Lake Carmi Largemouth Bass Tips: [ Add Tip ]

Largemouth bass fishing is going to be slow with the water temperature at 47 degrees. If you have a chance to get out on the water, you are going to have to fish deep and slow. Jig fishing and Plastic baits may be your best bet this time of year for largemouth bass. You may also try fishing some sinking jerk baits.

Lake Carmi Smallmouth Bass Tips: [ Add Tip ]

Smallmouth bass fishing is going to be slow with the water temperature at 47 degrees. It's time to fish deep and slow. Try some deep primary points, drop offs, and old river channels with rocks. Jigs, plastics and deep jerk baits will be your best bet to boat a smallmouth.

Lake Carmi Crappie Tips: [ Add Tip ]

Crappie fishing is sometimes at its best with the water temperature down this low. Crappie will be in large schools and follow the large shad schools around in extremely deep water. Find the deepest parts of your lake in old river channels and scan your graph for schooling shad. When you find the school, drop your plastics or live bait down to the bottom of the shad and get ready. Many crappie fishermen will be catching awesome numbers and size of fish this time of year. If you are brave enough to get out on the water this time when the water temperature is this cold, it can really pay off. Be careful out there, remember to boat safely. Never take any chances at these temperatures.

Lake Carmi Walleye Tips: [ Add Tip ]

- Carmi has always produced quantities of perch, large pike, and of course great walleye fishing. But heavy fishing pressure has taken its toll on bigger fish- last year was the first year I have not had at least one 6#+ 26"+ class fish in the boat, and I spend many a day there every year.

Although the slot limit (no fish can be kept which are between 17" and 19") can help a lot, "non-selective" fishermen with coolers full of more-than-a-limit and multiple in-the-slot kills hurt the fishery, and are basically stealing from those of us who abide by the law.

Before I give you my fishing tip, I hope you will personally honor catch-and-release as the law mandates, and even let a few go after you get the one for the table. The slot is there for a reason and has produced a fantastic spawning production- be careful with the fish, unhook them carefully, and don't let them thrash around in the boat.

My fishing tip: Don't count out crankbaits on Carmi! But if you are going to tow crawler harnesses (grabbers, spinner rigs) around, I recommend the hand-tied harnesses with Gamakatsu and other premium hooks available at The Old Fishing Hole tackle shop in Morrisville, Vermont. A surprising number of fish can be taken along the North shore with these rigs (see map) with a few fun smallmouth bass thrown in for kicks. These custom "grabbers" really get the job done, and good hooking is insured with the extremely sharp hooks. Troll the harness parallel with the shore line, watching your graph and zig-zagging 9' to 16'.
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Walleye will be staging and getting ready to spawn now. With Walleye spawning grounds generally on gravel and rocky bottoms and preferring clean water. Start looking for pre-spawn fish in deeper waters with easy access to shallow clean water rocky bottoms. Walleye should be feeding aggressively right up until they start laying eggs. This is a perfect time to be fishing for Walleye.

Lake Carmi Catfish Tips: [ Add Tip ]

- I don't believe Carmi has Blues, Channels, or Flatheads, but it can serve up some mighty big hornpout (brown bullhead). I have had numerous incidental catches of hornpout, including one that was over 18" that came on (of all things!) a silver-and-pink-dots Flatfish!

Great eating and plentiful in Carmi, you can give them a shot on the western shore as shown.
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The catfish family comprises of blue catfish, flathead catfish and channel catfish. Since catfish are warm water fish, they aren’t going to be very active in this water temperature. They will still be feeding, but catfish will only be found very deep and feeding very slowly. Your best bet is give some of the more active fish species in your lake a shot until the cats are active again.

Lake Carmi Spotted Bass Tips: [ Add Tip ]

With Lake Carmi at 47 degree water temperature this is a great time to get out on the water and try hitting some deeper primary and secondary points. Spotted bass will be feeding at this water temperature but will be much harder to catch. On Sunny warm afternoons its a great time to throw a crank bait, jigs or slow roll a spinnerbait at 5-10 foot on sunny points and drops off of sunny flats. Spottted Bass will move into warm water on warm sunny days.

Lake Carmi White Bass Tips: [ Add Tip ]

Lake Carmi Striped Bass Tips: [ Add Tip ]

- there are no striped bass in carmi and ive never herd of any one catching them
there


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Lake Carmi Trout Tips: [ Add Tip ]