Need some help with the striper thing

[stevtech]

I have the same question as El Diablo. I did well trolling a deep diveing KVD going about 1mile an hour with my trolling motor but that ws only one afternoon. I have trolled several days sense with out a bite

[El Diablo]

I used to have spots, I might have had to go to 3 or 4 of them to get on fish and then still maybe nothing. Now I go to my spots and search around till I graph them. People in the boat seem to get tired of that, they want to fish not put around for 45minutes. I have caught fish the last 4 times out, and they tend to be getting bigger. I always fish the bottom with my drop shot rig so that the bait is about 2 ft off of the bottom. Even if I don't graph fish there but am graphing them higher up. The higher up ones are always running smaller than the bottom ones. Thats what I do weather I am at 100 ft or 15ft. 20lb braid, 15lb flouro, 2/0 hook, 3/4 oz sinker. After catching 5 and 6# on the last couple of trips I am going to go to a bigger hook. I cut chovies is small 3/8-1/2inch pieces and put three on a hook or cover the hook. More bites, and they are less likely to tear the bait off cause there is less chovie hanging out. Striper will be biting great and then stop totally for an hour while still graphing them. I just keep chumming and it seems to start up again. Then there is the top water morning bite. Live bait if possible, live shad will catch the biggest and best, fast. Blue gill I put one out when I go to sleep. Got some nice fish that way. Blue gill just hanging live with no bait tethered so they can't reach the anchor line. Spot lock trolliing helps a lot in locating them, and getting on them, and changing spots if necessary. I don't trust it when I go to sleep. Two or more boats searching for them is better, and then tie up when you get on them. More light and more chum the better. A trick I recently found, If they are really biting change you sinker for a spoon/ jig. Less moon the better. As the water warms up they will go deeper. Last year when it was at 90deg. there were no fish below 36ft that I could find any place in the lake. A guide friend of mine confirmed the same thing. Seemed to be oxygen depleted. Thats all there is to it but I have been working on it for a few years.

Hell I dont now how I missed ur post but some damn good info and thank you. We’ll hopefully head out again next weekend. I don’t think my light was bright enuf either. Neighbor has an aurora I can borrow so I’ll add that too. Thanks again for all the help!

[Grizz]

Graphing fish before dark is a waste, fish move after dark, Co- om guys, its not rocket science.

[dmoto]

Nice haul dmoto. How fast are you guys trolling and do you just run the big motor or the trolling motor?

Between 2.5 and 3.5 MPH is what my graph was reading. I was running my big motor. Seemed like they would only hit DD22's. Tried with a sexy shad 10XD and didn't get hit once.

[dmoto]

And as far as lights, I drop two of these. One off the bow on a small 12V battery and one off the stern clipped onto my starter battery. LEDs so they hardly use any power. I drop them pretty shallow. Only about 3-4 feet down.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[eo3510]

Thanks for all the info. I’ll have to give it another run next weekend. I’m sure I can put something together. I was not fishing that close to the bottom because all the fish I was seeing on the graph were at about 40’. I was also using the whole anchovies so will have to cut them up. Funny thing is I’ve never really had any desire to fish for stipers but my kid kept bugging me to go and now that I failed I’m anxious to get back out there and get on em

The last 3 trips 35'-50' over 75' of water was the key for me. We slammed them two nights last week over the river channel past the no ski buoys overnight and did fairly well in Jackass the week prior. Full moon this week so who knows. FWIW, Friday night reports said it was slow until the moon set, then picked up until sunrise.

[eo3510]

Usually fish for largemouth and my 9 yr old kept buggin me to go for some stripers. Well tried for the first time on Wed night and blanked. Started up the river in 50’ just past the no wake and dropped the lights. Not even a bite in 2 hrs. Moved closer to the entrance of the river for the rest of the night in 70’ and hooked up 3x’s but lost all 3. At the 2nd spot in 70’ seemed to be a lot of fish suspended about 40’ which i was targeting and is where I hooked up.

Questions are, if someone is willin to help, is would I be better off more in the main lake or northern coves and what best depth to target? Also I was using anchovies on my usual drop Shot rig with 1/0 hooks. Are you all using them whole or cut up? I had chopped up a bunch and was chumming with them.

Any help would be appreciated. Id love ke to try again and get my son on some.

What line are you using? Test & type? We've been having the best luck with 8-10lb test flouro. Last Tuesday I was in the same general area as your second spot and they were a little finicky. 8lb with a #1 hook was the go to size that trip.

[El Diablo]

What line are you using? Test & type? We've been having the best luck with 8-10lb test flouro. Last Tuesday I was in the same general area as your second spot and they were a little finicky. 8lb with a #1 hook was the go to size that trip.

Pretty much what I was using. All my drop shot rods have 20 lb braid with a 8-10 lb floro leaders. Thanks for the info. I’ll give it another shot.