Carters Lake Fishing Report May 2013

Carters: Level: 5.4 feet above full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Stained, less than 4 to 5 feet of visibility over most of the lake.

Bass: Excellent. Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “Fishing is outstanding for spotted bass. April has lived up to its reputation and has been a great month for overall numbers. Multiple patterns are working on the lake. With our cool nights and mild weather, look for May to be more of the same. There’s been a major alewife herring spawn going on most of April that will continue into May, as well as a threadfin shad spawn that will start on the new moon phase in May. This is giving us a fantastic power fishing bite on baits like jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and flukes. I’m covering windy shorelines and points with these moving baits for the first and last hours of light during the morning and evening. As always in spring there is a great Spotsticker Jighead bite near the shorelines fishing 5-15ft deep. As our weather starts to regulate in May look for lots of postspawners to start moving out on points and humps from 15 to 25 feet deep. Spotsticker jig heads tipped with Big Bite Baits soft plastics like Shaking Squirrels, and drop shots tipped with shad imitations, will be my choice weapons. To key in on the threadfin spawn in May, each morning focus on Pop-R style baits and walking topwater baits. Remember, threadfin will spawn anywhere, so fish a variety of areas especially with laydown trees and very shallow points.”

Linesides: Excellent. “The striper bite is as good as it gets in April and May,” Louie said. “My customers have boated more than 100 stripers and hybrids in the month of April so far, with our biggest a 42-inch long 31-lb. striper falling to a Spro McStick. It was caught by Ron, of Atlanta. Thanks to the alewife herring and threadfin shad spawns, the stripers follow them shallow and make for easy targets. This is the best time of year to striper fish day or night at Carters. Get some decent bait and downline, freeline, planer board—it doesn’t matter. There are stripers on the main lake and in most every creek this time of year. Focus on breaklines from 15 to 35 feet off shorelines, and throw some baits behind the boat. This is not a complicated time of year to fish for stripers so don’t read into it to much. Small bluegill, jumbo shiners and any kind of shad will work. Also keep your eyes open for surfacing fish, and always have a jerkbait of some style tied and ready to cast. If you reach the surfacing fish, they are major suckers for the Spro McStick.”