LOL!!! 
I have to laugh at the circles! I went out 2 weeks ago in my 16 foot war eagle with tiller handle. Did not adjust steering tension. Everytime I let go to set up rods, we went in circles. You need to try driving with your foot sometime it can be interesting. Lots of tangles. 
You gona sit there or you gona fish?
Scout 242 Abaco F225 Yamaha
UPDATE…
this weekend i have a customer/friend going sat morn…we will be using live bait,he has some experience and will be showing me some of his tricks…can’t wait to report back we caught one…
2001 23 ft outrage with twin 150 opti’s…
ctoolman,
I hope you got my email in time but work has popped up at the last minute. I hate to not be able to make a fishing trip so let’s give it another try when we can.
Good luck and let us know how you do, I am still trying to learn how to read my FF as well. I think that is the key to catching these fish this time of year.
Like I said my favorite time of year is early winter through spring when you can fish planner boards and live bait. I would love to take you then, it is similar to saltwater trolling but just at slower speeds.
1999 Sea Pro 210cc
Suzuki 225 EFI
Ctoolman,
Have you heard about the Umbrella retrievers? It’s a weight with a hook on it, when you get hung up you clip it on your line and let it slide to the bottom. You have a line connected to the hook and it helps retrieve the U-rig. I’m new to this sport also and I have had a lot of the same experiences you have! Good luck!
21 Scout
So ctoolman, how did you do? Wife gave birth this weekend so I didn’t make it to the lake. Baby girl 6.5 lbs. Totally awsome!
You gona sit there or you gona fish?
Scout 242 Abaco F225 Yamaha
Hey guys. New to this board and relatively new to striper fishing. Grew up fishing offshore in the northeast and florida…so now that I’m landlocked this striper thing is the closest I can get outside trailering the rig to Charleston.
Been a few times so far this summer. Had some success trolling live bait on planar boards off “Red Bank” (across from Coneross) back in June (4 stripers and 6 hybrids), and had a decent evening trip a month ago fishing a 25’ hump to the south of the “sailing club” (6 hybrids). But also had my share of shutouts.
Biggest issue I’m having is keeping bait alive in my Whaler’s livewell (25 gal and round) as it is only plumbed to pump in raw water, not recirculate. I go through 10 bags of ice in a couple hours.
Anyway, if you see a BW 21’ Outrage with a blue T-Top, that’s me. Stop and say hi. I can probably tell you what NOT to do.
“Outrageous”
Boston Whaler 210 Outrage
200 Verado
Paul,
They ain’t gonna live in that bait tank, sorry.
These little rascals are delicate to keep alive and in the summer time it is even harder. Most of us around here use the Ron Vest Super Bait Tank II’s or something along that line(yep only another $400-500).
The key to keeping the BB’s alive is rock salt, bait saver and cool water. I can keep 3-5 doz alive all day and then some this time of year in my SBTII. During the winter & spring you can keep them alive for several days and even a week or more as long as you keep the pump running.
This time of year is the toughest for me to figure out and Deer season is just around the corner. I will not fish any more until very late fall/early winter. That time of year it is planer boards and freelines which is very productive and to me somewhat like saltwater trolling. We use the minn kota autopilots to ease the boats along at very slow speeds(less than 1mph) and pull the live baits along points, creek mouths and such. I will normaly have six lines out and maybe a downrod or two sometimes.
The areas you mentioned are great. Also try the Tugaloo section of the lake and 18 mile creek in the spring. I fish a most of the time on friday’s and do not have to battle the crowds that much. On Saturdays you almost get in a parade of boats in some of these areas.
We will have to get together with Ctoolman and I will show you what I do and where I go. Most of the times I fish alone so I would love the company and I do not mind helping at all.
Just email me and like I said I will not fish until later in the year.
Last year I did fish one Friday during Oct and I used planer boards and caught quite a few fish which surprised me, who knows I may hang up my deer rifles one of these days
1999 Sea Pro 210cc
Suzuki 225 EFI
tprice - thanks. I was thinking maybe I could re-plumb my livewell to recirc the water…but I may just buy a portable bait well…problem is after I fish my three girls want to go swim, ski and lay out. So I was looking at the portable livewells they sell at the tackle/bait shop on the way into Portman.
Anyways, thanks for the tips…when you fish 18 mile, do you fish the shoal at the mouth or do you go up in the creek? I’ll post my reports on here, and also relay any that I hear from guys I know that fish alot.
“Outrageous”
Boston Whaler 210 Outrage
200 Verado
Yea that is a big pain in the rear and maybe why I do not fish as much in the heat of summer. My daughter likes to ride the tube and it is a lot of work to break it down and take it out of the boat and then put it in the garage of storage bldg and then if I decide to go agian I have to put the thing back in the boat:frowning_face:
I use a 40 gal tank and one thing that does help is that I keep mine in the front of the boat and it gives me more room. Also I use on of the bungee type rod holders that straps to the tank and it keeps rods vertical and out of the way when not in use.
When I fish 18 mile creek I normally pull fromthe mouth beyond the boat ramp and circle around in the first sharp turn and back. Sometimes I will go way back in the creek but most of my fish come from the mouth to that turn around spot, in fact I will launch at the 18 MC ramp a lot of mornings before church and fish till about 9am and never even crank the big motor up until I have to load my boat.
Good luck and keeps us up on how the fish are doing.
1999 Sea Pro 210cc
Suzuki 225 EFI
As I mentioned I have the 40 gal tank and I will be honest if I were going to buy another one I would opt for the 30 gal or maybe even the 20 gallon. Most times I only purchase 3 doz BB’s at a time and they would do fine in the smaller tanks and it would save some room and weight in the boat.
1999 Sea Pro 210cc
Suzuki 225 EFI
for those still interested…
this weekend did no better except i only lost 1 umbrella rig…our live bait was dead before we got to the ramp…the guy mixing it didn’t do to good…i never got a chance to kill’em…oh well maybe next time…still no fish and no real bites…but i am still having fun…
sunday my starboard motor went in a safe mode…only using oil from the reserve tank…its at the dealer now,if they don’t get it fixed i will pick up the baot and just run the 1 motor this weekend…not expecting any different results but i will keep trying…can’t catch anything if your lines aren’t even in the water…
looks like i will have to invest in one of those bait wells since my whaler has the same setup as paul…
congrads to tprice on the new addition:smiley:
maybe we can all hook up one day …
paul,the reason i bought this whaler was i wanted to go to the coast alot…maybe we can do that together sometime…right now gas prices are killing me so i decided to learn to striper fish…it is alot cheaper staying close to home but i miss the ocean…
i do have 2-3 trips planned for sept-oct to head that way…i sure hope i catch a fish by then…[:0]
2001 23 ft outrage with twin 150 opti’s…
Keep trying toolman.I got the tractor tire fixed ,now if I can get ahead on the cabinets I am making , I will get you a downrigger ball made . I noticed at White jones in Anderson they have them for about $18 plus $8 or so for the clips, but I am still going to make some…<BR>
Is this what you are looking for <BR>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/sidkid/sfish-web.jpg
quote:
Originally posted by FishingpoxIs this what you are looking for <BR>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v30/sidkid/sfish-web.jpg
so thats what they look like…
2001 23 ft outrage with twin 150 opti’s…
Ctoolman - let me know when you’re planning to go. The boats at Port Tronics getting the electronics installed and then it’s going back to SRGvl for some gel coat work so I’m out of the game for another week or so. By the way, is that your boat in the lot at SeaRay Greenville?
“Outrageous”
Boston Whaler 210 Outrage
200 Verado
Water temp on Hartwell today was 78. They should start schooling up in 70-80 feet near the dam and start thier feeding for thier trip back up the river, according to my “striper guru”…he says best fishing is October near the dam.
“Outrageous”
Boston Whaler 210 Outrage
200 Verado