I am looking to get started striper fishing in my 19 ft center console I recently purchased. I was wondering what are the things needed to get started such as rods, reels, tackle,etc. Thanks in advance!
sundance 1900
Read this … http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=143741
There was a lot covered in this thread …
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Number two after rod and reels, IMO, an Ipilot or Auto pilot trolling motor… Preferably the Ipilot that will hold you in one spot. Believe me, that will be my next purchase.
quote:
Originally posted by Upstate PirateNumber two after rod and reels, IMO, an Ipilot or Auto pilot trolling motor… Preferably the Ipilot that will hold you in one spot. Believe me, that will be my next purchase.
An ipilot would be my FIRST purchase. I am sure u already have do able rods since u have a boat. And for the next 3months you can catch fish without a depth finder. I tried this last year to see if I could do it just using what we know about summertime habit. I used my cell phone with the navionics app just to get on top of a hump.
The ipiolt is THE one piece of equipment that I could not do with out
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
I should have put in the first post that the boat has a harming fish finder at the console and I have a lowlands fish finder gps combo I’m going to put at the console and it also has an 80 pound hand control bow mount trolling motor with a fish finder on it. I would love an ipilot but since I am graduating high school next Friday and headed off to college in the fall I just don’t think I can swing it right now. I also have lots of bass fishing stuff and one 6500 and have considered getting more. Thanks for the replys
sundance 1900
quote:
Originally posted by Murrymakerquote:
Originally posted by Upstate PirateNumber two after rod and reels, IMO, an Ipilot or Auto pilot trolling motor… Preferably the Ipilot that will hold you in one spot. Believe me, that will be my next purchase.
An ipilot would be my FIRST purchase. I am sure u already have do able rods since u have a boat. And for the next 3months you can catch fish without a depth finder. I tried this last year to see if I could do it just using what we know about summertime habit. I used my cell phone with the navionics app just to get on top of a hump.
The ipiolt is THE one piece of equipment that I could not do with out
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
SAY WHAT??? LOL
I pilot is nice, but are you saying you would rather have the capabilty to hover effortlessly over a particular spot, not knowing the exact depth or whether or not there are fish there, than have to drop an anchor to hold you on a spot you are marking fish?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Someone told me to just use many of my bass rods and reels with 10-12 pound line and just set my drag and that should work fine. Does this sound right?
sundance 1900
quote:
Originally posted by upstateyakkerI should have put in the first post that the boat has a harming fish finder at the console and I have a lowlands fish finder gps combo I’m going to put at the console and it also has an 80 pound hand control bow mount trolling motor with a fish finder on it. I would love an ipilot but since I am graduating high school next Friday and headed off to college in the fall I just don’t think I can swing it right now. I also have lots of bass fishing stuff and one 6500 and have considered getting more. Thanks for the replys
sundance 1900
IMO, the first thing you want is a reliable way to keep bait alive…especially since it sounds like you will be fishing in the heat of the summer.
Worse case, as long as you have that, you can always just head over to the towers or often catch them just blindly drifting in the river channel once the fish start suspending out there.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Bait tank, or if you have a tank get an oxygen system for the summer heat.
Next get a few rods. What ever you can afford, but get 15-20# class reels. If all you can afford is some 4000 series spinners from wal amrt, get’m and buy the cheap Ugly Stick Striper rods.
If you can swing the $100 ea. for an Abu, get those, but anything in between is fine.
I like 20# braid, and flourocarbon leaders. I use small circle hooks, about #1 or #2, and snell my hooks.
Find fish, hover with down rods, or anchor on a point/hump with down rods. Save your bass rods to throw flukes and topwater plugs for schooling fish. Try to get 2-4 dedicated live bait rods together though.
Good luck!
“Banana Pants”
Indigo Bay 170
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115
I have dual 20 gallon livewells in the back of the boat that have pumps to pump in fresh lake water. I bought 2 dozen shad a few weeks ago when going cat fishing and kept them in one side and didn’t have any problem keeping them lively for 12 hours. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!
sundance 1900
Also what length rods would be recommended?
sundance 1900
quote:
Originally posted by striperskiffquote:
Originally posted by Murrymakerquote:
Originally posted by Upstate PirateNumber two after rod and reels, IMO, an Ipilot or Auto pilot trolling motor… Preferably the Ipilot that will hold you in one spot. Believe me, that will be my next purchase.
An ipilot would be my FIRST purchase. I am sure u already have do able rods since u have a boat. And for the next 3months you can catch fish without a depth finder. I tried this last year to see if I could do it just using what we know about summertime habit. I used my cell phone with the navionics app just to get on top of a hump.
The ipiolt is THE one piece of equipment that I could not do with out
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
SAY WHAT??? LOL
I pilot is nice, but are you saying you would rather have the capabilty to hover effortlessly over a particular spot, not knowing the exact depth or whether or not there are fish there, than have to drop an anchor to hold you on a spot you are marking fish?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I fished for WWAAAAAYYYYY too long and was somewhat successful with a cuda depth finder (that didnt work half the time) and 48qt cooler as a bait tank. I wore holes in the bottom of my shoes ffrom pushing the button on a cable steer motorguide TM…l
Thanks for the tip on the bait. I think I have a 12 volt aeration system in our building out back that I could use. I just went out side and looked and the boat has a pro-air aeration system in it. I had forgotten about this. Should this work good?
sundance 1900
Obviously you can skimp on any of the items to outfit your rig for striper fishing, but there is a cost that can hurt or hinder you.
Keeping your bait alive and healthy is the first consideration. Stripers like healthy active bait. That means cool, clear, oxygenated water. There’s a big difference in keeping herring alive in the heat of summer vs other times of the year. How big a tank you need can be a trade off on space available, and how much bait you want to carry.
Sure you can get by with any kind of trolling motor, or even without one, but if you have the occasion to experience or enjoy what an I-Pilot or similar equipment can do for you, you’ll wonder how you ever fished without one before. At least google it to check out the capabilities. Will you be fishing with somebody or by yourself?
Have a wide variety to consider in Fishfinders, and you can even go barebones, but in general, bigger display is better. While not necessary, having GPS capabilities with lake contours gives you such an edge. Then you have all the other goodies like DownScan and SideScan to consider. Finally consider weighing the options of having “buttons” or “touch screen”.
From a rod/reel standpoint, get “good” stuff with adequate line capacity. It doesn’t have to be the “best”, it can even be used. I think most people prefer rods in the 7 to 7 1/2 foot length with baitcaster reels similar to ABG 6500 for the bulk of their fishing. How many you can deploy is a comfort level you have to reach. It could be from 6 to 20 dependent on if your drifting, downrodding, pulling planer boards, etc.
So, if you’re all geared up and have the money to outfit your boat into a 1st class Striper Rig, you may want to just forget college and go into full time retirement.
Thanks for the help. I will probably be fishing with somebody most of the time but may fish by myself some if no one is available to go
sundance 1900
If you don’t have one, the first thing you need is a VHF radio.
That is on the top of my list. Safety is a big priority to me
sundance 1900
Ha Mike … we’re one of the ones with 20 rods & reels … LOL
You can only see about 9 or so in this pic because the downrods are running up front and Chip still has our other Trident … LOL
That Trolling bar in the back came courtesy of Happy Bob who does excellent work … If you need any bending done - go to Bob …
Here’s another pic …
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
quote:
Originally posted by 7csIf you don’t have one, the first thing you need is a VHF radio.
Why? With cell phone technology these days I don’t see the need for VHF on the lake … Offshore is a different story … 
You might also consider joining Midlands Striper Club. I’m not a member, mainly because I don’t normally target stripers. I know several of the members and the ones I know are very good people. The knowledge you gain and money you will save looking for stripers will more than pay for your membership dues.
As far as equipment goes, I’d say have a good system for keeping herring alive and if possible get an i-pilot with spot lock. If you can’t get the i-pilot then get a couple of good anchors and probably around 600’ of anchor rope for summertime fishing.