Carter Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Nebraska boat ramp, 2 lanes.

The lake

Carter Lake covers 334 acres in Nebraska, across Douglas County. It is a lake: 98.1% of it is 12 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 24 feet (7.3 m). Our records hold 4 species for this water. 26% of the water lies in Iowa.

Stocking: 201,767 fish, 1999–2023

Iowa DNR records list 201,767 fish released into this water from 1999 to 2023.

  • Bluegill: 150,000 in 2010
  • Largemouth Bass: 33,060 in 2010–2012
  • Channel Catfish: 18,707 in 1999–2023

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 24 ft (7.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 98.1% of the water is 12 feet or shallower. We hold 32 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 19.8% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 26.1% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 18.9% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 17% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 0.1% of the water

3 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: Goldfish.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.9. These readings span 2017–2024.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • Nebraska boat ramp — 2 lanes, lit for night fishing, restrooms.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

With 98.1% of the water 12 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Nebraska Game and Parks — Nebraska Game and Parks: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Iowa DNR — Iowa DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.