Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
I fish for them regularly.
Best places are: Tail-races below the dam, off of sandy points with a drop-off, edge of channel, anywhere you find schools of shad!
Best times are: Spring-early, up to mid-day, and evenings, especially near river mouths and inlets.
Summer-Early morning, evening and night, near drop-off shelves. Fall Most of the day and night, anywhere there are schools of shad. Look for diving seagulls and fish under them. Winter- All day. Look for schools of shad. Stripers love cold water and are one of the most active winter fish down south. Follow flocks of seagulls, especially when you see them diving. There are shad there, most likely, and almost guaranteed stripers and white bass underneath them!
Equipment: Do not use anything less than an 8 wt rod, preferably with a fighting butt. Have a large fly reel with a disc-drag and LOTS of backing....you'll need it. I use a shooting taper, but any weight-forward line will work. Use a short, heavy tapered leader-7' is plenty. I even do some spey casting for them. If you like fishing with it, even a sink tip line works. Pretend you are fishing for tarpon and you'll be pretty close.
Flies: Anything that resembles a shad, or bluegill, tied on stout streamer hooks, usually size 6 and up, or better yet, use salt-water hooks. I tie several versions of Puglisis-style flies and color them to match shad and bluegills. They hit them with murderous abandon when they are attacking shad schools. Behind the tail-races, another fly that works good for me is a large wooley-bugger in size 6 or 4, with the front 1/3rd red and the rest white. All of your files should be tied weighted.
Cast into any group of jumping baitfish or under any flock of wheeling water birds, and if you get a chance (most of the time, it will get hammered as soon as it hits), twitch it slightly after a few seconds. Strikes will be vicious and sudden. Set the hook HARD, and REPEATEDLY (stripers have a hard mouth). Then, for the first run, just hang on. You won't stop or turn the fish, trust me. After about 50-100 yards, the striper will usually slow down and maybe turn. Then you can start working the fish in, but be ready, because the fish will take several more runs of shorter length, very suddenly. The last one will be when the fish sees you, about the time your are reaching for it to remove it from the water. You are usually off-balance and not ready, so take that into account. This is fresh-water Big-Game fishing at it's best.
If you can't find any shad or birds, and don't have a fish-finder, then work your fly along the shelf of drop-offs near sandy points, and along rip-raps.
Good Luck,
Semper Fi!
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Thank you gigmaster. That was great!
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
jkilroy;
Thank you for posting.
I know know that I have the rod and reel set up. I got it for steelhead up in Michigan and have never used it.
Gigmaster;
You mention "Heavy Tapered Leader-7'", for regular trout fishing here I use a 7' furled leader with about a 12# break strength. Would this be heavy enough?
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Jack,
Will that 12 pound furled leader be enough for a 20 pound striper?
Jkilroy,
Out here we use lead core or fast sink striper lines. A minnow pattern, don't forget Clouser minnows too, and fast strips. The stripers feel the pulses in the water. Fish the edges of the weed beds at drop-offs. Stripers are looking for baitfish. Search the channels. If there is current, swing your fly and strip across.
Greg
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Greg;
I edited my post to a 7' furled leader. I don't know if 12# is enough but it is very easy to add windings to the process to up the strength.
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Thanks for all your posts. The reason I posted this is I like saltwater flyfishing and I live 2.5 hrs away from any ocean. That's a problem. I read a good article in Fly tyer that pretty well covered this topic, but The more info I have the better. Only problem, the lake I'm looking at is always, always off-colored. Iknow it holds freshwater stripers though. I also have the gear 8wt TFO Ticr, 10 wt st. croix and a 350 grain full sink line. I also have a canoe with a small gas motor. I think if I have time I might try it. I'd like to try it sometime when I can spend the whole day on the lake. It won't be soon I may have to go back to the Middle east again.
Thanks
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Hise
jkilroy;
Thank you for posting.
I know know that I have the rod and reel set up. I got it for steelhead up in Michigan and have never used it.
Gigmaster;
You mention "Heavy Tapered Leader-7'", for regular trout fishing here I use a 7' furled leader with about a 12# break strength. Would this be heavy enough?
I use an 0X leader with a 15 lb test tippet.
And I still lose stripers sometimes.
Greg's right on. Stripers love clouser minnows, too.
I have never got the hang of the line pick-up technique with sinking line, and usually wind up with it all in my lap, but I'd really like to learn someday.
Hence, I have to 'jump' fish, by looking for signs of distressed baitfish such as distrurbed water, wheeling water birds, or actual jumping fish.
Semper Fi!
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
Gigmaster, to pick up line strip your sinking line in to about 20' and lift your rod and roll cast the sink tip out. When it hits the water surface begin your back cast. Don't work out much more than the lead core part false casting, then let it fly.
The annoying part is when a striper hits your fly just as you are about to roll cast and you can't set the hook.
Re: Freshwater Striped Bass
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH! So that's how you do it!!
Thanks. Now I'm gonna get some sinking line and practice.
Semper Fi!