OK striper guys, the water temp should start heating up pretty quick with the near future sun and air temps. What will be the May striper tactic of choice? Once downlines start I’m probably done so what happens until then?
Keep pulling boards and freelines. As the fish go deeper add weight. Down rods can be fun too this time of year.
Joby
I concur with Chipman. Until the surface temps. hit the consistent low 80’s, I keep pulling boards, freelines, and corks with varying amounts of lead and a couple of down rods up front. That serves to cover the entire water column as the fish gradually move from the banks and points back to more open water. By mid-June, I’m usually totally downrods and heavy metal jigging.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
Looks like at least some fish are starting to move out to some deeper water now. Put in about 8:30 to “take the dog out on the lake”. Turns out I just so happened to have a couple of rods and a few plugs on the boat, so I decided to troll a bit. This is from about 11PM, just before I headed back in.
Caught me by surprise, or I’d have taken along the downriggers. I was able to get down enough to catch some with an egg sinker used for a drail weight. Got 7 or 8, with a few shorts and some decent keepers mixed in. All caught in 65-80 fow.
And Jack had a blast!!
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Last yr we pulled boards through the end of june. It was crazy. Fish schooled all the way through June in 80 degree water.
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
4 years ago I put in at the dam one evening along with my grandson and Geronimo. We could see the bait from the ramp, so we just eased away from the ramp and started pulling freelines through them and throwing top water plugs right there. Picked up 7 keepers…all between the boat ramp and the fishing dock…probably 10-15 fow.
Looked up the report and that was June 27th (2012)!
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I caught my biggest lake murray striper (21#) on a freeline in early July. It was a cool morning right before the sun came up. So you never know when a freeline or planer board will work.
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Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
The origional SHAKEY!!!
2007 TRITON 225CC
“Trailer Trash”