Carters: water temp 46-50 ,clarity about 7 feet, full pool
February has been a tough month for everyone on Carters ,but that's no
surprise it is the toughest month of the year to fish this lake. With
the annual shad kill in full swing all we can do is wait for water
temps to climb. Stripers are few and far between.The ones that have
been caught have been here and there with no pattern to them what so
ever.The most productive bait has been live alewife caught fresh in
cast nets in the 4-6inch size. The big spots are still holding in the
15-40 ft. range but are not actively chasing much of anything.We
caught a few last week in the 4lb range. They will eat but you will
have to get the bait right in their face. Use your electronics to
locate the fish and try anything that will stay at the same depth as
the fish. Verticle jigging spoons in 2-4 inch size are catching fish,
I like chrome or chrome and white with some yellow on them. Smack
Tackle flitter baits are another good choice to imitate small bait
fish and have good action with out moving the bait out of the strike
zone.
Look for march to bring this deep lake to life. As the water temps
climb above 52-53 deg. many fish will start to head up river. Yellow
bass,walleye,white bass and shad will all start the journey around the
same time and this can make for some fun fishing. Last year Lake and
Stream Guide Service had several days with 60+ fish in the boat in
just a few hours. Walleye have been a hot topic when it comes to
Carters and spring is a great time to catch them. Look for fish to
start staging along rocky shore lines as they gather for the spawn.
These fish will eat a variety of baits from small jigs,live
worms,little swim baits and live thread fin shad fished very slow just
off the bottom . The full moon in march would be a good time to plan a
night trip for walleye. Get out and find the bait in the day light and
fish that area at night the walleye wont be far.Spring is almost upon
us and the lake is in great shape with clear water and tons of bait.
Smack Tackle flitter baits are another good choice to imitate small bait
fish and have good action with out moving the bait out of the strike
zone.