Carters Lake Fishing Guide Louie Bartenfield shows off a pair of "average" spotted bass from a recent trip.
photo by Richard Simms
I glanced at the huge screen of the Lowrance X-27 fish finder and saw the tell-tale inverted “V” of a fish suspended 15 feet off the bottom.
“Drop your worm down there right now,” said Louie Bartenfield excitedly.
Louie had his Lowrance fine-tuned so well that I could see the half-ounce dropshot worm appear on the depth finder. I let it fall and paused it as it approached the inverted “V.”
“Now let it fall to the bottom,” exclaimed Louie.
It was almost like watching a video game as the inverted “V” followed the bait to the bottom. One jiggle of the Robo Worm… two jiggles and “thump.” The hefty spotted bass fell for the bait but violently resisted his ride to the surface on the end of my fluorocarbon line.
Welcome to Carter’s Lake in North Georgia.
Created in 1977 and nestled in the mountains near Chatsworth and Elijay, this little 3,200 acre jewel is a relatively well-kept secret. As Owner/Guide of Carters Lake Guide Service, Louie Bartenfield is working hard to change that.
“I was born in February 1981 so I took my first steps on Carters Lake,” said Louie. “My family has roots to the old Coosawattee River, they had a cabin on the river when the government decided to build the lake. I learned how to fish here and until I was 20 years old, I never fished another ‘big‘ lake. I won my first tournament here fishing with my Dad when I was 10 years and won my first tournament fishing solo when I was a junior in high school. ”
Bill and Jack Robinson on a November trip to Carters Lake.
With numerous fingers and creeks reaching into the surrounding mountains, Carters Lake has more than 60 miles of shoreline. Chances are Louie has thrown a lure at most of it.
“Carters being so small doesn't bother me at all. “In fact I like it… less gas money,” he said with a grin. “We've got plenty of unfished water here. Most people don't know how to use their electronics properly and only fish the banks. I don't fish that way and haven't for years. I'd rather build my own cover or look for deep schools.”
Louie's Lowrance is jam-packed with waypoints indicating hidden brush piles and treetops.
The first thing a Tennessee River angler will notice about Carters is that there are NO homes or private docks on the shoreline. The lake is surrounded by Corp. of Engineers land, and with the exception of a single marina, there is absolutely no development allowed. On Carters Lake you really can hear yourself think.
Fishing is the main activity on Carters Lake. Primary species are bass, stripers and hybrids.
“The lake record striper is 36 lbs.-plus and the hybrid record is 11 lbs.-plus,” said Louie. “I believe both will be broken. There are 40 lb. stripers and the hybrids were just stocked in 2006, but are doing fantastic. Striper stocking has been put on hold for now. The Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources is doing research to decide if they’ll stock more stripers.”
Bob Gearing with a 25 lb. Carter's lake striper.
Louie Bartenfield shows off a near 30-pound striper that actually hit a 1/2 oz. rubber-legged bass jig while fishing for spots. He says that incidental striper catches while bass fishing aren't unusual.
Louie loves stripers and hybrids, and fishes them hard, especially when the Spring top water bite is on. However his first love is spotted bass.
“I love spots just because I'm a bass fisherman at heart,” he said. “I think the ‘Coosa breed‘ spotted bass is the meanest green bass that swims period, even meaner than East Tennessee's smallmouth.”
Fortunately for Louie, Carters Lake spotted bass have come on strong in size and numbers in recent years.
Chappell Padgett shows off a pair of four-and-a-half pound spots taken with Louie on Dec. 29.
“The reason the spot population thrives at Carters is two major factors in my opinion,” said Louie. “Lots and lots of open water; and lots and lots of shad. Shad, both threadfins and gizzards, is the primary forage in Carters and the shad population is as good as it's ever been on Carters.”
Near the dam Carters Lake is more than 450 feet deep. Water in the 100 - 150 foot range is standard. Louie says that means the spots have miles and miles of “underwater territory“ to roam.
“As small as Carters Lake is in acreage, it makes up for it in the mass quantity of water,” he said. “There's probably more water in Carters than most lakes 5 times it's size because of the depth. Spots don't have a depth range here. It is not uncommon for us to catch spots anywhere from 5 feet deep down to 55 feet in the same day.”
Chattanooga's Chris Hight from a November trip with Louie.
Georgia’s state record spotted bass is 8 lbs. 2 oz. from Lake Burton.
Unlike TVA, the Corp of Engineers also maintains Lake records. The record spotted bass on Carters Lake is 7 lbs. 3 oz.
“I caught a spotted bass January 31, 2004 on brown/black jig that weighed 7.3,” said Louie. “But you have to beat the existing record by at least one ounce so I couldn’t claim it.”
“I think there is a new lake record out there, and possibly the state record could live in Carters,” said Louie. “However as many tournaments as we have throughout an entire year, I never remember seeing a 7-pound spot weighed in. I see plenty of 6‘s, but no 7's. That doesn't mean it's not here, but if there were very many in there we'd catch em. I think the record spot is no different than a record class largemouth, it's rare and there's a reason they certify records, they're historical.”
Louie said the summer months on Carters offer a great panfish bite.
“The limit is 50 bluegill per day and we have some huge bluegill,” he said. “Fifty will fill up a cooler and they're great table fare.”
Learn more about Carter’s Lake or Louie Bartenfield RIGHT HERE.