New lake Murray record

Saltwater Striper Fishing
41
quote:
Originally posted by agent

OMG! Lawcrusher I have enough trouble paying for gas let alone feeding all those rods with bait Lol! I might have to stick with sight fishing with my flyrod and hope the schooling starts again soon.

It’s not the gas and the bait you have to worry about its all the tackle …

Rods & Reels will set you back anywhere from $50 - $100 each …

line, hooks, weights, and terminal tackle another $100 - $150 …

planer boards are $30 a set …

you’ll need a good BIG landing net - $75 - $100 …

rod holders $10 - $30 each …

So if you’re setting up say 4 planers then the initial investment will be between $475 - $830 (6 planers = $625 - $1,120) …

That’s just the little stuff … found out the hard way that you need a trolling motor - at least a $1K and a good fishfinder … $300 - $3,000 …

Quality bait tanks are worth it ESPECIALLY in the summer … those are anywhere from $200 to $750 depending on size and manufacturer …

Top water season is upon us so that’s another $50 - ???

I’m not sure what else you’ll need beyond that … a boat, maybe … LOLOL

I say this not to discourage you from Striper fishing and I’m not sure that those of us are even considered the “normal” Striper fishers on Lake Murray … Most everyone who has popped in on this tread are pretty committed to Striper fishing and/or compete in local Striper tournaments …

Recreational fishing … few poles and some bait and you’ll be okay … but I warn you … once you start hooking into these fish it becomes awfully addictive … and then the real quest (and expense) begins …LOLOL

Tight Lines …

… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!

[IMG]http://i1218.photobucket.com/albu

42

You forgot one expense, Rick. After you get all geared up and learn the techniques, and accomplish your goal of catching that trophy, you will choose to get it mounted which will be another $300 to 600 dollars. Keeping dollars in perspective, it makes it much more effective to hire a guide like Bigfishon.com to go right after that trophy. However, there’s no self satisfaction like doing it yourself.

43

I don’t mount my fish … I eat them … LOLOL

… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!

2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke

44

Well obviously we all are Black Sheep to a certain extent. I say Vanish is crap and everyone else on here uses it. Everyone has their own personal preferences.

I will say I think that small line (leader) and the smallest hooks you can get by with and catch fish is ideal…especially when it is hard to get a bite. Again, my personal opinion. I used to think 10 lb fluro was insane but as long as you have your drag set right, it doesnt matter. We landed the 20+ lb striper and won the MSC January tourney using 10 lb fluro line.

Others will say they use nothing but Big Game 15 or 20 main and leader line all the time and they catch just as many fish or more.

I used to use nothing but circle hooks all the time and then Shawn Gearhart got me using “J” hooks. Love the “J” hooks. Cheap too! Others still fish nothing but circle and catch just as many fish or more.

Point, there is no right way all the time.

And in regards to putting out 20 rods…I dont think it hurts but sometimes it seems like you only need one rod…can have 10 rods out and the same one keeps catching fish after fish while you wonder if the other ones still have bait on them. All rigged up the same.

45

I can not agree more with Sully1. I have heard people try different size, color, bait hook techniques and do great with them. I had fished more than one time with one of our repeat AOTY/TOTY captains from MSC and found he uses one type of line, leader, color and hook size for pretty much every presentation, anytime of the year and he has done quite well. That is the beauty of striper fishing, it is not a cookbook type sport and the challenge of catching them is what appeals to most of us.

Sportsman Heritage 229 CC
Yamaha 200 HP
Tidewater 170 CC
Yamaha 115 HP

Jeremiah 29:11 !!

46

Please get this off the interweb before my wife sees it, lol

quote:
Originally posted by Lawcrusher
quote:
Originally posted by agent

OMG! Lawcrusher I have enough trouble paying for gas let alone feeding all those rods with bait Lol! I might have to stick with sight fishing with my flyrod and hope the schooling starts again soon.

It’s not the gas and the bait you have to worry about its all the tackle …

Rods & Reels will set you back anywhere from $50 - $100 each …

line, hooks, weights, and terminal tackle another $100 - $150 …

planer boards are $30 a set …

you’ll need a good BIG landing net - $75 - $100 …

rod holders $10 - $30 each …

So if you’re setting up say 4 planers then the initial investment will be between $475 - $830 (6 planers = $625 - $1,120) …

That’s just the little stuff … found out the hard way that you need a trolling motor - at least a $1K and a good fishfinder … $300 - $3,000 …

Quality bait tanks are worth it ESPECIALLY in the summer … those are anywhere from $200 to $750 depending on size and manufacturer …

Top water season is upon us so that’s another $50 - ???

I’m not sure what else you’ll need beyond that … a boat, maybe … LOLOL

I say this not to discourage you from Striper fishing and I’m not sure that those of us are even considered the “normal” Striper fishers on Lake Murray … Most everyone who has popped in on this tread are pretty committed to Striper fishing and/or compete in local Striper tournaments …

Recreational fishing … few poles and some bait and you’ll be okay … but I warn you … once you start hooking into these fish it becomes awfully addictive … and then

47

X2 tom…If 6500’s cost 20$ like my wife though there would 2 times as many in the garage…ha

“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”

“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude

48

Great topic. I appreciate all the info as well. Once you successful folks put your rods out, how long do you troll one area if you aren’t catching anything? For example, you are in an area with birds, fish on the finder, but no strikes. A few minutes go by, fish are gone from the finder. Do you reel in 10 minutes after the bait is down? Or stay around?

49

To some extent, it depends on the time of year and depth. If you are pulling planer boards and free-lines in 18 feet of water, and stop seeing fish, why panic? In 18 feet of water, you are looking at a 6 foot diameter circle of the bottom. If your boards and free-lines are more than 3 feet from the boat, how do you know they are not over lots of fish, until you pull them.

With boards and free-lines in the winter and spring, I find more fish by pulling the baits rather than looking at the depth finder.

Rick K

50

and that’s one of the many many many reasons why I love my Wife, she has no problem with my spending money on fishing gear … anything to help put her on fish is fine by her … That being said, we do have a finite descrecionary budget and I have to stay within that budget … Our problem is we’re getting into this fairly quickly whereas others have had the opportunity to spread their costs over a longer period of time …

As for how long you pull in a particular area that really depends on the area you’re pulling in … A boat with planers can’t turn on a dime … It has to be a wide sweep in order to keep everything from getting tangled up and keep the bait presentation clean … I can tell you that you become pretty good at using your trolling motor when pulling planers … I am no expert by any means, but I’m learning more every time we go out … I find that if you do zero in on a particular area you can loop it a couple of times … I have had the most success when I’m marking bait in concentrations … If I’m marking bait and birds are working and I get no strikes then I’m looking at my setup because somethings wrong … The biggest problem we’ve been facing lately is strikes with no hookups … either short or lazy fish … dont want the shorts (they are the worst for running across your other lines - all my crossed lines have come from 15 - 18" Striper) and I guess I need to slow my bait presentation for the lazy ones … Zig Zaging also helps … dont always pull in a straight line … when you zig zag then one side picks up speed while the other side slows down/stops momentarily … but will often trigger bites if fish are in the area … But what do I know, we’ve only been pulling boards for five months … LOL

I agree with Rick in that the FF works best for reading bait and depth more than marking actual fish … at least for now … LOL

… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!

[IMG]http://i1218.photobuck

51

I run 12 PD 100% flouracarbon I used to use cajon line and never would catch a thing on Murray the lighter the line the better.you are in the right places I usually pull around 2 mph just enough to put ripples behind my planners.on down RDS I want my lines straight down trolling very slow

52

How long to fish an area? I’m not as skilled as many on this forum, but usually have some success, so I’ll add my 2 cents worth. You kind of get a feel for how long to fish.

This time of year I’m usually utilizing mostly planer boards (and big corks)in shallow waters along the bank, and also deeper water very close by where they may be waiting. It’s always encouraging to mark good fish or bait on the FF, but a lot of times I am relying on accumulated knowledge or information and I am simply working an area (sometimes several times) where I think I will find the fish.

When it gets hotter and the water warms up, I start looking for them around humps and cuts. Once they are located on the FF, then one may deploy a real or electronic anchor and put out the downrods. Again you need to invest a reasonable amount of time to determine your success or failure. 10 minutes won’t cut it, but you’ll know if you’re on them or not. It’s definitely not like chasing blackbass. So I know this answer is vague, but it’s the best I can do.

(Agent may have also set a Charlestonfishing.com/StriperFishing record with his initial post and all the reads/replies to it.)

53

All this info is great. The problem is everytime I read a reply I see something that somebody is using that I think I need. If this last much longer I am going to overdraw my bank account. One more thing since we are talking about tackle. Is there anywhere to buy egg weights in bulk or does anyone make them and sell them on the side. Good Luck to everyone this weekend I am stuck at work!
Key West 1720 Sportsman

54

Controlfreak. What sizes are you wanting. I sell them 3$ per pound. I had posted in the past I was selling for 2.50pp but my lead supply has gone down some and of course lead has gone up…ha…can do smaller at a different price but 3$ is for sizes 1,1.5,2,3oz…

“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”

“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude

55

I sent you a PM Murrymaker. Here goes my account again

Key West 1720 Sportsman

56

Regarding Vanish, I like to say if you want a hooked big fish to just that, use it! :stuck_out_tongue: Spend the extra bucks and go with Seagar for leaders.

Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer

57

Well, if I ever hook into a big fish I’ll let you know if my leaders hold … LOLOL

… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!

2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke

58

Fog, I am not sure I understood your last post, but I agree with the Seagar leader over Vanish, any day! Like we said, Vanish makes your fish do just that!

Rick K

59

Well I figured I would start this off today since I am awake anyhow. I think we have covered about everything, but we have missed the most important subject LOCATION. So right now everyone needs to give up 5 sets of GPS coordinates so agent will have somewhere to start! hahahahahaha!!!
(Just kidding) On a more serious note what Rod and Reel combos do you guys use. I have all shakspere rods but about 5 diffrent kinds of reels none of which have let me down yet. I have abu garcias, bass pro , shakespere and a couple others all of which are baitcasters. What I want to do in the next couple months is buy 8 reels that match. I want them to be durable and last, also I want to be able to buy parts without searching the USA for them. Any Ideas ? I will be using these for striper only and use them pulling bait, cut bait fishing and DR fishing

Key West 1720 Sportsman

FISH: An animal that grows the fastest between the time it’s caught and the time you tell your friends about it!

60

Guys, I feel like I have to defend Vanish, atleast a little.
Fog, that big flathead I caught a couple of years back while fishing with you and your Dad gave me and my Vanish a pretty good workout. I think that was either 12#, possibly 14# test. After every large fish I do re-tie. True, if the Vanish gets even a small nick in it it will break very easily. That’s another reason I re-tie often when fishing the spoons, even when perch fishing. It would probably not be the best choice when hooking big stripers in trees or other places where you have a lot of chances for the fish to nick the line. Most of my spoon fishing is away from trees and such. I know from experience, when fishing very clear water that it outproduces most other lines, when it comes to getting bites. More bites for me pretty much guarantees more fish in the boat. Maybe I’ll lose a couple of big fish due to line failure in the near future and change my opinion.
I’m definitely not as good a striper fisherman as most of you guys are. I do have a lot of general experience from fishing Murray and a few other lakes. As far as rods and reels go, I think a lot would depend on the type of presentation you plan on using the most, and/or being prepared to change baits/rigs to match what the fish want on certain days. Different presentations and baits demand different rods, reels and line. Such as pulling umbrella rigs compared to casting a small jerkbait into schooling stripers. In my largemouth tourneys I have fine tuned my selection to which rods and reels work best for me with different types and presentations of baits. I have often taken as many as six different rods with six different reels and six different baits/presentations to tournaments. This allows me to almost always have whatever I need for changing conditions and change presentations accordingly. I’d say, if possible, have a selection of rods, reels and line, already rigged and be prepared to change tactics on any given day. I’ll see what others have to say on the subject of how long to