The people that constantly catch fish don’t post results and places any more! As for population of fish with the size and creel limit we have today I would say a lot more fish from old age than from hooks. These limits are the best thing ever to happen to the lake in my opinion. Any one can catch fish in this lake if he will take his time to study the life cycle of the striper.
I fish Murray, Clarks Hill, Russell and Hartwell regularly. Honestly of all those lakes I feel like Murray is the best managed of all of them. I’m blown away by the sheer numbers of fish in Murray. My personal opinion is the size limits and 5 and done have done wonders for Murray. We quit fishing Murray for years because all you could catch was little knot heads because you would see a long string of dead culled fish behind live bait boats all summer long prior to 5 and done. The biggest limiting factor on the numbers of mature fish in Murray these days is O2 stress in the summer. The years we have bad conditions, the big fish get almost completely wiped out. I don’t keep a single fish so I would be fine with a one fish limit but I don’t believe numbers of fish is the problem at Murray like it is at Hartwell. If you want to fish a lake neglected by the DNR on stockings and suffering from massive O2 problems, go spend some time on Hartwell. The last couple of ASC club tournaments up there the big fish were 4 to 5 ponds with 2 pounders taking third…that’s pathetic.
Edit: All I fish these days is artificial but the bird chasers on Murray are beyond awful. It makes me fish the other lakes during Christmas season.
Case in point. lets not end up like Hartwell.
quote:
Originally posted by Bowhunterquote:
Originally posted by Fogman…When the bird activity stopped and the chasers were gone, I rode downwind, aimed the tm, put out the spread, and caught some nice fish in that area </font id=“size3”></font id=“red”>from 8:30 until 1. Sometimes crackers aren’t necessary-- just a measure of patience.
And just what area was that?
Crackers may not always be necessary, but ALWAYS</font id=“size3”></font id=“red”> fun!!!
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish
Wow! This thread screamed off like a trophy striped since I last checked in. Feel like I just finished War and Peace.
I’ll be glad to share around 3:30 Saturday. Though it’ll probably be our plan A for the tournament, I’m concerned that the advancing mud will turn the area to crap. I do have plans B and C in mind, but we’ll see Saturday. Tournaments have not been kind to us lately.
James “Captain Fog” Lindler
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Reducing creel limits does not always result in more or bigger fish. Is this lake capable of supporting a reduced limit, after all, those fish have to eat and if they’re allowed to grow, is there sufficient food to sustain them. Bigger fish also need more O2, so in the warmer months, can they survive? Having more & bigger fish serves no good purpose if they die anyway.
Seems to me if the DNR is on top of this, then they’re the best people to answer questions like these and determine what’s best for the fishery overall.
The Chesapeake Bay & the Striper populations there have problems, and part of it is due to too many people with their hand in the till. It is a trophy fishery, but only to the extent that bigger fish can be caught primarily in the spring when they return to the bay to spawn. MD has a trophy season, with special regulations and still the fishery is suffering. Some folks insist that those big spawning females are the fish that should be protected, yet too few actually are willing to do it. Everyone wants “their share”!
The bay, is not stocked, although the MD DNR has done some limited stockings over the years. The young of the year counts they do are one of the indicators for the health of the entire fishery along the NE Atlantic coast, yet some years it’s poor, and when they have a good count, everyone forgets about the poor years and goes back to business as usual.
There is a commercial fishery, and historically it’s been plundered and poached by commercials and recs, except the commercial guys are tracked because they have to report their catches. So when they get caught in the act, it’s known. Also historically, the judicial system did not take poaching as a serious crime, and violators got a slap on the wrist, regardless of the severity of the offense, and many would do it over & over. That, fortunately has changed to some degree for the better, but primarily because of the illegal dollars that have been involved.
The MD Natural Resources Police do a very good job IMO, but like m
A good friend of mine who was and still is a very good largemouth fisherman got invited to try striper fishing many years ago. The guy who invited him was from NC. His theory, way back in the 1970s, was to go see where other boats were fishing and fish the same area. This isn’t a new thing. It’s been happening for years and years. To me it boils down to guys being too lazy, inexperienced or just plain self centered to actually spend time locating fish on their own.
As far as the striper population and general health goes, I caught my first striper over 20 pounds just a few years ago. I released that fish to hopefully bite again for someone else. Before that my largest was only a little over 16. I’ve hooked quite a few big fish that I never landed mostly due to hooks breaking or bending. I’m convinced that there are still quite a few stripers over 20 pounds in Murray. I also believe that the live bait and cut bait fishermen have a much better chance of catching the “trophy fish” on a consistent basis than the school chasers. Then again, I guess it depends on how big a fish has to be to qualify as a trophy.
let me say that I only have fished murray for about 8 years now so I really don’t know what it “used to be like”, but I had an interesting talk with one of the bait men this summer. he said that the number one thing that changed the game wasn’t, electronics, bigger motors, spot lock trollers, etc. but him and he smiled. I said ok im sure you help out a lot of people but I don’t think one person has made a difference unless you were holding their hands. He smiled again and looked in the bait tank and said you are using “striper candy” for bait aren’t you? he said that him and his close group of friends were the only ones using bluebacks and would out fish everyone, everyone. once the word got out, there was such a demand for bluebacks that he was able to make a living out of hauling in bait. I know we wouldn’t have the success using shiners and bream or even shad at times for bait.
I’ve been fishing Lake Murray for stripers for about 7 yrs. and have come to realize one thing. If you want to catch a trophy fish, (or any fish for that matter) go anywhere I’m not.
If I’m fishing there, the fish are always somewhere else.
Bob Van Gundy
803-727-4069
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
The thing about “trophy” anything…fishing, hunting…you either get quality OR quantity but not both. The example of the poor guy with his poor kids or poor grand kids that sadly only get to fish a handful of times each year is nothing but being dramatic. The person/people fitting that description could care less about catching “trophy” class fish. They’re simply looking to catch fish, period.
It was mentioned that the striper population is the reason the fish are tightly grouped up and then that concentrates the fishermen. Uh…how 'bout no, Scotty. The fish aren’t just randomly grouped up. They’re there because the bait is grouped up there. Fish don’t just decide to pull up and hangout. They go where they go because that’s where the food is so to say the population, or lack there of, is the reason the fish are so tightly grouped which forces the fishermen to be on top of one another is just straight cluelessness. This time of year, fish get in large tight schools and not just stripers either. The largemouth do this, perch, crappie…hell, go fish the saltwater right now. You’ll see the largest schools of redfish during the winter months. None of the fish mentioned are schooled up like this because of their population. Again, to believe so is just plain cluelessness.
And the example of going to Canada to fish and how they manage their fishery is yet another bit of cluelessness. Apples and oranges, at best. For starters, they only have a 4 month (+/-) fishing window (unless you want to ice fish). Second, they have people that come from all over the world and PAY to fish their lakes for trophy pike, walleye, smallmouth and musky. That type of fishery is a destination fishery. They couldn’t manage their fishery like a southern fishery is managed and vice versa. You don’t manage a “trophy” fishery the same way you manage a put and take fishery.
As stated, the “trophy” class fish are there. Just because someone can’t catch one doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the fishery. It’s called a “trophy”
quote:
Originally posted by Murrymakerquote:
Originally posted by agentMy take on this chaos comes down to everyone trying to get near where there are actually still some fish. When you consider how many fish are supposedly stocked each year the population is depleted quickly and instead of having many schools to help spread the boats out there a very few. When you consider the fishing pressure increase in last 10 years we have had no adjustment to regulations. We all claim to love the sport and spend thousands of dollars to do it but most of us also have pounds of fish getting freezer burn in our freezers. There just are not as many fish in the lake anymore.
This is quite the silly, misinformed statement of the year…Murray is extremely healthy. The “chaos” is mostly “opportunistic” (this was discussed earlier) fisherman who arent there to target any certain fish. Just a bent rod and a tight line. More power to them. I had my yearly dealings with them but now its back to home field advantage and style of fishing that better suits me…
If you were only to receive or listen to reports from “opportunistic” fisherman you would swear Murray is headed down the tubes. I assure you its not. I kinda miss sharing every tidbit of every trip with the public but i enjoy catching (and releasing) the ghosts of Murray
I am sure loon will be around shortly with some smart commit directed towards me…
I have seen the fish on the graphs lately…there will be alot of big fish caught this winter and spring!!!
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
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There is always room for improvement to our fishery. This lake has enough bait to support twice the amount of fish it has but if everyone is satisfied with its mediocrity I’ll just keep my thoughts to myself.
quote:
Originally posted by agentThis lake has enough bait to support twice the amount of fish it has but if everyone is satisfied with its mediocrity I’ll just keep my thoughts to myself.
Interesting. Can you point me to the case study or data that supports your claim that there’s enough bait in Lake Murray to support twice the amount of fish.
As far as your “satisfied with its mediocrity” comment; so you’re saying anyone that doesn’t believe as you believe, that Lake Murray should be managed as a “trophy” fishery as opposed to a put and take fishery, they settling and are satisfied with mediocrity? So you believe if you’re going to fish, you should be a “trophy” fisherman? What about the striper fishermen, many of whom are on here, that consistently catch “trophy” fish in Lake Murray? Are they settling for “mediocrity?”
The DNR manages the resources of Lake Murray (in this case it’s stripers) for the enjoyment and recreation of its users. To move to a “trophy” management system, you will be alienating the majority of the fishermen that use the lake. It’s no different than hunting. The majority of deer hunters are meat hunters and if they kill a “trophy” buck, they’re tickled to death. As it is, SC deer hunters enjoy one of the highest hunter success rates in the country but if the DNR was to move to a “trophy” management system, you would alienate the majority of your hunters and your hunter success rate will go down.
“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot
Your right Bangstick I should have not used the word trophy because it sent everyone over to I was looking for BIG fish which is not what I’m really looking for at all. I personally have not caught many big fish in Murray and do not target them. What I’m trying to get across is that when the fishing pressure increases dramatically and the regulations never change we are going to see a decrease in numbers as well as big fish per boat…it only makes sense mathematically. As far as bait data, how many times have you heard on this very forum that we are in competition with the bait? I see it myself on my Lowrance. In theory if we just went to a 3 or 4 fish limit vs.5 are you not certain we would have more fish in the lake everything else being equal? I would have never thought that there would be so much resistance in suggesting we try making a better sport fishery.
Do ya’ll not remember when the limit was 10 and no size and all the people from N.C. were here 24/7! It hasn’t been that long ago. I don’t care my self I can only eat fish once a week, there is only my wife and I, but some people here only get to go once in a while and have a house full of kids.
Well, I guess I’ll be the one to blow your theory out of the water …
Had you come to the MSC meeting this evening you would have seen it first hand …
The DNR Gill net study for 2018 is on track to blow away all previous years since 2013 … The DNR biologist said he sees no correlation to the regulations versus the number of fish …
The single biggest factor/impact to the Murray striper population is the water quality in the summer … As long as the dam is regulated in such a way to preserve the 02 in the summer then the population will continue to INCREASE …
Again, striper population when measured before the reduction in creel limits and sizes (i.e. When 5 & done was started) versus after yielded NO discernable impact …
I get you want more regulations, but it’s really hard to argue the statistical data and the professional knowledge of those that actually study the ecosystem …
Parting fun fact and then this post can end … DNR rep confirmed that a 49+ pound striper was caught in the Congraree this year … 
quote:
Originally posted by boatpoorDo ya’ll not remember when the limit was 10 and no size…</font id=“size3”>
Still is on Wateree…
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish
"As long as the dam is regulated in such a way to preserve the 02 in the summer then the population will continue to INCREASE … "
Lawcrusher, this sentence got my attention. Are you saying there is some sort of regulation now in place on SC&G that requires them to manage their summer pumping through the dam with the goal being maximizing O2 levels? If so that’s great, but I may be misinterpreting your statement.
Ok then how about we regulate bird chasers Lol!
quote:
Originally posted by 91tiger"As long as the dam is regulated in such a way to preserve the 02 in the summer then the population will continue to INCREASE … "
Lawcrusher, this sentence got my attention. Are you saying there is some sort of regulation now in place on SC&G that requires them to manage their summer pumping through the dam with the goal being maximizing O2 levels? If so that’s great, but I may be misinterpreting your statement.
Yes there has been a contract in place for a long time…i dont know the background on it or legal terms or who exactly the contract is with. But it had to be managed in a way so that the river is given cold oxygenated water but not so much that it takes away from the lake fish…
Items like which towers are ran or not ran at certain times of the year are addressed. For example the biggest tower does the most damage to the lake. It pulls water from the “best” part of the lake and pulls the most, so i have heard if they really need the power that tower will be the last one turned on and it will be the 1st turned off if that makes sense.
Everyones answer is just pull water from the upper water column. Well thats great for the lake but really bad for the cold water stripers seeking relief from summer temps in the river. This contract overs stuff like that and i think it gets renewed/negotiated every few years (not sure of the contracts expiration)
One of the best things i took from the meeting last night was FOR EVERY SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM, THAT SOLUTION WILL CREATE ANOTHER PROBLEM!
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
USCG Licensed Captain
Sea~N~Stripes Guide Service
quote:
Originally posted by 91tiger"As long as the dam is regulated in such a way to preserve the 02 in the summer then the population will continue to INCREASE … "
Lawcrusher, this sentence got my attention. Are you saying there is some sort of regulation now in place on SC&G that requires them to manage their summer pumping through the dam with the goal being maximizing O2 levels? If so that’s great, but I may be misinterpreting your statement.
Yes and no … In layman terms it goes like this … SCE&G has Murray in a reserve status - meaning they do not - at this time - use Murray as a main producer of power … SCE&G also operates teh flow of Murray based upon the advisement and recommendation of DNR … DNR is charged with preserving BOTH the fishery in the Murray reservoir AND the Saluda /Congaree River … It is a very delicate balance to maintain the O2 in the upper lake and the water temps downstream in the river …
SCE&G began “Relicensing” in 2008 … The process governed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) …
Once complete it will result in a new operating license & determine operations & guide the management of resources including Lake Murray, for the next 30 to 50 years …
The FERC Relicensing Process involves a variety of stakeholders
• state & federal resource agencies
• state & local government
• non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”)
• individual home and boat owners
Together with SCE&G, these stakeholders work to address the many operational, economic, and environmental issues associated with a new operating license for the Saluda Hydro Project …
The Midlands Striper Club is one of the stakeholders and has representatives on several of the subcommittees … The goal is to complete the re-certification process so as to lock in the