FISHING TIPS

HIRE A GUIDE:  Good Spring action has begun with the warmer weather. For some great fishing action book your dates now so we can guarantee the date/dates you will require for your fishing trip.
 

Some articles I have found to be very informative. I am republishing them here with full credits and thanks to the authors. I hope everyone finds them as informative as I have. If you find these articles helpful or if you have anything to add, let me know via land line, cell phone, email, or snail mail.

SOME FISHING KNOTS

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Fishing Tips - How To Articles

CATCHING THE ELUSIVE LARGEMOUTH BASS

SHORT STRIKES

If you're throwing a soft jerkbait and getting short bites, try putting on a treble trailer hook. Use a small piece of tubing or a rubber band. You can either let the hook hang free or just stick the bait just enough to hold the hook. This tactic should provide you with more hookups. By Jim Marenzana

CRANKIN BASICS

If you're not getting bit on your crankbait, try moving back into a depth of water as to get the bait to dig into the bottom. Ihis imitates a crawfish on the bottom and should be just the thing to turn on the bite. By Jim Marenzana

CRANKIN TIMBER

A lot of anglers never consider throwing a crankbait in the middle of wood cover, simply because they think they will lose their crankbait. I can tell you if you fish it properly, you can fish timber with a crankbait. All you have to do is take your time fishing it through the mazes of branches. If you feel your bait crawling through the wood but then suddenly it gets hung up, just stop your bait and give it some slack. Most of the time the bait will float right up out of the cover. You will find that a lot of fish do not see these lures in this kind of cover, so you will catch a lot of fish that other anglers are not catching. By Jeff Chudzinski

FINDING BASS WITH CRANKBAITS

A lot of anglers think a spinnerbait is the best search bait for bass. It's definitely in the top three but over the past few years, I have found that a crankbait is a better search bait than a spinnerbait. The reason I say that is because I can catch more bass on a crankbait under a lot more different conditions than a spinnerbait. By Jeff Chudzinski

SCHOOLING SHAD

We have all encountered those big black balls of shad in early summer, migrating out of the creeks heading to deeper water and again in the fall heading back into the creeks. When the fish are keyed on the shad they are tough to catch. While spinnerbaits are a good choice to catch these fish, I've found that a rattletrap is more reliable. When you see these schools burn a 1/4 oz. trap through the middle of the school and kill it once the school starts to scatter. This will draw a strike from even the wariest of fish.

SWIM A JIG

I do a lot of swimming a jig. When fishing a jig and pig, keep the bait moving by using a jiggling-twitching retrieve. You want to work the jig close to the bottom, so a heavier jig is better in this application. When you come to a tree top or some buck brush try swimming the jig through instead of the normal vertical presentation, you're looking for a reaction strike and you're not trying to force feed the fish. Try this simple but effective technique with the jig and pig and I'm sure you'll put more fish in the boat.

SOFT STICKBAITS FOR SKIPPING

The next time you encounter a situation that calls for a skipping presentation, such as a boat dock, pier or overhanging branch, try a soft stickbait. (Editor's Note: I also use this procedure by skipping the bait on the surface for chasing fish, especially in schools, seems to work best early in the AM). When rigged Texas-Style and weightless, a Yamamoto Senko or Venom Salty Sling skips as easy as any bait on the market. Additionally, they offer a profile different from the normal skip baits like tubes and jigs. The combination of better placement and a different look can trigger bass holding deep beneath overhead cover. By Brian Caudill

DIAGRAM THE DRAWDOWN

In many parts of the country, lakes are drawn down several feet in the Fall and Winter. This offers an excellent opportunity to see what you have, and what you could have, been fishing during the spring and summer months. Use a GPS or a video camera to record offshore structure you otherwise would have missed. You can often learn more about a lake in one trip during drawdown than you could in a while season with standard electronics. Take care though, as low water can lead to dangerous boating conditions. By Brian Caudill

Editor's Note: This one is not necessary for Lake Murray since I have already surveyed the humps, points, stump and rock areas. All you have to do is become a member of Lake Murray Outdoors to get the low water lowdown. Fill out an application and pay just $48.00 a year for this and more.

WORMIN IN THE WIND

The worst problem a worm fisherman has to deal with is a stiff wind. Holding your rod tip high in the wind is a mistake. Keep your rod at about 8 or 9 o'clock instead of the traditional 11 or 12 o'clock. With a high rod, the wind will create a big bow in your line and you'll lose touch with your worm. With a low rod angle there is less drag on you line, thus you'll feel more strikes. When possible, fish crosswind and downwind from your target, this will help resent the worm more natural. By Brian Ritchie

Editor's Note: Try holding your rod low to the side and using a sweeping hook set. I have found this very useful in the wind.

FISHING A WOOD PILE

Always fish a wood pile on the outside are first. The most active fish will hang to the outside, and so use spinnerbaits and crankbaits first. (Editor's Note: I have found the larger fish usually hang on the outside of fallen timber, brush etc.) Then fish it with soft plastics or jig combos, using a flipping/pitching technique (keep your casting short), and work towards the middle and shore side areas. In this way more fish can be caught on one area, without catching the middle, less active fish first, and risk spooking the others. By Dan Galusha

DOWNSIZE IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

If the fishing is tough, and a few nonproductive bites have come on some larger lures, then downsize. For example, if there are a few strikes on a 3 or 4 1/2', but nothing in the boat, try going to a 2 or 2 1/2". The same holds for other lures.

FISHING A STUMP

Don't forget the root systems, which can frun for several feet in all directions. May times, especially on the edge of some deeper water, these will hold more fish than the main part of the stump. By Dan Galusha

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

By Johnnie Crain

Part 1: anglers should learn to look a bass over before releasing it. There are some dead giveaways as to the type forage and type cover the fish are using and this could lead to an impressive catch.

Part 2: When bass have what looks like scratches on its head, gill covers or sides it most likely means the bass are foraging on crawfish. As they jut their heads into rock crevices, under rock bluffs and even on gravel bottoms, they will often get these tell tale markings. It would then be wise to switch to a crawfish imitating bait. There may even be sand and or gravel in the back of their mouth, another iveaway that they are bottom feeding.

Part 3: When unhooking abass, always look into the fish's mouth and throat. Many times,  a crawfish pincher, tail of a shad or tail of a bluegill will be protruding out of the throat. This can give a good idea of the size and type bait fish to imitate.

Part 4: If you catch a bass that appears very pale, it may be a good sign to fish extra deep. Bass become pale when in deep water because the sun can't reach tem and they lose some of their pigmentation.

LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCTS

Too often, anglers, myself included, have a game plan and fail to adjust when conditions change or wait too long before adjusting. Listen to your instincts and follow them as soon as possible. It can make the difference between a poor day and a great day. By: Tim Carini

TUBE BAITS

All anglers when they go fishing should always have a tube bait tied on at least one rod in the boat. This bait is so good, you should never go on the water without fishing a tube some time during the day. I prefer a ISG tube, it has scent and salt built right into the tube. It appeals to all of the bass' senses. I believe that on those tough days, you should be fishing a tube most of the day. The tube bait can catch fish under all conditions, especially on those really tough days. By Jeff Chudzinski

NEW APPROACH

If faced with a tough bite on a lake you tink you know like the back of your hand, act as if you have never been there before. Look at the season and current weather conditions and study a lake map. Search new areas and approach the lake as if it were unfamiliar. You may find key areas you may have missed or never thought would produce. By Eric Picarella

INFO IS AVAILABLE ON THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS. IF THERE IS INTEREST IN THESE LET ME KNOW, AND I CAN TAKE THE TIME TO POST THEM.

CAROLINA RIG FISHING "101

JIG FISHING "101

TOPWATER "101

PRE-FISH ONLINE

THE FIRST BITE-HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

STICK AROUND

CRANKBAIT MATH, PARALLEL OR PERPENDICULAR

RECYCLE POINTS

WHAT THE OTHER ANIMALS ARE DOING

PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAILS

INSIDE TURNS

SLOW DOWN

TAKE A TIME OUT

RIVER SYSTEM - TOPWATER FISHIN

FISHING IN A CROWD -WHAT DO I DO?

CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY

PRE-SPAWN

NIGHTIME JITTERBUGGIN

BAITS TO THROW IN EARLY SPRING

OVERNIGHT SHOWER

DOCK TALK

PUTTING THE RED IN

EVALUATING YOUR HOOKUP RATION

BEING COURTEOUS

KNOW YOUR WEATHER

FEATHERING YOUR LINE

TOO TIGHT

THINKING GAME

FISH SOMETHING DIFFERENT

SAFETY

THE CONFIDENCE FACTOR

These techniques are used on inactive bass so a stealth approach and presentation is essential. They're best suited when fish have a small strike zone and are in off-color or muddy water. Flipping is best suited for murky water and dense cover whereas pitching is the better choice in clear water and cover not as thick. Floating vegetation and heavy cover are ideal targets to flip and pitch.
Don't limit yourself to the usual "jig-n-pig" setup. You can also flip and pitch worms and small finesse baits. Rig a tube jig or grub on a 1/4 ounce jig equipped with a weedguard. Sometimes these smaller profile baits are the ticket to putting a limit in the boat.

The Pitch Cast (Pitchin')
This is best for targets between 10 and 30 feet away and provides a very quiet lure entry. Use a rod 6 1/2 feet or longer and a single-hook lure such as a worm, jig or spinnerbait. Face the target. Let out line until the lure is even with the reel. Hold the lure in your free hand at waist level. Lower the rod tip toward the water and put tension on the line. In one smooth, quick motion, swing the rod tip forward toward the target and upward, letting go of the lure with your free hand. Use only your wrist, arm movement is not a factor. As the lure moves from beneath the rod tip, release the line and continue raising the rod tip. (On bait casting gear, this cast requires a very light setting on the spool tension control, and you must know how to control the spool with your thumb, or the reel will backlash.) The lure should fly just above the water. Use a combination of line tension and rod movement to guide it to the target and to make it touch down softly. If you stop the bait just before it enters the water you'll almost always get a smooth entry. Immediately place your free hand on the reel and be ready for a strike.

The Flip-Cast (Flipping)
This is intended for pinpoint lure presentation to visible, thick cover between 10 and 20 feet away. Use a heavy-action 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 foot rod. Let out about 15 feet of line. With your free hand, grasp the line between the reel and the first rod guide and straighten your arm to the side. There should now be about 8 feet of line past the front tip. Raise the rod to make the lure swing back close to the body. Lower the rod top to make the lure swing forward. Use only your wrist, roll the butt of the rod to the inside of your arm. As it moves past the rod tip, continue raising the rod as you feed line with your free hand. As the lure nears the target, lower the rod top again and make the bait touch down softly and precisely on target by stopping the bait just before it enters the water. Let go of the line in your free hand and immediately place it on the reel. Make sure you're ready to strike before beginning your retrieve.>BR>

Tips
Use your wrist, NOT your arm.

Concentrate on the spot you want to hit, not on what you want to miss.

Use plenty of scent when trying to penetrate thick cover - it acts as a lubricant.

Stick to basic jig colors (black/blue, brown/brown, black/chartreuse).

Use a plastic worm with a glass bead between the worm and the weight for inactive fish.

If you think it's a strike, reel down until your rod is in a hookset position before you check.

A strike is anything different (something you wouldn't feel in a bathtub!).

Tighten your drag all the way down for better hooksets, or thumb your drag during hook set.

Use 17 to 25 pound test line for bait casting gear, 10 to 14 pound test on spinning (for flipping finesse baits).


Dock Fishing for Bass

By Perry Good

Everyone knows that bass and panfish hang out around boat docks and marinas. Not everyone, however, appreciates the finer points of locating good fishing docks.

Let's begin by identifying potentially good bass docks.

One approach is simply to motor around a lake, casting to every available dock. Such a hit-and-miss strategy will produce fish, but it also wastes a lot of time.

A better technique is to learn to identify those few docks that consistently produce bass, and then to focus your energies on fishing those high percentage docks.

A good bass dock usually combines three important elements. First, the closer a dock is to deep water, the better. On most natural lakes, if the end of the dock is in 4 feet of water and close to drop-offs into 8 to 12 feet, it's likely to be a good fish producer.

A second factor is the presence of vegetation. Docks surrounded by sandy or clean bottom may hold fish at night and in the predawn period, but during daylight hours, weed growth fronting a dock usually indicates good fishing potential, and the thicker the weeds, the better.

Finally, the boards of a dock should be fairly close to the water. The height of a dock is very important because bass like to lie in a dock's shade to ambush their prey. The lower a dock and the more tightly laced its floor boards, the more shade for ambush purpose.

If a dock is more than a foot off the water it may be too high to be a consistent producer. Along these same lines, docks with thick wooden pilings provide more cover for bass than docks with thin metal pilings.

Another important consideration in dock fishing is the shape of the dock. There are straight docks that are perpendicular to shore, L-shaped docks, T-shaped docks, and canopied docks. The only rule of thumb is, if it looks "fishy," give it a try.

I have found the hard-to-reach inside corner of L-shaped docks is quite a test of my casting abilities, but it's often one of the most consistent producers on a good dock. Canopied docks are fine, especially at high noon when the sun is directly overhead and they create a maximum amount of shade.

As far as equipment goes, a medium casting rod and reel with 12- to 17-pound monofilament works quite well. Another option is an open-faced spinning outfit, spooled up with 8-pound-test Tournament Strength line. A spinning rod outfit works well when you want to skip a jig or lure under the dock floor. Don't be afraid to use heavier than normal line. Dock fishing puts a lot of wear and tear on the line, and dock bass are usually so aggressive that heavier line is not a problem.

I always make sure the rods are rigged with two different types of lures. My favorite combination is a 1/2-ounce jig and worm on one rod and a Husky Jerk minnow lure on the other. The light jig can be swum through the mid-depths or bounced along the bottom. The Husky Jerk is great for enticing those bass that lie directly under a dock's cover. A third option is a spinnerbait, which can be worked effectively at any depth.

While dock fishing is a rather limited strategy, it is very productive. And, for those of us who still appreciate the aesthetics of good casting techniques, dock fishing is very satisfying.

Feeding Habits of Bass
by Herb Allen

According to Fisheries Biologist Rich Cailteux, bass have a greater field of vision than humans and can see in all directions except directly behind or below.

"The distance a bass sees will depend largely on water clarity," Cailteux emphasized. "In low light conditions, they rely on other adaptations that sense sound or vibrations."

Using "inner ear" structures and a highly developed lateral line system which occurs as a series of sensory pores along each side of the fish, a bass will respond to water movement by detecting the vibrations or sounds made by prey.

This is a probable reason why rattling-type lures do so well in lakes where water clarity is poor.

"Largemouth bass can also detect odors, but their use of smell or taste is not understood and probably used less for feeding than other senses," he stated.

Studies have shown that bass feeding habits change as they grow. After absorbing the yolk sac that supplies nourishment to the developing embryo (13 to 15 days after hatching), advanced bass fry begin to feed continuously on zooplankton, microscopic organisms that live suspended in the water.

As they grow larger, aquatic insects and small fish become more prevalent in a bass diet, and by the time a fish reaches two or three inches in length (generally by late summer), they may feed almost exclusively on small fish and such larger crustaceans as grass shrimp and crayfish.

"High mortality can occur during this life-stage due to a shortage of suitably sized prey," Cailteux said. He goes on to add that bass feed predominantly on such things as threadfin shad, gizzard shad, bluegill, shellcrackers, golden shiners, smaller largemouth bass, and a variety of other small fishes.

Being opportunistic feeders that consume whatever is most readily available--frogs, salamanders, snakes, mice, turtles, and even birds are among items occasionally found in bass stomachs.

Bass swallow organisms whole instead of biting off pieces, thus limiting the size of the prey they consume. Any prey having a body depth less than the diameter of the bass's mouth may be consumed.

A bass will grasp its food any way it can, but usually tries to swallow other fish head first, thus forcing the dorsal fin of the prey to lie flat when swallowed.

Cailteux pointed out that bass can be an "ambush predator" which lies in wait for prey to swim by.

"This type of behavior takes place when vegetation or other structure is available," he stressed. "In open water situations, bass become active pursuers and, because of a streamlined shape and muscular body, allows them to outswim their prey."

Although bass are usually considered to be solitary predators, they frequently gather in schools to "round up" such prey as shad.

Feeding behavior of bass can be triggered by hunger or by reflex when something is introduced into its immediate environment. Anglers can trigger this reflex feeding response by presenting a lure within its field of vision.

Adult largemouth bass do not feed continuously, said Cailteux. "Once a meal is ingested, it may not feed again for hours or days depending upon the size of the prey that was eaten. In general, larger bass eat larger prey, so the time span between meals is usually longer."

STRIPER FISHIN’ WITH GUS!
MARCH 2, 2003

NOTE: This is one of the best articles I have seen on Striper Fishing. I hope everyone enjoys, and is able to improve their skills at catching this finny critter. However, I can't say I agree on a couple of points. About live bait, I don't consider it braggin rights for the big uns on live bait, but my best is 29 lbs. on Lucky Craft Sammy. I also prefer the Gamakatsu hooks. Of course these are personal preferences.

Spring is when striped bass move to shallow water to spawn. They can be caught on a baited hook by almost anyone. Anglers new to the sport will find that spring striper fishing is fun for the entire family. Stripers are known for a tremendous and exciting fight. Pound for pound they fight harder than any other Lake Norman game fish. They can be caught from any boat by using basic tackle and simple live bait fishing techniques. The how, when and where information discussed in this column is targeted to the angler who is perhaps a first time striper fisherman. It is assumed that the novice angler doesn’t have a bass or striper boat loaded with rods, reels and sophisticated fishing equipment.

HOW: Any boat will get you to the fish. Pontoon, deck, ski or Jon boats all make good fishing platforms. If your boat is not equipped with an electric trolling motor, try anchoring or drifting over the intended spot. Tackle can consist of six to seven foot fishing rods, and reels spooled with eight to seventeen pound test line. The terminal tackle needed is hooks, weights, swivels and floats. Baits can be either dead or alive. Good live baits are shiners, bream or night crawlers. Popular dead baits are shad, herring or mullet.

Lines can be rigged as simply as you want to make them. Try one line rigged with only a hook baited with a live shiner. When using medium size shiners, a #2 circle hook or # 8 treble hook works fine Shiners can be kept alive in either a minnow bucket or in a boat’s live well. A second line can be rigged with a hook, a float and a small split shot for weight. The bait should be suspended several feet below the float. Next, try a bottom rig by placing a one-half to one-ounce slip sinker on the line. Add a two-way swivel to the line’s end. Tie a three-foot leader to the other end of the swivel and add a hook to complete the rig. Position the baited lines in the water around the boat. Use rod holders if you have them. If not, the angler must hold the rod to prevent it from being pulled overboard by a hooked striper. A landing net should be used to bring the striper into the boat The creel limit on Lake Norman is four stripers per person with each fish being twenty inches or longer.

WHEN: Stripers will feed anytime of the day or night in the spring. Early morning and late evening are preferred times. The first two hours of daylight seem to find them particularly active and early morning is are favored slightly over the evening hours. Weekdays have less boat traffic. If you must fish weekends, find a quiet and secluded area of the lake.

WHERE: Stripers are generally shallow in the spring. Try fishing in water five to twenty feet deep. The back end of creeks and coves, around bridges or near channel and shoal markers are excellent places. The cove by Midtown Sundries Restaurant is a great spot at the lower end of the lake. Mid-lake, try the shallow waters near The New Stutts Marina in Reeds Creek. When fishing above the Highway 150 Bridge, fish the river flats and humps near markers 20 and 21

STRIPER FISHING ON LAKE MURRAY
by Edward "Mr. Ed" Woodward & David "Waylon" Jennings
Midlands Striper Club

In early 1942, the dams on the Santee River at St. Stevens and the Cooper River and at Moncks Corner were closed to back up the waters of the Santee-Cooper Project. This was a history making event in a lot of ways, but little did the “movers and shakers” know of the impact that they would have on freshwater big game fishing throughout the country.

By the early 1950s, fishermen on the lakes knew there was something unusual going on there. Crappie fishermen told tales of having their poles broken by giant bass and many a bass fisherman had his day ruined by lost or wrecked tackle. All this was taking place just over a decade after closing the dam to the Striped Bass, then considered a strictly saltwater species. What was going on?

About 1953, biologists discovered that the stripers were thriving in the Santee-Cooper lakes and the rivers that fed those lakes, and the fish were reproducing. The story of the “landlocked striped bass” hit major sporting magazines like “Sports Afield” and “Field and Stream.” This brought crowds of fishermen to South Carolina, where they discovered that the lakes were excellent for other species as well. A thriving cottage industry was born based on fishing, hunting and recreation on and around the Santee-Cooper lakes.

In the late fifties and early sixties, scientists began to experiment with hatchery rearing of stripers at Bonneau. This was the real birth of the freshwater striper fishing that is enjoyed all over the country. And stripers from the Bonneau Hatchery populate Lake Murray.

Lake Murray is a deep clear impoundment on the Saluda River just west of Columbia, S.C. It is considered one of the premier striper lakes in the country. South Carolina DNR stocks over one million stripers in Murray annually. Although there is some evidence of possible natural reproduction in the river below Lake Greenwood, it is not nearly enough to support the Lake Murray fishery. The stocked fish gorge themselves on the plentiful blueback herring, threadfin shad and other “soft bodied” forage fish in the lake. They grow fast and fat. Adjustments in size and creel numbers to make Murray a trophy striper lake seem to be working. Presently there is a five fish limit with a 21 inch minimum size. The minimum size regulation is relaxed somewhat in July and August to allow for fish that are hooked deeply and might not survive the shock of being returned to 80+ degree surface water.

One of the attributes that makes Lake Murray an outstanding destination for striper fishermen is the availability of bait. Several reliable bait stores around the lake have blueback herring year round and “ bait boats” are on the water at major landings plus service many of the tournaments held on the lake. Buying bait allows the fisherman much more time to fish for stripers rather than having to spend time hunting bait, then hunting stripers.

Most striper fishermen prefer live bait and this requires an aerated bait well of some sort. Some of the best bait keeping systems are 20 to 50 gallon oval or round tanks with a 12 volt pump to circulate the water and infuse air (oxygen). Usually, the larger tanks have a filter system to remove scales and unwanted elements from the water. Salt, a chemical “baitkeeper”, and an anti-foam agent are added to non-chlorinated well water (chlorinated water will kill delicate bait fish). Temperatures are adjusted by occasionally adding ice. Keeping your bait tank in good condition, knowing how many bait your tank will support and constantly monitoring the condition of your bait is one of the keys to successful striper fishing.

After a good bait tank, a quality depth finder is probably the next most important piece of gear on a striper boat. Both Lawrence and Garmin make units that are reasonably priced. You should at least have a 240 x 240 pixel screen, preferably with at least 3000 watts of peak to peak power (375 watts RMS). Learn how to properly use the machine of your choice. This will allow you to locate the thermo cline, bait schools, fish, and bottom structure. A quality depth finder will allow you to distinguish between trees, grass, bait, fish near the bottom, stumps or rocks, etc.

Anchors and enough anchor line are extremely important for striper fishing. Cut bait fishing requires the use of double anchors with a goal of keeping the boat perfectly still. Frequently, down rod fisherman will just use one front anchor and allow their boat to slowly sweep across an area. We use 350 feet on the front anchor and 150 feet on the rear. We also have a power capstan on the bow for pulling in the front anchor. A third anchor with at least 150 feet of line is nice when the wind is swirling or changing direction. Anchors should have 6-8 ft of chain attached to a good quality 3/8” nylon rope. The chain will significantly improve the anchor’s ability to bite rather than drag on the bottom. Learn how to tie cleat hitches that your anchor can be loosened quickly in an emergency. Have some buoys or boat fenders so that you can drop the end of an anchor line and come back to it later. Marker buoys also come in handy when you are trying to anchor precisely on a spot. Proper anchoring technique requires some practice.

Big boats need a big trolling motor. A 24 volt with 60 or more pounds of thrust will hold most striper boats against a stiff breeze and easily last through a full day of fishing. We have an autopilot unit that’s real nice for freelines and planer boards. Quality battery chargers, separate batteries for trolling and cranking and good battery care are important.

GPS is another nice extra that you may want to add to your boat. The newer units with downloadable mapping software will allow you to navigate through the fog, return you to the spot where you caught that 30 pounder, get you to the nearest marina, guide you up a channel or route that you select and generally make your navigation much safer. The latest units offer WAAS (wide area augmentation system) for precise accuracy, sometimes to within 3 feet or less.

A few more necessities like a VHF radio, landing net, rod holders, tackle and a number of rods and reels will get you where you need to be in order to fish for stripers.

The most common rod for live bait fishing is a 7 to 7 ½ ft, medium or medium light action, such as the Ugly Stick Striper Series rods. You want a limber tip so a striper can take the bait without feeling any resistance. For cut bait rods, single line trolling or planer boards, you want may choose a slightly stiffer flex for more backbone. The majority of striper fishermen use a good quality, level wind, baitcasting reel with a good quality drag and clicker, such as the Garcia 6500 C3 Series or similar quality reel by other manufacturers. Striper fishermen utilize various line strengths from 8-20 lb; live bait fishermen typically prefer lighter line such as 10-12 lb, while cut bait fishermen will frequently choose 14-17 lb. Personal tackle preferences vary significantly among striper fishermen but probably more so with hooks than anything. A good starting point for a cut bait hook would be to choose an Eagle Claw L042 Wide Bend Hook in size 1/0, 2/0, or 3/0. This was the generally accepted cut bait hook among experts like Warren Turner until Chaser, Gamakatsu, Owner, Calcutta and other manufacturer’s hooks became the personal favorites of many. An old stand by for live bait hooks is the Eagle Claw 084 Hook in size #2, #1 or 1/0 (unless you use really large bait). Most striper fishermen are moving toward some type of octopus style hook or mild circle hook that will allow the hook to pull back out of the fish’s throat and hook up near the lips. Again, this is personal preference and be aware that hook sizes vary significantly between manufacturers (e.g. a 2/0 Calcutta hook may be the same size as a #1 Eagle Claw).

The fishing technique that you will employ probably depends more on the time of the year than on the preference of the fisherman. Freelining and planer boards are generally used when the water temperature is cooler; however freelines see limited use throughout the summer. Downlines are used to get the bait down when the fish are at or below the thermo cline in warmer weather. I believe cut bait on the bottom will work year-round. All of the above methods will have to be adjusted to fit the location of the fish.

Basically the fish go up the rivers and creeks in winter and early spring following the forage fish and satisfying their natural instinct to spawn. Late fall and winter is the time to pull planer boards and freelines along shorelines and long points. Cut bait on the points and humps in fairly shallow water and up the river also produce good at this time of year.

As the water warms above 70 degrees a combination of freelines, planer boards, and downlines pulled around structure in deeper water will begin to produce. The fish tend to move towards the bigger deeper part of the lake closer to the dam. Cut bait produces on the humps and points with the depth adjusted to match the depth the fish seem to prefer.

The “dog days” of July and August generally call for deeper downlines drifted or pulled slowly across areas where fish are marked on the depth finder. Cut bait will work with the depth adjusted to fit the thermo cline and usually on humps or structure close to deep water.

It is a good idea to always keep a rod rigged to cast a top water bait or a spinner to schooling fish breaking the surface. This can occur any time of the year but is usually better in spring and fall. Approach schooling fish quietly with the trolling motor and they will stay up longer. Most schooling activity is early and late in the day, but not always. In late fall, winter, and early spring the gulls follow the schooling fish and are good indicators of schooling activity.

Trolling with downriggers, lead core line, umbrella rigs, bucktails, deep running plugs and roadrunner jigs are also popular. Boat speed is critical to successful trolling. The most commonly accepted speed for trolling umbrella rigs is 2.6 - 2.7 mph. If the main engine will propel the boat slow enough for successful trolling, then a kicker motor may not be necessary. There are gadgets that fit on the lower unit of your motor to act as a brake to slow the boat. I made some homemade boards once for a Jon boat to slow it for trolling. The next thing would be depth control. Lead core is colored differently every ten yards and depth can be determined by how many “colors” you have out. With a 1 oz lure weight on lead core, the lure will drop approximately 3 feet in depth for every 10 yards of lead core you have out, when trolling at 2.0 - 2.5 mph.

In conclusion we should mention, if it’s not already evident, that striper fishing is addictive.
It's truly “Big Game” fishing close to home.