Carpenters Lake in Lincoln County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Lincoln County, North Carolina, you have Carpenters Lake. Height above sea level is 801 feet. Head to Lincolnton, 5.2 miles away, for anything you forgot. After that come Stanley at 6.8 miles and Dallas at 7.1 miles. Other water nearby: Rhyne Lake Number Two 3.4 miles away, Robinsons Lake a shade over 3.5 miles, Smith Pond 5.5 miles away, Hollifield Lake a shade over 6 miles and Rowland Lake Number One 6.8 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Carpenters Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Records held for Lincoln County cover striped jumprock, seagreen darter and Carolina fantail darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Carpenters Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 78°F at the top of summer and 39°F at the bottom of winter. The season runs year-round, with the peak either side of summer. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It sets the rhythm of the year at Carpenters Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Rhyne Lake Number Two is 3.4 miles distant. Nothing on Carpenters Lake should be assumed from this page alone.