It’s Independence Week! Isn’t anyone fishing? How 'bout some reports?.. Gary and I are headed to fish the upper part of the Hill tomorrow. I’ll try to let y’all know what and how we do.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
I think a lot of folks are out of town.
The rest are dodging thunderstorms.
Good luck tomorrow
War Eagle 754 Ducks Unlimited - Yamaha 75
Wish I had something worthwhile to report saw alot of fish on sonar sat between 30 and 70 foot caught a few but nothing to write home about.
Angler 22
200 Yammie
My son and I went fishing Saturday morning for what we thought would be a quick trip. We normally cutbait but thought a quick down rod trip was in order. We fishing off of points in 60-80 feet of water. Had a lot of fish under the boat at times but struggled getting anything hooked. We ended up anchoring on a point next to some suspended fish and finished out our day. We kept 4 “keeper sized” fish and released 4 smaller ones that looked good enough to make it. Below is a picture of the fish we had a hard time getting to bite on down rods! I guess it just works that way sometimes.
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I went out Saturday morning, first morning fishing I have done since winter. Fish were scattered on the Chapin side of the lake and all seemed to be at 25 to 30 feet down over deeper water. Went over to the forebay and marked a couple thick schools. Fish were there and gone pretty quick. We only picked up 5, but 4 were legit keepers. Fish were deep, anywhere from 60 to 100 feet down. My partner got his only fish down at 100’. Another odd thing, bait was dying really fast for the water temp, only 80 to 81 at the surface. Had to change bait out a lot. We would have done better if my partner had carried his weight:smiley:
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by gar-heartreleased 4 smaller ones that looked good enough to make it
Didn’t realize fish could be released with the “5 and done” rule
“There is something about hunting those fish that will stick with me and my future fishing plans like a bad case of striper herpes”
-SCOF
There’s no requirement to keep them, but you can only land 5/person whether you keep them or not.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
When does that 5 & done rule kick in again???
FINALLY got the boat fixed (picking it up this afternoon) … really need to get back on the water but we’re soooooo out of sync with what’s going on in the lake these days … going to have to start from scratch and relearn patterns and places all over again … 
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
quote:
Originally posted by LawcrusherWhen does that 5 & done rule kick in again???
FINALLY got the boat fixed (picking it up this afternoon) … really need to get back on the water but we’re soooooo out of sync with what’s going on in the lake these days … going to have to start from scratch and relearn patterns and places all over again …
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Rick, 5 n done kicks in again 5 weeks ago 
I know you got one happy wife at home right now. What all did it turn out to be?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
So did the topwater bite never really kick in this year? Or did I miss it?
“Banana Pants”
Indigo Bay 170
90 Johnson
last year was an exceptionally good top water bit that lasted all spring and well into the summer. This year it never really seemed to turn on like last year. Last year night fishing I had hundreds, if not thousands of herring in my lights every night from April until the beginning of July. This year I’ve only had bait in my lights twice. I also thought it was odd to have fish down 80 to 100 feet saturday with surface temps only 80 to 81 and having my bait dying like it is mid August. Weather has been off all year, never seems to stabilize.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by striperskiffRick, 5 n done kicks in again 5 weeks ago
I know you got one happy wife at home right now. What all did it turn out to be?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
You’re NOT going to believe it … it was the friggin’ KEY SWITCH!!! $50 part cost me $300 to have Mid Carolina fix … add another $200 to fix the hydraulic steering and all in all it cost me $526.00 … not bad … kind ticked at myself for not replacing that part myself earlier when it started being a problem … also ticked at missing out on the trolling motor deal that CoolBreeze posted a couple of weeks ago … … but I’ll get one sooner or later … … We never needed a trolling motor down in Florida because I always poled the boat through the flats … kinda hard to pole a 22’ boat in 30’+ water … 
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Lawcrusher, there is an autopilot and an Ipilot for sale on http://www.striperboard.com/brd/sb/sb.php
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by steelytomI went out Saturday morning, first morning fishing I have done since winter. Fish were scattered on the Chapin side of the lake and all seemed to be at 25 to 30 feet down over deeper water. Went over to the forebay and marked a couple thick schools. Fish were there and gone pretty quick. We only picked up 5, but 4 were legit keepers. Fish were deep, anywhere from 60 to 100 feet down. My partner got his only fish down at 100’. Another odd thing, bait was dying really fast for the water temp, only 80 to 81 at the surface. Had to change bait out a lot. We would have done better if my partner had carried his weight:smiley:
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I wonder if the bait dying quick when down deep has anything to do with all the water they are pulling lately?? Seems like we have really avoided the large fish kills since SCE&G has used more control on the amount of water they draw in the summer. It’s still early, but if this weather patern keeps up its hard to imagine how they can avoid it.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Edit: For anyone who doesn’t already have it, this is the link to an almost real time chart showing the water being drawn at any given time:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/sc/nwis/uv/?site_no=02168504&PARAmeter_cd=00060,00062,00065,72020
I never really took the time to do it, but I’m sure you can probably start noting your results fishing and/or catching bait at the towers and figure out a pattern based on the water being drawn at the time.
So drawing water in any way will cause a fish kill? Even if the water is being replenished by rain and inflows? I thought drawing water when it was dry with no inflows out of tower 5 is bad. I hear that tower 5 the big one sucks from about 70 or 80 feet down which is right in the Stripers confort zone. I agree there have been no big fish kills lately the last one I remember was in 2005 or 2006.
If I’m not mistaken, I believe that I read/heard that excessive rain with phosphorus run-off from lawn fertilizers and pesticides is most detrimental to summer stripers on LM. These chemicals deplete oxygen. If this rainy weather continues and excessive heat follows prompting SCE&G to run more turbines, we could have a problem. We really need some high pressure from the north to swoop in, usher out the rain, and keep the temperatures in the moderate range.
I’m no meteorologist, but I have stayed at Holiday Inns. My wife also calls me a Weather Channel junkie:smiley:
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
It would make the fishing better everywhere cause it sucks right now.
quote:
Originally posted by FogmanIf I’m not mistaken, I believe that I read/heard that excessive rain with phosphorus run-off from lawn fertilizers and pesticides is most detrimental to summer stripers on LM. These chemicals deplete oxygen. If this rainy weather continues and excessive heat follows prompting SCE&G to run more turbines, we could have a problem. We really need some high pressure from the north to swoop in, usher out the rain, and keep the temperatures in the moderate range.
I’m no meteorologist, but I have stayed at Holiday Inns. My wife also calls me a Weather Channel junkie:smiley:
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
Then you should know that’s not going to happen … especially since we’re going to get rain all next week from the Hurricane swinging through the Tropics right now … Figures - I get my boat fixed and I can’t use the d__m thing!!!
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
Has all this rain stopped the night time bite as well?
Went out last Friday … “make it a point to avoid the towers at all cost” but got talked into it and all I can say is … if you couldn’t catch fish there that morning you just weren’t putting bait in the water … everones rods were dropping with keepers