Carters Lake Fishing Report October 2011

Carters: Level: 2.4 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 70s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Excellent. Louie Bartenfield reports, “The fishing on Carters is on the edge of really breaking loose. The spots are starting to make fall transitions following shad in and out of the creeks. You’ll be seeing a lot of surface schooling going on throughout the lake, some of which will be over very deep water as the small threadfin start coming to the surface. This is the time of year you can be driving down the lake, see a school of fish breaking surface, stop in the middle of the lake in 300 feet of water and catch fish on a topwater plug. It happens every day in the fall. My clients and I have been doing well with Spro Dawgs and Chug Bugs fished near main-lake points and humps. Fish the bait all the way back to the boat, as fish will come from every direction. We’re staying with the topwater throughout the day and mixing in Fish Head Spins, Scroungers, jerkbaits and flukes. If you like to drag, I recommend a drop shot or Carolina rig with a fluke-style bait. Anything shad colored will be a good choice this month. As we get later in October, I’ll start switching to a 3/4-oz. football jig or a Spot Sticker jig head with a finesse worm and fish a quarter to halfway back in the creeks. Fish points, bluffs, pockets and everything leading into the creeks later this month. Fish will be caught from the surface down to 50-plus feet in October, so stay versatile.”

Walleye: Good. Louie reports, “My guys and I have been catching some big walleye fishing 25 to 60 feet deep using chrome Silver Buddy spoons. Make short casts, let the bait hit the bottom and yo-yo it back. We’ve been focusing on flat banks leading into the mouths of the creeks and submerged timber. This has been a great way to catch the walleye. I’ve only had one trip the past few weeks that we didn’t boat at least one, and we’ve boated as many as seven big-eyes in a day.”