I wanted to start a new thread in case some of you who had already responded may chime in again. I will start by saying I read just enough about striper fishing to be an educated idiot if you know what I meen. … so I’m just gonna lay it out there the best I can. Is it possible that the areas I am fishing have depleted oxygen levels. I did notice half a dozen floaters in the area. And if that is possible are there certain areas to avoid this time of year because of depleted oxygen is potential or am I just making to big of a deal here ?? Last if all this is possible is there anyway to know that an area is having oxygen problems that fish would avoid. Is bait dying when it shouldn’t a sign ? I think I might be taking my bad luck lately too serious. Am I over thinking it ?
I don’t think anyone is getting more than 10-15 min with baits down deep right now. Next time out I would just try changing out baits more often.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Tim and I were talking about this yesterday. I dont watch the clock but if I have had a couple groups of fish come through and did not get a bite I am changing all baits. If I have a quick down I will change it. If it gets hit while reeling up (power reeling) all baits will get changed. If I pull a bait up and its just “moving” but not pulling the 2oz lead around. It gets changed.
Healthy bait is the key to this time of yr. I will probably go through 3dz baits or more to catch 10-15 fish.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
with the baits only living for 10-15 minutes in the water it sure makes for some expensive fishing …
Minnows, on the other hand seem to live forever … but White Perch are … well … small … but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers … LOLOL
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
How many rods are you fishing at a time? I fished with my old and now very good friend (ESPECIALLY after this mornings fishing trip!!!) Fogman. It was my first time ever fishing with live herring. We each fished one down rod with a lively herring and probably changed out baits on an average of every 15 minutes or so, unless we had hits or pulldowns that didn’t hook up. In that case the pull downs almost always killed the bait. I learned a lot this morning. Probably most important is to fish with Fogman every chance I get if I want to catch stripers with herring. We both had our 5 and done by 9:30 and he was saying he was sorry that they were so hard to catch today. Needless to say I was impressed with his knowledge and skill level. It probably took 18 or 20 herring for us both to limit out. I’m not sure of the number we used but he probably is. One important lesson, similar to largemouth fishing, don’t leave fish to find fish. Once we found them we spot locked and caught them even if Fog thought the bite was slow. All-in-all for me it was a great morning on the lake. Not to mention probably 40 or 50 lbs. of striper in the cooler waiting to be cleaned. MANY THANKS FOGMAN!!!
You guys definetley answered my question in a way that helped me understand some of my problems or ways to eliminate some of my mistakes … thank you for the help.
The fish you see floating are probably floating because of being brought up from 60 to 80 feet of water, and released with a ruptured swim bladder. Nothing to do with the oxygen level in the water where you were fishing.
JMO,
Rick K
Post with couple of pics are on the MSC forum.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
More of Spoonmaster’s dumb questions… How quickly should the herring go from the bait tank to the water? Does it make a difference in how long the herring survive? As I watched Fogman baiting up, he only seemed to take a few seconds, at most, from the tank to the lake. It took me longer, especially on my first try. Also, does it make any difference as to exactly where you are hooking the herring? I’ve seen how Fogman does it, his method of hook placement works. Are there other locations that may affect herring survival on the hook???
In one nostril out the other. If fishing from left side of the boat enter through left out right. Fishing from right side enter through right out left. This way foul hooks some but u know the rubberband trick.
Going in the mouth and out a nostril is foul hook proof pretty much but this way u go in mouth out left nostril if fishing on right side of the boat and vise versa on left…
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by MurrymakerIn one nostril out the other. If fishing from left side of the boat enter through left out right. Fishing from right side enter through right out left. This way foul hooks some but u know the rubberband trick.
Going in the mouth and out a nostril is foul hook proof pretty much but this way u go in mouth out left nostril if fishing on right side of the boat and vise versa on left…
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Wow … I’ve never really thought about how to hook the bait based upon which side of the boat you’re fishing on … I’ve never really had much of a problem foul hooking the Herrings … but then again I always use Circle hooks on everything (which much explain why we kept missing the Perch - but whatever) … I’ve always just hooked them through the nose from left to right because I’m always holding the bait with my left hand … I already have too much to think about on the boat … now I’m going to over analyse how I hook up the bait … 
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
I go in the mouth and come out pretty close to between the nostrils, maybe just a tad higher up the snout. The baits seem to get off the hook if i just go in the mouth and out of a nostril with my thin eagle claw hooks. i think the bait will probably live a little longer if you hook it through the nostrils but you will miss more fish with the foul hooked bait. If you hold the bait in your hand when you put it on the hook, you will notice how “splotchy” the bait looks when you reel it up if its still alive and swimming…thats because the bacteria in the water attacks the bait where your hand removed the slime from touching it…if you will take the time to grip the bait in your net so you can hook it without actually touching the bait, it will live a little longer on the hook and look better in the water. Its a little tricky to get use to but try it and you will notice how much better they look when you don’t touch the bait with bare hands… you have to make sure the head of the bait extends far enough out of the net so you don’t hook the bait net and of course you don’t want to knock off a bunch of scales by letting the bait “slide” in the net as you try to grip it from outside of the net…i guess a picture would work better here than trying to explain it. I will get someone to take a pic of how i grip the bait for hooking next time out…obviously you might need a couple of bait nets if you have someone helping you bait up…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…
I hook them the same way, but sometimes if I am anchored or just holding still and not getting bounced around much I like to hook some back near the dorsal fin.
Woody, you think a rubber glove, or maybe even those throw away gloves like food service workers use, would do the same thing? Or would it remove the slime just as much as bare hands?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by MurrymakerIn one nostril out the other. If fishing from left side of the boat enter through left out right. Fishing from right side enter through right out left. This way foul hooks some but u know the rubberband trick.
Always amazes me the little things I never even think about! I’m assuming the sides you are talking about are from sitting in the driver’s seat and facing forward.
When you say fishing from the right side do you mean starboard and left side port? . I’m just trying to clarify to increase my hook up ratio. I used to always hook through the mouth and a little above the nostrils but sometimes I “brain” the bait or the little fellas won’t open up! Especially when the bite is on and I’m excited!
Ok guys I had my laugh…I am just messing around about this and that side of the boat. Seen that on another forum a couple days ago and got a big kick out of it and thought I would share.
Although it would not surprise me if there are people who do this, but I dont…most importantly get the bait hooked quickly w/o squeezing or harming it and get it in the water.
Also if I drop a bait and it flops and beats itself on the boat I either throw it in the cutbait bucket or put it back and get another one.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Dang it. You got me! That’s pretty funny…and embarassing[:I]
quote:
Originally posted by MurrymakerOk guys I had my laugh…I am just messing around about this and that side of the boat. Seen that on another forum a couple days ago and got a big kick out of it and thought I would share.
Although it would not surprise me if there are people who do this, but I dont…most importantly get the bait hooked quickly w/o squeezing or harming it and get it in the water.
Also if I drop a bait and it flops and beats itself on the boat I either throw it in the cutbait bucket or put it back and get another one.
I read your post and kept thinking about how that would make any difference at all. I then came to the conclusion that you have taken the details of striper fishing way too far. Makes me laugh to think 2 years ago you told me the cooler was just as good as a bait tank.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
quote:
Makes me laugh to think 2 years ago you told me the cooler was just as good as a bait tank.
Wait??? You mean you CAN’T use a cooler as a bait tank??? I beg to differ … I’ve seen a storage container strapped to a kids wagon with a aquarium bubbler and a car battery used as a bait tank … don’t tell me you can’t use a friggin’ cooler …
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
quote:
Originally posted by Lawcrusherquote:
Makes me laugh to think 2 years ago you told me the cooler was just as good as a bait tank.
Wait??? You mean you CAN’T use a cooler as a bait tank??? I beg to differ … I’ve seen a storage container strapped to a kids wagon with a aquarium bubbler and a car battery used as a bait tank … don’t tell me you can’t use a friggin’ cooler …
it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish now!!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
u may have seen me fishing at the dam once…haha I used to have a set up similar to that…ha
and yes tom I have come along way from a cooler. Your cube still sits in tbe garage as a reminder.
but I did fish out of a cooler 2 wks ago and I was a wreck on my buddies boat. Kept looking at the bait and how ugly it was.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
quote:
Originally posted by scgmcDang it. You got me!
You’re not alone. He got me too. I just figured he had totally lost it.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki