Carters Lake
by Eric Crowley
Water temperature: 67 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: 3 feet.
Walleye fishing has been consistent all spring and we are seeing some real quality fish. After the spawn, the fish have pulled back out to the main lake points and humps. They are holding offshore during the day in 35 to 55 feet of water and coming up in the evening to feed on baitfish in the shallower water. Daytime presentations can be anything from trolling crankbaits to jigging and fishing spoons or live bait fished on or near the bottom with light fluorocarbon leaders and small circle hooks. Use your electronics to locate small groups of fish holding on drop-offs.
At night, jerkbaits, crankbaits and live baits worked around shallow baitfish can produce some really nice fish. Bright colors are best. The mouth of the river and around the islands has been the most productive areas as well as around the dam and rip-rap in that area. Look for the full moon night bite this month to be really good.
The striper fishing has been better this spring than the last couple years. We are seeing some really nice size fish. As usual, it’s quality over quantity here. With the water still being relatively cool, the fish are still up shallow in the morning feeding on bait. This is planer board time. We run multiple lines with big baits spread out as far as we can and cover water at about .7 to .8 mph. I prefer the biggest baits I can catch.
After the sun is up over the trees, I prefer to troll artificials over fishing downlines. These fish are typically on the move after sun up and can be next to impossible to stay on top of with live bait. Capt. Mack’s umbrella rigs, bucktail jigs with trailers or bucktails tipped with fresh baitfish 35-45 feet deep can be a better option as you can cover more water. Typically, we troll these between 2 and 3 mph on 50-pound braid. The night bite has been good as well by throwing artificials and fishing live bait around the boat ramps.
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