Carters Lake Fishing Report – May 2009

Carters: Level: 1.24 feet above full pool. Temp: 70 degrees. Clarity: The lower end of the lake is clear; it’s a little stained on the north end.

Bass: Most of the fish are coming off the bed, and the good bite is going to be in the creeks this month as fish stay in 2 to 10 feet of water. Zack Foster said a May day with some drizzling rain will be an excellent day to go fishing. On a day like that, he’ll run points in Woodring, Harris Branch and Fisher Creek. The other evening Zack caught some big spots and stripers on a point in Fisher. “Just look for schooling fish,” said Zack. He’ll fish a Sammy 100 or Zara Spook when the fish are up, but he prefers a 4-inch Zoom Fluke when the fish are down. Work the bait pretty quickly, and let it just let it fall. Zack keeps a Fat Free Shad crankbait tied on when fishing these creek points. On a sunny day, Zack will work blowdowns in the creeks with a shaky-head finesse worm on a 3/16-oz. red head. He likes watermelon red and green pumpkin. By the end of the month, you can expect a little more schooling out in the main lake. Zack recommends fishing the two hilltops in front of the marina.

Linesides: Good. The yellow bass, white bass, hybrids and walleye are up at the shoals right now, but the big fish still haven’t showed up, said guide Robert Eidson. They should be there soon. For some fast action, throw Rooster Tails, small grubs, chicken livers or medium shiners. Robert said there are some bigger fish down near the dam. You can catch them downlining medium shiners off main-lake points in 30 feet of water. The topwater schooling bite on Redfins and Sammys should kick in pretty soon.