Carlyle Lake offers good fishing for crappie, white bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, channel and flathead catfish, freshwater drum and carp. Other species commonly caught are green sunfish, yellow bass, yellow and black bullheads. If you like variety, the tailwater area, directly below the lake’s spillway, is a fisherman’s paradise.

The federal lease land and state property provide almost 9,500 acres of wildlife habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Area is blessed with habitat diversity: approximately 2,000 acres of woodland, 5,800 acres of open water and wetlands, 200 acres of grassland and 1,500 acres of cropland planted for wildlife food and cover. The area is divided by the following management areas: Westside Management Area, Eastside Management Area, Flooded Dead Timber Area and Open Water Area.