I have been out the last few eveings and have been able to mark fish but not get any bites, I did not have any live bait so I was trying bucktails and U-rigs. I used my down rigger to get the lures down near the fish and no luck. On Saturday evening everyone with live bait was catching them like crazy! Any suggestions on what to try wihtout live bait?
White doll flies?
chris scout 202 john150
White bucktails with white rubber shads, not sure if that is the same thing. This is my first season fishing for stripers.
21 Scout
If I ever get through with the fence at the “get-a-way” place, I will be trying u-rigs with Storm Wild Eyes in shad pattern. Will pull them deep with downriggers. May work, may not, but that is the plan. I have taken the time to rig a few and they look like they should work.
I know one person that pulls ice flies with downriggers during the summer with some success. I haven’t seen any of his, so I don’t know what they look like.
Just curious, what is the story behind the name RetiredGoFast? I expect it is something rather interesting.
A lot of the guys up here use reels loaded with leadcore line and fish with roadrunner’s with a big chartruse tail on them. Last time out I picked up a few fish using the downrigger with this setup.
I also have a couple of reels setup with leadcore but have never caught a fish on this yet.
This deepwater fishing is tough for me but I have a hunting buddy that loves it. He really know how to read his graph(Lowrance x15) and fishes a lot of humps late in the evening and brings in a boat load of fish.
1999 Sea Pro 210cc
Suzuki 225 EFI
”Just curious, what is the story behind the name RetiredGoFast? I expect it is something rather interesting.”
Whaler Driver,
This might be a bit of a disappointment for you! I have been boating on Lake Murray since 1986, started out with a small Cuddy Cabin then moved up to twin engine offshore powerboats. I really liked the speed and running the boats in big water. For a few years I was really into Poker Runs in South Florida. My favorite was running from Ft. Lauderdale down to Key West. I would leave the boat in Ft. Lauderdale for the winter and make a few trips down when I could. I got a good bit of big water experience and felt comfortable going out in the ocean when it was rough.
Running the boat on the lake got rather boring (Lake seems real small when you cruise at a high speed) and very expensive. Feeding twin 500 Horsepower engines and the associated maintenance, insurance and cost of the boats was outrageous. Also found that some of the people with these kinds of boats are more into partying than enjoying the pleasure of being on the water. I don’t drink anymore and got very nervous at some of the guys who operate these machines after drinking. I have twin daughters and they did not really enjoy the boat except as a way to get out in the lake and go swimming. When the lake was pulled down I sold the boat.
There have been quite a few people over the last few years that have killed because they were either pushing the limit of these boats are did not have the experience to handle one. This past weekend a couple of people got killed in a Poker Run on a brand new boat! The stepped hulls and new motors have increased the speed dramatically. Stepped hulls are efficient but can be very dangerous if you are not careful. When I moved up to boats that were running in the 80’s I spent a good bit of time with a couple of guys who have a lot of experience racing boats to get a better since of how to handle them safely.
When the water came up I knew I wanted to get back
Well, that was very interesting and what I expected.
I believe learning to catch stripers on trolled artificials is very good training for trolling offshore. I have the offshore bug as well, but since I keep my boat at Lake Murray, I striper fish more than saltwater fish. This year, my schedule and good seas simply have not matched up for offshore trips. Maybe soon…
Can’t help but chime in on this one. Yes my wife and I would love a Fountain type off shore boat. But… we live in N. Augusta, close to Clarks Hill, have a teenage daughter and a 12 year old son. The Scout 202 has been almost perfect. It may not do anything perfectly, but it does an amazing number of things well. Coastal activities (when I get there) include inshore fishing and close off (15 miles or so) shore for kings, spades, bsb and shrimping in the fall (took that god forsaken front rail off it last year). The normal day with son at the lake will include trolling, then if we get on them, live bait (I will usually get 12-24 herring for the live well, just in case) with swimming mixed inbetween trolling and wake boarding in the evenings on the river (5 minutes from house).
We have more fun, love the boat, and the time spent would have to be
… priceless!
chris scout 202 john150
Well, I had a ski boat, back in the 60’s, that was very fast for it’s time. I could pull a skier 55 mph with two people aboard. Went through the pontoon phase, the cruisers up to a 39’ that I kept in Charleston. Finally got smart, maybe, and got something that I could fish Lake Murray in virtually any kind of weather, and be able to trailer it to Charleston to fish offshore. It’s probably the best all around boat I have ever had, a 26’ Boston Whaler Outrage (center console) with twin 200 optimaxes. Have been 70 miles offshore in some pretty rough water (the trip back, not the trip out).
I went through a phase of wanting a “go fast”, but could never get the wife to be happy with that idea. It’s a wonder I don’t have a trawler instead of a center console. She loves slow, but she also loves to troll.
You might call me an idiot but ask in avid striper fisherman on the lake and they’ll tell you this about live bait. First is your line color, you have to use low-vis green if you want to have alot of success, I know it sounds crazy but them ■■■■ fish will see that line. Also you black or dark colored hooks and swivels!! My hook of choice is a Eagle Claw 3/0 wide bend. And last but not least you have to put out an ass of anchor line, if i’m fishing 50 feet of water i’ll probobley have 150-200 feet out!! Try some of these techniques and I believe your success should pick up!
“Stay here Texas fans as the Armadillo Band plays a tribute to Gun Racks and Open Containers!!”