Carters Lake Fishing Report – November 2009

Carters: Level: 1.7 feet above full pool. Temp: 66 to 67 degrees. Clarity: Three feet of visibility.

Bass: Danny Hall said November is a transition period on Carters. If the water temperature stays in the 50s, there will still be some fish shallow. Throw 1/2-oz. spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Danny likes a Bandit that’ll run 5 to 10 feet deep. On high-pressure days the fish will be on wood. Other times fish will be focused on bait. Danny says he’ll fish the first half of the pocket. If the water gets into the 40s, you can expect good concentrations of fish to stack up on brushpiles in 30 to 40 feet of water. A brown, 9/16-oz. jig or a shaky-head finesse worm will work in these areas of deep brush.

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson said there’s a good downline bite 40 feet deep at the mouths of Worley and Fisher creeks and also up the river above Ridgeway. “Up the river hasn’t been as good for numbers, but there are some quality fish up there,” Robert said. “Look for the flatline and planer-board bite to pick up in the next couple of weeks after another cold front. These fish should come up the water column when the water temperature hits 60 degrees.” Robert said it’s a trout bite right now on the downlines. “They won’t touch a shad right now, but they’ll eat trout.” Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The main lake is cooling down, and the bait is moving all over the place. This scatters the fish and can make them hard to pinpoint. Don’t look for big schools of fish, but look for big schools of bait, and the fish will be nearby. Start in the backs of creeks, and work your way out looking for signs of fish on the sonar. The bait will move in and out of the creeks as the lake warms and cools throughout the day. The mouths of the main creeks like Worley, Camp Branch, and Ridgeway will start to hold bait when the water gets into the mid 60s. Some fish have been caught up the river, but it is hit and miss at best. Look for the low-pressure, nasty days to be more productive than the nice sunny days for the next month. Trout in the 5- to 10-inch range will work just fine for the stripers, but if you can get a tank full of threadfin shad, they will produce fish as well. If it’s a Carters lake monster hybrid you are after, use smaller trout in the 4- to 5-inch range. Planer boards, balloons and flatlines will be the ticket early or while looking for fish. After the day is well under way, most fish will come off of downlines from 20 to 30 feet deep. If the fish on the upper end of the lake are not eating, check the points down by the dam and the mouth of Fisher Creek.”