Carters Lake Fishing Report October 2012

Carters: Level: 1.6 feet above full pool. Temp: 78 degrees. Clarity: Clear with 6 feet of visibility.

Bass: Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “The bite at Carters has slowed compared to the summer bite we’ve had throughout August and much of September. Fish are scattered in all depths following both small threadfin and alewife herring. Topwater, jerkbaits and underspin-style baits are producing for the first couple of hours, and then I’m switching to Spotsticker jig heads and drop shots rigged with Big Bite and Spotsticker soft plastics. I’ve caught some really nice fish lately on a Spro McStick 110 on windy mornings, so keep that in your arsenal at all times. As we move deeper into October, keep your eyes on your electronics at all times. I’ve run across some big schools of spots by accident in October that have really saved the day. I like running my Humminbird 1198 on side-imaging mode with my viewing range set at 120 feet while idling back in creeks. This gives me more coverage area and the ability to locate large schools of spots like we often locate in the back end of creeks. This very common fall school of bass are often mistaken as stripers because they’re almost always suspended over a deep bottom and in large numbers. When I locate a school of fish like this, I target them with drop shots, small flutter spoons and underspin baits.”

Stripers: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “The stripers for the most part have lifted from the deep and are back in the 50 foot or less sections of the lake. Look for them to start keying on the shad and larger herring on the mid-lake points and drop-offs. The schools of hybrids are surfacing at daylight some but even more so in the evening. They are just punishing schools of bait. I like to pull boards this time of year, mainly the Cast Away brand because of their ability to track straight. I like to pull up to six boards and run flats. This time of the year on Carters is when you find the big hybrids. There will be multiple fish in smaller schools, unlike the large schools we see in the spring and early summer. Linesides will feed on gizzards, threadfins and herring. As soon as the water temps dip, trout will work for bait. One day linesides will only eat gizzards and the next day only herring. Get a variety of bait if you are catching your own. Try and target the river mouths and islands on the upper end of the lake early. Get a little deeper away from those structures as the day moves on. I like light line and small hooks for the month of October. There is no need to oversize anything and spook the fish.” Guide Louie Bartenfield reports, “I’ve caught some nice fish lately trolling single Cast Away bucktails in Lanier blueback. This bite isn’t fast paced, but I’ve had some decent mornings boating as many as five stripers/hybrids in a morning. I’ve also had some success targeting submerged trees 50 to 65 feet deep with large jigging spoons in white and pink colors. As we move into October, there will be more stripers/hybrids moving into creeks following alewife. Focus on trolling early and downlining and spoon jigging later in the day. October/November can be great months for using big bait and freelining, too. If you’re in the market for a good planner board to do this, take my advice and check out Cast Away’s boards. They’re great, especially for bigger baits.”