Is it just me or is the fishing just been tough last couple weeks. I’m sure some of you pros have your ways and meens to put fish in the boat. But for the average once a week fisherman “I can’t even get a knockdown lately” … can’t keep my bait alive once it hits the water. Should I try a different technique ???
Put the rod in the holder and let a good 20’ of line down while the hook is clipped somewhere. Put your bait on and throw it out. It’ll get it down to cooler water faster. Then only reel up if you get a hard pull down with no hook set. Reeling up the bait and checking it will probably kill it. But you also don’t want a dead bait or empty hook hanging out down there. It’s a delicate balance in the heat of summer.
“Banana Pants”
Indigo Bay 170
90 Johnson
When the bait is dying like that, I like to pinch a small splitshot against the top of my egg. The bait, then, has to go down like a bullet and can’t swim out and up. With the back rods, I follow it down with the graph. I’ll often use the trick Geronimo mentions with the front downrods.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
I frequently go to 2 oz. sinkers instead of 1 & 1/2 ounce, to get the bait to cool water quicker.
Rick K
There is alot to be said having healthy bait BEFORE its put on a hook. Last 2 trips out I have had huge bait pods from 15-30’ below the boat. If the water is ok for them to be that high in the water column you shouldn’t have trouble keeping them alive on the hook.
keep your bait tank water cool and not over crowded. Plenty of salt and good air supply. I use more salt than most but bait always looks good. I have a 50-60gal tank and use around 5-6 good cups of salt.
Headed out in the morning. Hope to have similar luck as we have had the past 2 weekends. Smallest fish we have caught has been 21-22" and have had 2 10# (1each weekend). Rest have been good quality 6-8# fish.
Interesting thought and maybe its cause I dont fish alot in the summer, but do striper immediately start making eggs as soon as they spawn out? I wouldnt think they would be full in july. All of our big fish have been loaded with eggs.they are green of course but still there. I know when they are yellow they are ready to be layed. Even our herring have been full of eggs.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Just saying, do you mean literally as soon as they hit the water? If so, its not uncommon for them to appear dead if you are holding them near the surface and oexpecting them to swim like they did it the tank. The temperature difference between your tank and the 85+ degree surface temp will shock them. That is why everyone is stressing getting them down asap.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
2 cups of salt per every 30 gallons of water with aleast 8 pounds of ice in the 83-85 degree water I pump in my live well, along with good aeration, is my recipe for bait keeping success for this time of year. I rarely loose 1 in the baitwell.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
Thanks for the ideas … striperskiff … I get my bait from Richard I put a bag of ice in tank before I feel with water from his tanks. I also have a nice aeration systen that does not replenish the water only aerates exhisting. I have been using two ounce weight and dropping down to sixty-seventy feet immediately upon introduction to the lake only to find them dead with mouths locked open like they have been thaytway for awhile. I usually only put two down at a time until I find fish. Believing that fishing with dead bait is a waste of time. Also usually have more bait then I do time. So I will check frequently. Dead dead dead
One other thing my bait after eight hours on the lake the other day was still very alive … in the tank.
Sounds like your not doing anything different from anyone else. Maybe run it by Richard and see if he has any idea?
What’s the shortest time you have left them down before checking and finding them dead?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I would guess fifteen minutes.
Does your ice come from a chlorinated source?
I’ve never worried over chlorinated or non-chlorinated ice. I would think that most if not all chlorine is gone from water in it’s solid form. I heard that once water is out of the plumbing for 24 hours, chlorine is gone. After all these years, it’s never been a issue for me.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
A lot depends on where you are located on a chlorinated system. The closer you are to the treatment plant the more free chlorine there is in the water. If you are on the far end of a system the free chlorine can be much less. Summer high temperatures can also reduce the amount of chlorine in a system. That’s why you will see folks regularly testing the water supply. Fog is generally correct on the 24 hour assumption. Try filling your tank with water the day before you plan to fish and see if that helps. Also, as a general rule the colder the water the more oxygen it can contain.
Now for my next dumb question… Do the herring not get the bends like other fish when quickly brought back up from very deep water? My biggest largemouth bass, years ago, came from only 38’ and couldn’t even flip around when at the surface. It seems to help the largies if you bring them up very slowly and don’t expand the air bladder into their mouths. I know that’s different from warm water low oxygen problems with stripers, just curious.
I just read that chlorine does evaporate when given ample standing time. This does include in ice form. However, if a municipality treats with CHLORAMINE, neutralizers have to be used to make the water safe for fish. I guess this would explain why chlorine needs to constantly be added to pools and spas for sanitation. Still there seems to be many differences of opinion on the chlorine issue.
Sure Spoon. Baitfish can succumb to pressure changes. However, I find they tolerate those better than gamefish. Most of the time bait mortality is due an oxygen deficit or being attacked:smiley:
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
one way i get away from the chlorination issue is to freeze water in 20 oz bottles and just throw a bottle or 2 in the tank as needed–only thing you add then is the cold–might not hurt to add an extra battery operated bubbler to the tank either --i do this in the hot summer months and never have any problems with bait dying --also i try to keep a towel on board to wet and throw over my tank - think it adds a little shade and the evaporation will keep the sun from warming the top of the tank which in turn warms the water
84 HYDRA SPORT 1800SS
89 Yamaha 150
‘BAD HABIT’
89 TRACKER 17 TX
MERC 50
‘OL LEAKY’