Here is a link to some good beginning advice/techniques. You need a bait tank to keep herring, they will not live in a bucket. Bare minimum would be a cooler with a bubbler.
http://www.midlandsstriperclub.org/Tips.html
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I am good on bait tank just help with rigging and methods
right now most people are running freelines, basically a carolina rig but replace the sinker with a bead. You can add a small split shot to get it down a little. I run them at different distances from the boat, anywhere from right off the transom to 50’ back. You can also put them on planer boards to get them apart so you can run more lines. I run the boat about .4 to .6, sometimes stoping for a few seconds then speeding up to change it up. I also run downlines, carolina rig with 1 to 2 oz egg sinker. drop them right above fish you are marking. Always put your deeper lines in the back and the least weight in the back so they won’t swing into the lines behind them. I use 1/0 gamagatsu octopus hooks, but everyone has their favorite.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I do not have a trolling motor can the planer boards and free lines be effective at 2mph or do i need to drift
way too fast, you have to drift. Planers probably won’t work unless you had the perfect conditions. Best be would probably be downlines and 2 freelines. Trolling motor and a good fishfinder are pretty important.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
In my experience a TM is the most important of the 2. ALL depth finders work, its just the more you pay the more gadgets and gizmos you get. BUT its alot easier to see whats going on down there with a 500$ unit versus a 99$ one…
Save your money and make the purchase of an I-pilot TM first then upgrade the electronics…just my .02
get on a boat with someone who is pulling and see how its done…nothing like hands on experience…we probably only have another 3-4wks of pulling then almost everyone will be cutting or downrodding.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
If you don’t have a trolling motor, drift socks are the next cheapest alternative. They can slow the boat down a bunch!
Poor man’s drift socks are 5 gallon bucket!
Rick K
I bought a used 55 power drive when I started striper fishing for $50, all I had money for. Worked fine till I could buy an auto pilot.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I was out at Academy Sports at Sandhills a couple of weeks ago and they had some really cheap drift socks. It was about $15 for one with a 36" diameter.
Steelman, the drift socks work great, but are best when drifting in open water for suspended fish. IMO, this time of year you would be much better off with a trolling motor so you can follow the contour of the bottom around points and all.
What kind of boat do you have? I got by with a transom mount trolling motor with a tiller extension for a year before I got my bow mount.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I am fishing out of a 19ft bayliner runabout. Not the ideal fishing machine but that is all I have for the big water otherwise it is back to my 14ft jon which I do have a transom mount motor for it.
I use to fish out of a 19’ galaxy, Shakey. Rotten spots on floor, sandwiched the rotten transom in aluminum and poured an epoxy motor mount to replace the rotten wood one. Caught a lot of fish out of that boat. Can’t say I miss her though, very temperamental. THat’s the $50 trolling motor on the front.
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Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
Our used rig came with a basic front mounted foot controlled TM and we put a basic depth indicator/fish finder on it. They did the job when we went after the “green” fish but then we switched to stripers and they definitely were not adequate. At that time were restricted to drifting with downrods or anchoring at a selected spot and downrodding. We upgraded our fish finder to one with GPS and Hot Maps on it which is really great but doesn’t hold a candle to some of the units out there. We also knew we need a better TM, and I doubt one could find a better selection than an I Pilot, but from an expense standpoint we opted to go with an engine mounted trolling motor. That way I can see the Fish Finder and navigate at the console. That serves our needs, but there are some drawbacks to it. Bottom line is that there is a lot of neat stuff out there with varying price tags, to give you the capabilities that really help. How much you are prepared to spend is up to you. I always consider minimum price as a starting point and then try to get as much as I can for a few dollars more.
There is nothing wrong with a footcontrol for stripes. I used one for 3 yrs or so. I pulled boards and downrodded with a footcontrol. Ask steelytom if he has seen anyone hold a boat inbetween 2 towers with a good wind…lol…its a lot of work to manage rods and the footcontrol but it can be done
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by steelytomright now most people are running freelines, basically a carolina rig but replace the sinker with a bead. You can add a small split shot to get it down a little. I run them at different distances from the boat, anywhere from right off the transom to 50’ back. You can also put them on planer boards to get them apart so you can run more lines. I run the boat about .4 to .6, sometimes stoping for a few seconds then speeding up to change it up. I also run downlines, carolina rig with 1 to 2 oz egg sinker. drop them right above fish you are marking. Always put your deeper lines in the back and the least weight in the back so they won’t swing into the lines behind them. I use 1/0 gamagatsu octopus hooks, but everyone has their favorite.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I have trained you well, except I put the down rods in the front of the boat. Most of the spread you have out is in the rear of the boat, so most of the fish will hit back there. Put the down rods out front to keep them out of the fish that come on the spread at the back of the boat.
Rick K
Rick,
That is my current boat on the right. I had already transferred all the rod holders except the ones screwed in when I took the pick. I have 6 rod holders in the front.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
My very first “striper” boat was a Galaxy too. I bought it at the 1989 boat show for $10.5K A little 4 cyl chevy engine with mercruiser outdrive. They used to build them right off I20 on Monticello Rd. Still miss that thing.
The pic isn’t mine, but the same year and model.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
You can catch plenty of nice fish anchoring up and fishing cut bait on the bottom this time of year too… two good anchors and plenty of rope or mule tape and you can wack some big fish on the bottom…just figure out what depth the fish seem to appear the most and postion your boat to put baits on the bottom at that depth…give your lines plenty of slack when they are sitting in the rodholders, chum it up and give it about an hour and a half before moving to the next spot. You can fish a lot of rods in this manner. We usually put out about 20 around the boat…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
Woody’s talking cut bait?.. Wow what’s this world coming to…lol…Shawn doing a number on him…lol…I just don’t have the paitence for it…
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
I can’t do it for long periods of time, but it’s a good relaxing way to fish for a couple of hours on a weekday evening when you don’t have much time. I haven’t done it at all this year yet, but have had good success in the past going after work, anchoring up and fishing the last couple of hours before dark. Just sitting like that makes you feel like you had more time on the water than you really did too.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki