Carters Lake Fishing Report – September 2006

Carters: Level: 9.7 feet low. Temp: 81-86 degrees. Clarity: Fairly clear.

Bass: Slow. Buddy Callahan at Bart’s Bait & Tackle said it’s only been taking five to seven pounds to win the weekly pot tournaments. “Some of the fish are on the bank,” said Buddy. “There’s a lot of breaking fish, but they’re not feeding on top, they’re running bait to the top. They’re hard to catch, although I did catch one this morning on a Zara Spook. Most of the fish right now are being caught on jigs, 1/4- to 3/8-oz. green pumpkin. Look for fish to start easing back into the creeks and pockets, and try catching them on worms.” Buddy likes a green-weenie-colored Robo Worm. Don’t look for the fish to key on one particular thing this month. “One day they’ll key on nothing but red-clay banks, and the next day they’re on a steep rockwall,” said Buddy. “A crankbait bite should start. A Norman’s Middle N down the side of the points is good. Try baby bass or root beer. Try something different; they do like a darker color.

Stripers: Tough. The fish are too scattered to really target. Buddy was fishing on August 25 and marking fish at 30 feet and a few minutes later the fish had moved shallow. “Stripers are about like the bass in September,” said Buddy. “Look for them to move shallow and feed. We’ll still fish downlines with shad and bream early in the month, but as water cools by the end of September we’ll start back to trout.”