Super Bowl Sunday and my Seahawks are in the big game …
I wasn’t going to fish on Sunday, but my Wife convinced me to go …
We got a late start and ended up on the water around 11:00 …
We fished Hollow up to the Gap and it was a frustrating, albeit beautiful, day …
It wasn’t for the lack of a bite … it was the lack of a hookup that was most frustrating …
We caught 4 fish - three keepers … but we had 22 hits/killed/gone baits … At one point we had 5 poles go off in succession with what we thought were three solid hook ups … only to have the Striper “drop” the baits …
We pulled Herring on planers and freelines … I checked all my hooks for sharpness and all were good … Observation of the baits (what we were able to pull back) showed they were all tail grabbed …
We ended up with a 22", 23.5" and 24.5" … Two were boys and both were loaded with Sperm … I’m surprised the 22" could even move … Best information that I have is that the Stripers right now are either too fat and/or too preoccupied with spawning to attack the baits with their usual ferocity … hence the lack of a bite or increase in missed hookups …
I would like to hear some ■■■■■■■■ regarding this from those of you who are more experienced with Striper fishing … We usually pull at .9 - should we be slowing down during this time or does it even matter?
Either way, they need to get on with their business because now my fish box is not only lined with upchucked 1" Threadfins and fish poop, but now I have fish sperm to add to the ick … 
Now for some pics …
It was a dead calm day on Sunday … big difference from Saturday
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
[IMG]ht
Probably your missed fish were all gar. I could be wrong, but they are famous for being hard to hook.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
I fished that same area yesterday and missed a lot of fish too. From the bait I pulled back it looked like stripers. I had a transom rod out and it I bet I missed ten hits on it. Just one of those days I guess. Outside of using stinger hooks, I’m not sure you can do anything about it.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
All the missed bites I had appeared to be stripes as well. I have very few problems if any at all with gar in the winter. They seem to not like the cold water and I tend to only find them if I am in very warm water for that certain time of the yr.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Dang my back needs to heal up I’m itching to go fishing…
WILDBILL
quote:
Originally posted by steelytom
I fished that same area yesterday and missed a lot of fish too. From the bait I pulled back it looked like stripers. I had a transom rod out and it I bet I missed ten hits on it. Just one of those days I guess. Outside of using stinger hooks, I’m not sure you can do anything about it.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
Same thing happened to us with the transom bait … Hit it twice and then took it … I grabbed the reel and she bent over, struggled a couple of seconds , and then spit it out … I should have let him eat it some more … UGH … One of three that we “thought” were solidly hooked only to find that the bait was only “grabbed” … frustrating … LOL
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Nice report. I’ve had this type of thing happen before. Usually when they are so full they are just biting out of reaction and mouthing the bait. Plus I imagine the cold water temps are a factor. If the wind is calm enough you could always just put out a couple of freelines or down rods from a stopped boat. I’ve had some success with that when the fish are in the area but biting short.
What kind of water depth where you finding fish?
quote:
Originally posted by crabjack
Nice report. I’ve had this type of thing happen before. Usually when they are so full they are just biting out of reaction and mouthing the bait. Plus I imagine the cold water temps are a factor. If the wind is calm enough you could always just put out a couple of freelines or down rods from a stopped boat. I’ve had some success with that when the fish are in the area but biting short.
What kind of water depth where you finding fish?
30 - 50 … I can’t see crap on my FF because it doesn’t have the lower frequencies (ours is 455/800 - you only really see arches in 50/200 and 80/200) so dropping freelines and downrods is like closing your eyes and spinning around 20 times and then casting … 
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
I actually saw the 2nd hit on the transom, and it was a short striper, almost came out of the water after it. Really thought that one was on. One of the dead baits we pulled in was nailed an 8th of an inch behind the hook, another only had the head left, and a bunch with tell-tale striper bites. No gar teeth marks at all.
The shortest keeper had an empty belly at cleaning time. Just really fat.
Enjoyed a beautiful day with a few dinner “guests”. Hope next Sunday is as nice.
Remember life is short so always remember your Family, Friends, and Fish every chance you get!
Boca Grande 2008
How does a person around here become a Seahawks fan…?
quote:
Originally posted by Redstripe
How does a person around here become a Seahawks fan…?
I am not really a Seahawks fan, but I am a GAMECOCK</font id=“maroon”> fan and there are 3 that are in the Seahawks’ program and none in the Broncos’. Makes it a little easier for someone who doesn’t really watch pro football, but I didn’t really have “a dog in that fight”.
Molon Labe!
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
quote:
Originally posted by Redstripe
How does a person around here become a Seahawks fan…?
I don’t know about Carolina so I can’t speak to that … I was born in Seattle and have been a life long Seahawks fan … Denver is a good team and all, but seriously … take away Payton Manning and they would have never made to the SB …
Seattle is a “package” deal … there is no single one or two people that make the team … it’s the ENTIRE team that makes them good … TBH - there isn’t a team in the AFC that had a chance this year …
The real SB was the NFC Championship game …
Now can we get back to Striper … 
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Fished Big Hollow yesterday and spot locked my I pilot on a big school I read on my Lowrance ,Had a lot of pull down that killed bait (herring) finely set a hook and it was a gar. Caught a lot of big perch but no stripers! wind god ruff after lunch!