I am coming up to murray to stay at my in-laws condo at spences this weekend and half of next week. I don’t have a boat, but I plan on fishing from a paddle board. Obviously, boat fishing in out of the question, so I wanted to see from you guys what artificial would be good to use. Aside from using a spook for schooling fish, I don’t have much experience using artificials for stripers. I was thinking of using a jigging spoon, white flukes, bucktails. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
There has been a lot of fish caught on a fluke lately!
All that you mentioned have a chance to work. Fish are working mostly 20-60 feet deep; however, there has been some spotty schooling going on. I had a good school come up around 9:15 in the morning on Friday in your immediate area. Appeared to be good 6+ pound fish, but I couldn’t throw on them due to already having my limit.
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Years ago we used to cast 1/2 and 3/4 ounce bucktails, let them sink to the bottom in deep water and then work them back to the boat. We’d use more than one rod so that as soon as we cast one out we could start working the other one back. Actually caught quite a few nice sized stripers that way. You might be able to do the same now with bucktails or Little Fishies. Just remember the 5 and done rule on Murray.
Also, if you can catch a couple of white perch about two or three fingers wide, they make pretty good striper bait. Just rig up a Carolina rig, hook the perch near the head and let it swim around until a striper gets it.
quote:
Originally posted by Spoonmaster…Just remember the 5 and done rule on Murray.
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RBF, don’t worry about the 5 'ndone rule. Catch all you want. If you can catch 5+ stripers casting artificials from a paddle board in the middle of June, I’ll pay your fine! 
Good luck! I’d try and get on the water at first light if you can.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
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Fogman- you have very good self control. Not sure if I could keep myself from casting to a group of schooling fish…
Spoon- have you ever added a trailer to the bucktails to give them a little more action?
Striperskiff- the paddleboard is definitely a challenge, especially with no depth finder. I think my best chance is if I get lucky enough to have some fish school nearby.
Thanks for the advice, I will let y’all know how it works out.
Also, if you see someone meandering about in the middle of the cove near spences on a pink paddleboard(my mother-in-law’s) feel free to say hello.
Instead of a trailer, when I fished for stripers years ago, I’d tie one big bucktail and have two smaller ones trailing it. Spaced them about 1’ apart with 20 lb mono. Caught 2 at a time many times and caught 3 in one cast with witnesses to see it.
Also, you might consider taking Striperskiff up on his offer to pay your fine. If you choose to do so try a 1/2 ounce Berry’s spoon in white with a silver prismatic reflector. If you can find the white perch there will probably be a lot of stripers feeding in with them. Check water between 15’ and 35’ deep very early in the morning. That bite usually stops around 9:00 on sunny days or atleast they move deeper. On cloudy/windy days it may last all day. Take a marker buoy with you and when you find the fish throw it out to help you stay in the area where the fish are biting. Throw the marker into the prevailing wind as far as you can. That way if you hook a big fish there is less chance of it wrapping up in the marker line. Cut and retie your line after every ten or twelve fish.
Or cast a bucktail and an ice fly. It doesn’t only work in the winter!
Ratherbefishin, sometimes I get a great deal of pleasure out of watching them do their thing without getting involved. It’s a beautiful and wonderful event!
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Sorry for the late report, but I was able to do some fishing while at the lake. Did not have much luck on the paddleboard (very difficult when you do not know the exact depth). However, my brother in law and I took his boat out, and we managed to catch 4 stripers in the 20-26" range on down rods. Did not mark a ton of fish, and the bite only lasted between 5:30-8 am.
The highlight of the week came one evening when we were allowed to fish the pond of a family friend of my bro in law. We got out there around 5 in the afternoon and it was HOT (wish I could say the same about the fishing). Having tried a various assortment of lures, around 7pm I decided it was time to tie on a zman soft plastic frog and fish it on top. After about 30 min of casting, a monster bass came from the depths and slurped it down. This occurred about 5-10’ from the boat, we made eye contact, and the fight was on. She was taking out drag, circling the jon boat once or twice and I got her alongside the boat, and due to a lack of a net I had to lip her. Let’s just say, there was no lack of sphincter tone… and I finally got her in the boat. In the 15 years I have been pond fishing for bass, she was by far the biggest bass I have caught… As we did not have a scale, I would prefer not to try to guesstimate the weight.
To be able to see the take was the highlight of the fight. She didn’t even break the water’s surface; like I said earlier, she just slurped it down. Truly amazing. She was the only bass I caught all evening, which shows that IT can happen at any moment when you least suspect it. It reinforced the thought that every cast one makes is as important as the last, as it could be the difference between a lifetime fish and missed opportunity.
Not sure how to post a pic, but I would love to show her off.
Upload it to Photobucket and copy/paste the url into the forum. Glad you found a beast in the pond, the big ones always hit when you least expect it!! Congrats dood
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'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
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Nice one! That must have been something to see it suck up that plastic frog off the top.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I’d take that one anyday. Good job!
Good one! That’s what my Grandaddy meant by an “ole mossy back!”
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