Well, since I’ll be staring at a computer the rest of the week, wanted to get some discussion going…I’ll be hitting Murray around 6 Saturday morning, and had a couple topics for discussion. This is all on downrods with live herring and maybe a little cut bait (the herring that die in the bait well)
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General starting strategy this time of year…I guess I would say we’ll start hitting the flats on the dam side of Spence, then work around Spence to other sides, then hit the dam, then maybe a couple deeper coves. Seems like 80’-100’ of water is where they are most often this time of year and these are usually what we look for first…
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How much activity on your fish finder to stop and drop lines? Do you guys see one or two bait balls and go ahead and stop to put lines in? Do you guys see one streak/arch suspended and do the same? Or do you guys usuall want to see alot more activity before you try a spot? Or do you generally try spots you have had success even if you aren’t picking up anything on sonar?
3)finally, how long do you keep the lines in at a certain spot before you move on. For instance, if we are in 80’-100’ of water, we’ll put 4 lines in generally at the depth, a little above, a little below where we were marking fish…for instance, see a fish at 30’ and we’ll put lines in at 20, 25, 30, and 35…wait 10 minutes or so, then drop the 20 to 40 for a few minutes, the 25 to 45 for a few minutes, overlapping, to cover the whole water column. Once we have covered the feasible depths, we move on to a new spot…what about other folks? Sometimes I feel we put our lines in too soon, and waste time in spots where there are no fish, instead of idling around until you mark a ton of activity…
thoughts? trying to start some discussion…
admitedly i’m a beginner. i’ve only had a fish finder for a month or so and have only used it a few times so i can’t really comment on my use of it yet beyond the fact that if i don’t see any activity i move on. i’ll typically start in places that i’ve caught fish before or some logical position, as in the deepest hole nearest the landing, and move on from there and make a big loop. if i’m marking fish i’ll do pretty much what you said, vary the depth to try and cover as much of the column as possible. i try to get within 10ft above and below the majority of the activity. i’m a little more patient tho if i’m marking fish and not gettin hits i’ll stick it out for a while. i guess i learned that from my pre-fishfinder days.
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Originally posted by phishinphan
admitedly i’m a beginner. i’ve only had a fish finder for a month or so and have only used it a few times so i can’t really comment on my use of it yet beyond the fact that if i don’t see any activity i move on. i’ll typically start in places that i’ve caught fish before or some logical position, as in the deepest hole nearest the landing, and move on from there and make a big loop. if i’m marking fish i’ll do pretty much what you said, vary the depth to try and cover as much of the column as possible. i try to get within 10ft above and below the majority of the activity. i’m a little more patient tho if i’m marking fish and not gettin hits i’ll stick it out for a while. i guess i learned that from my pre-fishfinder days.
one of my fishing buddies is waaaaaay too impatient and always wants to move quickly. I think I am too patient to a fault. but since it is my boat, we usually wait it out.
That brings up another question - what do you do with your bait while you move?
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Originally posted by jpru2001
[quote]Originally posted by phishinphan
admitedly i’m a beginner. i’ve only had a fish finder for a month or so and have only used it a few times so i can’t really comment on my use of it yet beyond the fact that if i don’t see any activity i move on. i’ll typically start in places that i’ve caught fish before or some logical position, as in the deepest hole nearest the landing, and move on from there and make a big loop. if i’m marking fish i’ll do pretty much what you said, vary the depth to try and cover as much of the column as possible. i try to get within 10ft above and below the majority of the activity. i’m a little more patient tho if i’m marking fish and not gettin hits i’ll stick it out for a while. i guess i learned that from my pre-fishfinder days.
one of my fishing buddies is waaaaaay too impatient and always wants to move quickly. I think I am too patient to a fault. but since it is my boat, we usually wait it out.
That brings up another question - what do you do with your bait while you move? If we are just moving a short distance, we’ll sometimes pull two up and leave two in and troll slowly with the live bait down. Pulling the herring up so fast and out of the water and back in seems to kill the fragile suckers, to me.
i either make a contribution to the “cut bait fund” or if i’m not going very far i let em dangle for a couple minutes at a time or i don’t move faster than trolling until i catch a fish or contribute to the “i’m too impatient to wait for the fish to come to me fund” aka “cut bait fund”
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Originally posted by phishinphan
i either make a contribution to the “cut bait fund” or if i’m not going very far i let em dangle for a couple minutes at a time or i don’t move faster than trolling until i catch a fish or contribute to the “i’m too impatient to wait for the fish to come to me fund” aka “cut bait fund”
thats what we do too, didn’t know if anyone had come up with something better, but I couldn’t imagine what…I guess you could real them in and put them back in the bait well while still on the hook…wonder if that would work…
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Originally posted by steelytom
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I like to fish the channel around spence this time of year. I have my favorite spot and I stop before it so I can put the trolling motor and rods down before I hit the channel. It goes from 80’ and drops to 155’. The fish seem to be in the 140’ to 155’ area.
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There are usually few fish when I drop my lines but I know they are just ahead. They seem to be there every time.
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Even when I am reading fish as shallow as I can and keep the herring alive. Last night I went out and caught most of my fish at 15’ to 30’ deep. I don’t like to fish deep because the shallow fish can be released to live. The deep ones die. Although when the water gets too hot they will all be deep.
Thanks for the reply…I’ll have lines in at 615 Saturday morning!
anybody ever have much luck on cut bait? i’ve only had hits/catches with the live “herring on crack” from better bait.
what’s the best way to rig up cut bait for striper? what about cats? do you rig any different? i would think you would not be as deep for cats but similar locations, creek runs, drop offs, structure. do you put weight on the bottom and bait just above the weight (12" or so) or keep the same carolina rig like for deep stripers?
my fishin partner bailed on me tonight, so the wife’s going. no live bait with the wife, she’s sentimental. at least she’s willing to go right? i think…
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Originally posted by phishinphan
anybody ever have much luck on cut bait? i’ve only had hits/catches with the live “herring on crack” from better bait.
what’s the best way to rig up cut bait for striper? what about cats? do you rig any different? i would think you would not be as deep for cats but similar locations, creek runs, drop offs, structure. do you put weight on the bottom and bait just above the weight (12" or so) or keep the same carolina rig like for deep stripers?
my fishin partner bailed on me tonight, so the wife’s going. no live bait with the wife, she’s sentimental. at least she’s willing to go right? i think…
we usually only use cut bait when we run out of live herring…the cut bait are usually the ones that either died in the bait well or like we discussed died while we were moving…we usually cut the head off and put several slices on the body…not sure what the proper method is. I think we have had a gar hit on cut bait and thats about it, so obviously we are not doing it right.
I have only had luck with cut bait on the river. I have only fished cutbait twice on Murray with no luck. On the river I just cut them in half and throw it out. Live bait seems to work better even on the river. But when the bait dies it still works. I think cut bait is better in May when the fish are shallow on flats. I saw a guy on the up from Balentine cove fishing a point. He and his wife were catching one after another so it must work well for some.
hmmm.
well… i guess i’ll give em a try tonight and see what happens.
what about the solunar stuff? you guys pay any attention to that? not me… i go fishin when i can regardless of the pre, post frontal solunar stuff.
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Originally posted by phishinphan
hmmm.
well… i guess i’ll give em a try tonight and see what happens.
what about the solunar stuff? you guys pay any attention to that? not me… i go fishin when i can regardless of the pre, post frontal solunar stuff.
I try to go every weekend either early saturday or early sunday morning regardless.
There are members of the Lake Murray Striper club that only use cut bait…and they win tournaments thru out the year…they catch large stripers on cut bait…
Suggest looking for humps or ledges in 65–70’ water…fish on bottom with Carolina rig for stripers…
It works for some folks…
great! thanks carl!
i’m still learning the fishfinder, but i’m working on it.
i found a nice hump in the channel before spence that i might try out.
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Originally posted by phishinphan
great! thanks carl!
i’m still learning the fishfinder, but i’m working on it.
i found a nice hump in the channel before spence that i might try out.
The stripers come further up afternoon and night, huh? wouldn’t you guys suggest more freelines at night? Think we are going out tomorrow night as well as saturday morning…same spots though? channel, dam to spence?
be sure to anchor the boat…front and back…you do not want to swing and drag the bait…first…the trees are ready to hang you up…and if you are on the hump…the bait will get muddy…so, the more steady the boat…better it is…
let me know how it goes…
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Originally posted by SanteeCarl
There are members of the Lake Murray Striper club that only use cut bait…and they win tournaments thru out the year…they catch large stripers on cut bait…
Suggest looking for humps or ledges in 65–70’ water…fish on bottom with Carolina rig for stripers…
It works for some folks…
Were you at the meeting Tuesday night? Would have been great to meet ya.
MSC is a great club and there a lot of very knowledgeable anglers.
The areas that I concentrate on in the summer, fishing live bait, are edges of the river channel that still have standing timber. It is obvious that many folks have found this feature from Spence toward the dam. You may also want to look between Bomb and Dudley Creek and around where Bear Creek meets the river channel near Wessinger Island. As for cut bait, try to find the major points or humps where a deep creek meets the river channel. If you can set-up in 50 feet with 100+ feet very near and chum, the fish should come. As for re-deploying a stressed bait, I don't do it. I keep my used herring in a small cooler with ice. I try to keep lively bait on my down rods. Keeping the dead soldiers on ice keeps them firm for cut bait and allows me to freeze the left-overs for chum at a later date. If you are fishing at Oh-dark-thirty try dragging free lines around shallow edges of the major points and casting pencil poppers or other big, noisy baits shallow. The most important thing that I took away from Tuesday night's meeting was that the tournament winner's biggest fish came from way up the lake, dragging boards shallow with big baits, the very first thing in the morning. Don't get locked into the idea that ALL of the fish are in the lower lake (same holds for the idea that all of the fish go upriver in winter). Good Luck, Jim
Yes—I was there with my wife…sitting at front table on side…I thought Billy and James did a great job…without giving away too many secrets…I really enjoy the club…everyone is helpful and very friendly…I am learning…but still have much more to learn…finding the spots is hard to do…
I have never used planer boards…and have no idea how they work…and cut bait fishing in Lake Marion is close but very different…
Keep me posted…and lets meet sometime…
I seem to catch mostly average sized fish. Maybe I need to learn to cut bait fish. Or try to catch some bigger bait.