I’m new to striper fishing(VERY NEW)and was wondering if anyone was catching any in the morning hours from 6am til 8 or 9am? A buddy of mine fished all night a couple of days ago and caught 3 keepers and a few shorts. I just got my new baitwell all hooked up and am rearing to go. The only chance I have to go is this Friday morning. Other than just getting out on the water, am I wasting my time at that hour? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks, Bob
Happy Bob- you are not wasteing time at first light until about 9 or so-get there about an hour before first light and should start catching fishs right at sunup til it quits. You will know when it does!
The fush seem to bite a little longer if cloudy though. Hope this helps-good luck!
Epic Failure=When everyday,run of the mill failure just won’t do
Thanks TRITON225CC,
I am thinking of going to the towers. I’m fishing from a 14’ alum. v-hull. My fish finder is an older Garmin 350(I think) and I’m still trying to figure it out. But it does work. I’ll pick up some herring at Lake World. Any other things I should know? Thanks again. Bob
Not so sure about the towers but not all bad-can pick up a few fish. I would probaly throw out a few free lines and let em swim until they quit (bait). Good luck!
Epic Failure=When everyday,run of the mill failure just won’t do
If not the towers, any suggestions on where to start? I’ll be putting in at the dam. Thanks, Bob
PS: I don’t have a GPS. But I do have a map. And again, I’m just learning.
Happybob,
Towers are not a bad choice to start, I seem to get mostly small ones there. You can fish up along the main channel between the towers and spence. Cruise up the lexington side of the channel until you find fish on your FF. They were above trees last time I was out. I caught my personal best (21#) for lake murray this time last year early in the morning. It was just before sunrise. The condos are a popular spot this time of year in the morning. If you get your bait from Richard at the dam he can point you there.
Thanks steelytom. I’ll give it a try. If nothing else, at least I’ll be out on the water.
keep an eye on the winds in a 14’ v hull. that time of day shouldn’t be bad, but i’ve been in some hairy waves.
i prefer the morning, but never seem to get the early morning pass from the warden.
good advice above. this time of year i have read to stick in 60-100’ of water, fish will be anywhere from 30-70’ but you have to find em first. watch your finder, it will tell you what depth. look for structure and steep points/drops since stripers are ambush predators that attack from below.
then again, you may want to not listen to anything i say since i catch more buzz than fish. LOL 
10-4 on the winds. There have been days that I should have stayed home & lifted my 12oz. Budweights instead of being on the water. But luckily, I’ve wised up a little in my old age and know when to call it a day.(my wife would probably tell you different)
The pass isn’t too big of a deal since I’ve been keeping up on the honey-do’s.
Thanks for all your advice guys.
Bob
quote:Tom, ounce and a half is my standard for down rods and cut bait. I'll go to 2 or 3 ounces on down rods if if is rough or I'm drifting and want more weight on the downwind side of the boat. I shorten my leaders if it is rough to avoid the bait/leader wrapping around the main line, but, generally use a 24 to 30 inch leader for cut and down. I use slightly longer leaders on planer boards and free lines. We need to go some time. At present, makin a livin is freakin killin me. Hopefully, the six and seven day work weeks will subside soon and I can get a life back. It's tough when you have to search-out the fish before you start.
Originally posted by steelytomI am suprised santeecarl has not jumped on this.
Dern,
what size weight do you use this time of year to get the bait down. I use 1.5oz, is that ok? I need to jump on with one of you pros sometime. Most of my knowledge is self taught. I have been at it for three years and can do ok at times, but not as good as most of you MSC guys. Especially in the winter, I struggle then.
That’s why we call it fishing instead of catching.
I’d rather fish than eat.
true that
before we had our twins I used to get out two and three times a week and always caught fish. Like you said, I didn’t have to search for them. I knew where they were. Plus I think this is a down year.
good advice on the heavy wt drifting in the wind. I don’t know why I never thought of that.
TRITON225CC or anyone else,
How about tomorrow night?
I’d rather fish than eat.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
In God We Trust
taz did you enter a black hole and jump out of it 2 years in the past???..lol…jk couldn’t resist
I can’t believe how fast time passes as I get older. I thought I posted on this thread back in the spring. I guess it has been about two years since we spent a weekend with our friend in Irmo. It doesn’t help that driver’s licenses are good for 10 years now. I renewed mine in 2007 and I should be retired before it comes around again. The next time they probably won’t let me drive anymore.
BTW, you want to fish tomorrow night?
I’d rather fish than eat.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
In God We Trust
i haven’t been out in a couple of weeks…got a date with the wifey at the melting pot tomorrow, so that would be a big fat i don’t think so…lol…trying to be good so that as soon as the wind stops blowin i can haul tail to beaufort and venture out to the wild blue yonder.
I understand. Don’t mess up your weekend!
I’d rather fish than eat.
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
In God We Trust