Gosh, I feel like this get talked about all the time but it’s the same ole story. Fishing Murray attracts all kinds. Was out yesterday and found fish schooling all by myself and had nine boats, yes nine boats, run on top of me within 20ft, run over the fish, cutting other boaters off including me, throwing plugs on top of other folks line, etc. Bass boats, PONTOON boats! What happened to a little etiquette? Simple as a man fishing in a cove and not to run 15ft off his port/starboard at 60mph or plowing by. I still continue year after year to be amazed at at the idiots out on the water. If out chasing fish, please be courteous of other fisherman. I am still shaking my head this morning.
Unfortunately it’s a sign of the times. Today’s society seems to have a “me first at all costs” mentality. When the stripers school, many so-called fisherman who can’t catch them (or any other kind of fish) any other way, start hyperventilating and will do almost anything to catch one that’s most likely too short to keep anyway.
On the other side, last week I found some schooling and had them all to myself, for a short time. One other boat came up, very courteous and respectful, and we worked the school together. When the fish would go down, we would each look for them and point them out to each other when they came back up. So it can be a pleasant experience, but most of the time, it’s every man for themselves and don’t worry about the others.
-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
Saturday the boats were really good except for one guy. Everybody was staying out on the edges of the schools and generally stopping and working in with their trolling motors. Then there was one guy in a Boston Whaler with no trolling motor that starts running right into the schools, leaving his motor running and cutting people off. If you are too cheap to spring for a trolling motor, fine that’s your stupidity and you have decided to limit yourself. But don’t go screwing up other people in the process. Just go find some fish away from the other boats if you are limiting yourself like that…Which is what I actually decided to do. I finally pulled out of that area and found some less molested fish that I generally had to myself.
That’s why I don’t fish on the week ends! If you say something to the A holes they want to fight you!
All the stuff mentioned here is why I generally don’t chase schools. Now, if they come up around the boat while I’m pulling or drifting, I will throw on them and hope no one else sees what’s going on. I’ve had my boards run over by inconsiderate googans trying to get to busting fish. Most of the time my freelines and downrods will go off anyway when they’re hitting the top. Saturday was a prime example of this. I didn’t have time to throw, because 3&4 live bait rods were going off at once (Caught and released over 40 by myself with 10 to 15 keepers.).
We can’t depend on schoolies to do well in tournaments. That coupled with the aggravation is the reason why I never really set out just to look for schools.
James “Captain Fog” Lindler
Team Hardcore
Xpress HB-22
F150 4 Stroke Yammy Jammer
For guide service, search fogmanfisheries on Facebook.
Years ago all that stuff would stop when deer season opened! But too many hotrodders have boats with big motors now!
10-4 Boatpoor! Looks like we were posting at the same time… Back in the 80’s to early 90’s, there were times when my father, grandfather, and I would have just about all of Bear Creek to ourselves with acres of schooling fish. Those days are gone.
James “Captain Fog” Lindler
Team Hardcore
Xpress HB-22
F150 4 Stroke Yammy Jammer
For guide service, search fogmanfisheries on Facebook.
Fog, I got my first cc in 77 and parked my bass boat and was able to stay with all the busting fish on those rough days in the fall around bomber island when all the other boats would have to say in the coves.Seems like there were not any small fish back then!
Yep. I’ve heard about the 70’s on Murray as a real golden age for striper fishing. I was only 11 in 1977 and not yet serious about fishing. Apparently, I really missed out. I didn’t start to get serious about fishing until later in my teens.
James “Captain Fog” Lindler
Team Hardcore
Xpress HB-22
F150 4 Stroke Yammy Jammer
For guide service, search fogmanfisheries on Facebook.
quote:
Originally posted by boatpoor… But too many hotrodders have boats with big motors now!
Yep and with liberal financing options, almost anyone making minimum wage can afford one. Allows too many inexperienced boaters (googans) out on the water.
-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
I think something else that hurts is the lack of quality fishing in NC. There are some good bass and crappie options up there. High Rock has turned into one of the best crappie lakes on the east coast. But the striper fishing everywhere in NC outside the roanoke river in the spring is beyond awful compared to what we have here. I see a lot of NC boats show up around the time the birds show up and quite frankly I see a lot of bad behavior from that crowd. And a little bad behavior tends to be infectious like a virus. I try not to actively chase birds in the winter, my blood pressure can’t handle it.
Havn’t seen as many N.C. boats since the limit was changed! Years ago over 1/2 the boats were from there.
Boat Poor, that’s a good point. I think the last time I came to murray with the intent of chasing birds was well before the limit change and I remeber getting eaten alive by NC boats. Dad and I swore off the lake that day and didn’t come back for about 15 years, shifting to the Savanah chain full time. I guess I still have a NC bias from back then.
Ya, I spend most of my time there also, can go days there with out seeing another boat!
Very good point about the NC boats. I live in NC and fish on Wateree in the winter for stripers. Normally have no problem finding and catching all we want on the troll, but it seems the run and gun, cast at birds crowd does not give two &@&$ts about anyone but themselves.
With a 10 fish per person limit, the NC fish hogs come down to catch and keep all they can.
It is like that with other fisheries too. The NC fish hogs inundate Virginia to load coolers with croakers and ocean run stripers.
I am hopeful that the booming hybrid striped bass fishery on Norman will be enough to keep the fish hogs home and leave the fun fishing for the rest of us.
For the record, I kept 20 stripers from Wateree all of last season and released the rest. This year, I doubt I will keep more than a handful
Squid Row II
22 Shamrock WA
Flounder Pounder II
16 Sandpiper Skiff
I didn’t know that had put hybrids in Norman. That’s a great idea, with two different hot water discharges on that lake the stripers there never have been able to do well.