I fished from 7:30 till about 10:30. Caught 8, ranging from about 15" up to the biggest just over 11lbs. All caught with live herring on un-weighted planer boards & free lines. Around Wessinger Island.
Bob Van Gundy
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
Nice job. Pretty steady fishing. I pulled umbrellas yesterday on way to Sandy beach from the tip of Shull across the contours at Bomb and nada. We got a late start on the day and fishing wasn’t on the schedule.
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
I fished there also and only caught one about 15" and a gar about 3’ i used planer boards and down lines .I don’t know what i am doing wrong I have been fishing about 8 times in the past 2 months on murray and have not caught a single keeper I used to catch them last year but this year i must have a jinx on me.I guess the new Garmin i bought has something to do with it I can’t seem to find fish on it. I see fish but not like in previous years it used to look like spaghetti dowm there. but now just a couple of lines . I have no idea where to go to get help with this.
Sunday was a great day for us…we had easily over 30 fish. Kept 8 that we didn’t have to measure. Probably we’re a few more keeps mixed in that we would of had to measure. We fished jakes in the morning hrs and bite was VERY strong. Took over an HR to get a full spread out. Eventually everyone and their brother moved in and the bite shut down. We left and went to bomb late morning, Wind was a little worse up there in the open water but the fishing was just as good…finished up there and only tossed a dz baits over board. Went through every bit of 8-9dz baits
All fish caught on boards and freelines. Marked some deeper fish but they wouldn’t eat a downrod, but you could watch them streak up 30’ and eat a board bait…
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
Where were you at? I was in the red Lund, between the island & the mainland. I wasn’t marking many fish on my Lowrance. A lot of times I don’t mark that many, I usually just go to a spot where I’ve caught fish before (at this time of year) and start fishing. My first fish was waaayyy short, about 15", & I thought that’s all I’m going to catch. 5 min. later, a good solid keeper. Most fish were caught between 8:30 and 9:30. I was running the baits about 20’ behind the boards. The only weight was the swivel & the hook. I caught fish in 20’ up to 40’. the fish I did mark, were cruising in about 15’.
Bob Van Gundy
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
I was in a black center console using about the same setup as you i was there from about 6:45 to 11:00
i was trolling back and forth on the columbia side of the island
I was on the water just before sunrise looking to do some “junk fishing” and point hopping. I’m a bass fisherman at heart so I was chunking and winding lures, not soaking/dragging baits. Fished from sunrise until 11. Caught 8 stripers (most being in that 18"-20" range but I did catch one fat 24" keeper that was released) and one 3 1/2lb green fish. Caught’em on topwater baits (Strike King Sexy Dog and Strike King Splash), Spinnerbait (Fish Stalker 1/2oz 4 blade) and Optima swimbait. There was bait every place I stopped, and lots of it. Googans and booze cruisers started showing up around 1015-1030. Between them and the wind, I figured I got my string stretched and my thumb roughed up so I headed to the hill around 1100. Hadn’t been out on Murray in a few weeks so it was good to get out and still be able to catch a few. Could’ve done without the googans and the booze cruises though.
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
Ko4zb go try your luck on downrods at the towers. Go at dusk, set out some lines and chum the crap out of it. Had good success in 50-60fow. 1 cast will catch all the bait you could ever want and gives you plenty of free chum.
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Wessinger can be such a hit and miss as on some mornings we would slam the stripers and same night come back and nothing hitting. But still one of our favorite spots to start the day.
quote:
Originally posted by JZOWessinger can be such a hit and miss</font id=“red”> as on some mornings we would slam the stripers and same night come back and nothing hitting. But still one of our favorite spots to start the day.
I think that is usually true for the whole lake. It’s one of my favorites as well.
Bob Van Gundy
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
FloridaBoy - If you dont mind sharing, where around the towers are you throwing the net? Would love to not buy bait for once. Also what size are you seeing? Thanks.
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
quote:
Originally posted by TexasAnglerFloridaBoy - If you dont mind sharing, where around the towers are you throwing the net? Would love to not buy bait for once. Also what size are you seeing? Thanks.
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
Just remember that’s someone’s way of living as well…I am sure your boss would love to have you work for free one day out of the week but that’s how you make a living…lol…
Dont mean to come off as a A-hole but those bait guys are up in the middle of the night freezing/sweating their tails off. Throw them a bone even if the bait catching is easy…
one thing I can say and I am not the only one, a couple of times back in the day I have planned on catching my own, said I ain’t paying the bait man today…well the bait wasn’t there and I had to humble myself and drive back to the bait shop.
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by TexasAnglerFloridaBoy - If you dont mind sharing, where around the towers are you throwing the net? Would love to not buy bait for once. Also what size are you seeing? Thanks.
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
Best bet right now is to catch them at night by putting out a light. Not necessarily right at the towers, but just out from the rocks.
Also, sometimes this time of year you can catch some very early in the morning right around the boat ramp at the dam.
It won’t be long and you should be able to catch some up near the surface as they circle the towers…especially in the late evening. They’ll be visible from the surface early on in the season and then eventually slowly go deeper as the water temperature warms.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
Edit: Chip, just for the record, my reply wasn’t to intentionally follow up your reply. TA didn’t get a reply for 2 days, then we apparently were both typing at the same time. 
Thanks for input guys.
MurrayMaker, dont worry, the bait guys have and will get plenty of my money. I pull from too far away to risk not finding any bait.
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
quote:
Originally posted by TexasAnglerThanks for input guys.
MurrayMaker, dont worry, the bait guys have and will get plenty of my money. I pull from too far away to risk not finding any bait.
TexasAngler
22’ Shearwater
I pull my boat about 5 min and still haven’t caught any bait myself in years other than a few late night trips here and there after the bait shop is closed.
For the price we pay for bait around here, it’s just not worth the time and effort. If you try it at night and don’t get them you are SOL. If you try early in the am and don’t get them you can go buy some, but you likely have missed the best fishing of the morning by then.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
Murrymaker, I understand what you’re saying, however, it’s not free to catch bait. I have nearly $300 invested in my net and hydroglow alone. If one knows how to and where to catch bait there is no reason not to catch your own. In my profession as a salesman, I never sell a product to someone who is licensed to sell themselves the same product. There are plenty of non licensed non salesman for me to make a living as there is non bait catching fisherman. Texasangler, there are very nice, quality, fat bait all over the lake right now. I just mentioned the towers as that’s where I tied up 75-100’ off them and had my light out all night and kept bait all around me.
…
Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Murraymaker some of us work in the middle of the night as well doesn’t make the bait man any better then the next man remember that. Easy to say when ya best friend with the bait man and work your bait bill off or whatever you do. If guys want to catch there own bait let um I’m sure you could just buy all those gizzard shad and not catch um if you wanted to do the bait man a favor remember that
Just reel or get broke
Noslack isn’t bashing FB for once? What!!?!
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Florida boy just calling it like I see it. Bait man has no boss other than the customer and will always work for free unless the customer buys from him. If somebody wants to spend the time and money catching there own bait by all means please do it I won’t grumble a bit. It’s not about working for free the bait is there for everybody to catch that possess that appropriate liscence. I don’t think the bait man will not go broke over a few guys catching there own stuff I still buy bait cause I don’t have the time and it’s easy for me I can’t speak for others
Just reel or get broke
quote:
Originally posted by noslack63Murraymaker some of us work in the middle of the night as well doesn’t make the bait man any better then the next man remember that. Easy to say when ya best friend with the bait man and work your bait bill off or whatever you do. If guys want to catch there own bait let um I’m sure you could just buy all those gizzard shad and not catch um if you wanted to do the bait man a favor remember that
Just reel or get broke
The main point of “remember” the bait guy was more of a warning that catching your own bait doesn’t usually workout</font id=“size4”>…
Edited because I should be smarter than to put up comments like that… I will remember that…The lion doesn’t concern himself with the sheep’s opinion…