Carters Lake Fishing Report – May 2024

Carters: Level: 1.4 feet above 1074. Temp: 65-67 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Robbie Linginfelter with Carters Lake Guide Service reports, “Topwater and moving baits are the name of the game. Herring and shad are spawning right now, so getting on the water at first light can be fast and fantastic. Bass are moving to their postspawn spots and actions this month and that puts us closer to the summer topwater action we all love. Pick up topwater and moving baits, and fish long, shallow points and humps. If bass don’t come up to hit moving baits, dragging those same points with worms is good. Rig a Big Bite Baits Skinny Stick on a shaky head or drop shot and drag them in 15 to 25 feet of water. Brush and rock on the structure make it better.”

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Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley reports of Lake And Stream Guide Service reports, “I think we can all agree we are tired of these April cold fronts and are ready for some warm, stable weather. The postspawn walleye bite is getting good. The fish are back on the main lake and feeding mainly at night on shallow points. In the daytime, the fish seem to be holding near the same shorelines but in 32 to 48 feet of water waiting for the bait to show up. The bait spawning will keep the fish a bit shallower than normal. Live baits, spoons or a jig is the way to go right now. Fish natural colors on sunny days and super bright stuff during cloudy conditions or at night. If you’re catching bass, look just a bit deeper, and the walleye should be there. We are seeing a great average-size fish around 22 inches and some bigger fish in the 23- to 24-inch class. The trolling bite will fire up soon as the fish stage on drop-offs looking for schools of bait to pass. I’d say 35 to 65 feet will be the target depth, and dialing in lure selection can be key at times.”

Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley of Lake And Stream Guide Service reports, “April was wishy-washy on Carters for striper fishing, with lots of big fish feeding shallow early in the morning, but the bite died shortly after sunrise. Our best bite last month was big live alewives on light leaders pulled on boards right on the banks. This was producing a few big bites every morning. This pattern should hold true this month. The baitfish spawn is a little behind schedule. Look for schools of bait up shallow near steep, rocky shorelines. After the sun gets up, I prefer to pull u-rigs around the creek mouths and main-lake points 160 to 185 feet back. I fish the Captain Mack’s u-rigs the way they come out of the package. If you can get out in the middle of the night, there’s a decent topwater bite for striped fish chasing bait up shallow on clay banks.”