Carters Lake Fishing Report – March 2025

Carters: Level: 3 feet below 1074. Temp: 48-52 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Louie Bartenfield, with Carters Lake Guide Service, says, “Spring fishing is getting closer by the day. Look for warming trends so you can take full advantage of prespawn action. I’m always looking for warmer nights and sunny days. I’m not as concerned with daytime highs. Transition banks are the ticket. Look for banks that are getting the most sun possible and also change from deep to shallow, rock to clay, etc. March is the time I’m fishing 75 percent shallow throughout the day. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and the occasional shaky head will be my primary weapons throughout the month.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “Spring? Almost spring? Spring has been popping its head out for weeks, but March can be deceiving. Cold nights, still pretty chilly water, as well as a steady flow of  cold fronts still moving through can really turn the bite on and off. The walleye are preparing to spawn and moving into those shallower areas. These areas include the back of every creek, the rip-rap on the dam wall and in the river. Because these fish are stocked in various locations, they also spawn in various locations. This time of year the fish are focused on spawning at night, so any feeding will usually happen right before dawn or at dusk. Because the spawn is their main focus, you’re getting a reaction strike on an easy meal. Easy meals tend to get more attention than big ones this time of year. Slow moving, small- to medium-sized shad imitations are the way to go. Most of the fish we catch this month, unlike last month, will be males. The females won’t be super active again until after they recover from the stress of spawning. No matter where you’re fishing, a few staple baits will help. These include original Floating Rapalas, DT6 and DT10 crankbaits and 1/4-oz. jig-and-minnow rig. Fish slow and be very thorough. Remember feeding isn’t their top priority right now, but they still have to eat.”

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Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “The striper bite has been good the last couple weeks. Live shad or alewives on 50-foot downlines seems to be producing fish. There’s also a decent shallow bite early in the creeks, like Worley and the Beach, pulling boards with slightly weighted lines approximately 50 feet back. We’re also catching stripers and hybrids at night throwing artificials on points and shallow-water markers on the main lake or in the backs of the creeks in less than 25 feet of water. This will get better as the month goes on and as the three of four kinds of baitfish present in the lake prepare for their annual spawns. Sometimes we get the bait spawn early by mid March and some years not until mid April, but keep an eye out for it. We are still catching striped fish on the u-rigs. Vary the speed and distance until you get a bite. Typically it’s been about 3 mph at 150 feet back in the same areas you’d live-bait fish.”