a doubt, the most exciting thing about the month of June is night fishing. Of course, many of you have already been fishing at night, but I usually begin around the first of June. Cooler temperatures, less boat traffic and bigger fish make night fishing my favorite time to be out. We usually start our trips before dark and fish until 2 or 3 a.m. There’s nothing more calming and peaceful than being on the water after night settles in and suddenly those bone-jarring strikes interrupt everything! Jigs, worms and spinnerbaits all in dark colors rule the night. Many times, we’re fishing the same types of places where we catch them in the daytime. My favorite bait is the Picasso Rumbler spinnerbait which I designed, and it is a killer on big spotted bass. June is the time to get out and fish at night on Carters Lake, and it is a great time to catch the fish of a lifetime.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake and Stream Guide Service, reports, “Walleye fishing continues to be good on Carters. Like most species here, it’s quality over quantity. Our average fish has been holding true at 23 inches. We are fishing the backs of creeks and pockets with lots of bait. Live baits and crankbaits have both been putting fish in the boat. This pattern will hold true until mid July. Until then I’d focus on these areas.”

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Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “June can be a great month for some and a struggle for others. I find timing to be the most important factor this month. The stripers tend to get on this early feeding pattern where they feed best from 6 to 8 a.m. and then slowly taper off and slip back down to deeper water. This time of year I’m starting with a mix of downlines and flatlines as the baits are all over the place and the fish can be anywhere early in the morning. After the first hour, I’d focus my efforts on the downline bite with baits between 35 and 50 feet deep. Fresh bait on Carters is a must and with a HydroGlow and a Humpback cast net you can make quick work of enough bait to fish for the day.”