nathanhooper

Took my brother out last night for a quick troll. He could not stay out long so we hit the honey creek area and managed to pick up a nice SM right off the bat. After that we hooked up with a nice fish, and I handed him the pole. He has never caught anything over 6-8 lbs I don't think so I was trying to explain the best I could of how to pump the rod and reel and all. I keep my drag pretty light due to the snags that I seem to come across so much, so it helps to pump the rod to get the fish in while allowing a good drag in case its a big fish. At one point in the fight I saw him drop the rod tip way down and actually remember seeing the line go completely slack before he brought the rod back up. I was standing ready with the net when all we saw come up was the lonely lure. Oh well, lesson learned. This was yesterday evening around 7-7:30. Water temp has dropped some also. Down to 81 now. But the fish seemed to be very active and wanting to bite. Wish we could have stayed out longer. Would have been productive I am sure. I was using the downriggers and finally figuring out how to pull my crankbaits on them. I would have used live bait, but time was not there for going that route. I was only pulling them 20' or so behind the release clips and had them running around 30' deep. Got my first guide snub too. I have been seeing this guy for the last few weeks down at the dock, or his truck/trailer at least in the parking lot. Last night I had launched my boat and was getting in it when he launched his. I half heartedly asked him about the fishing and he seemed like he did not hear me. So I then again asked him about it, something like "where are the fish at", and he chuckled and said "in the water". He seemed nice so then I asked about how deep he was catching them, seeing how he had 4 riggers on his boat. He then said something about 12' or something and I guess I thought he was being serious so I asked him if he was really catching them shallow. He then tells me that he gets paid for that information and he is available Thursday. lol. I get it...to an extent at least. People pay guides for their expertise in fishing - kind of. I would say that only a portion of the fee is the expertise. The rest is the use of boat, tackle, and everything else associated with fishing. The fish are in the water and even the best guide is still fishing for them and cannot guarantee quantity or quality. So a simple "yea, they are X feet down" or "they seem to be holding to structure" or "they are really on the prowl" or just anything that normal fishing guys say to each other would go a long way in being friendly I would suppose. I wasn't trying to take away his business, and I for sure am not going to hire him for the information, so all he did was make an butt out of himself as far as I'm concerned. Funny thing is, the last spot we stopped at to try out - which is by the dam site park island - is where he came over to troll at for a bit. And, by the looks of it, he was staying in 30' ish or so water. So there, his secretes are revealed. lol

Quite a bit of discussion on this, do a search and you'll gain some good insight. Quick answer is yes, (I've been told), and 2"-3" range. Let us know how it goes, pictures are required though

I got to try it out this weekend. I am under the 5 day trial period so I am not sure if there is a difference in it and the paid version. I am noticing that it is a little slow to update my position on the map. I could understand if I am going fast, but just trolling around seems like it should be more accurate. But, I do like the detail it shows and while it might not show me over it and approaching it correctly, it shows it in close enough radius that I can find it with sonar. I look at it as a good way to carry a map with me of the lake couture for a price that you could not buy a paper map for. Might not be the best for gps location, but close enough. I'm sold.

It would be interesting.

Me like! Ok, that's my Christmas\Anniversary wish now. I think once I get her bath/laundry remodel done she will be in the perfect mood for this. I really do think it would be handy. I see where it is a significant tool if you are actually fishing for money - tournaments/guides - but doing the open water fishing I'm doing now, not just shoreline fishing, it would be a tremendous time saver potentially. It would just take time to learn the in's and out's of it. Looking forward to seeing more pics Doc, keep em coming.

Thanks for all the hard work your putting into this....can't believe all these guys giving you a hard time....sheesh... I'd be interested in Strike Kings walleye lures. I know their bass lures catch walleye, can't imagine what their walleye lure might actually do. lol

So I tried to find where you said what unit that is, I'm not seeing it?

Nice Doc. I'm sold. I want one. Now I just need help on the exact wording that should be used to tell the wife why a $1000 piece of electronics is needed for the boat....

Don't know how to put a chip in my phone.... Oh, I figure with enough dough I can pay someone to put a fish on the end of my line anytime I'm ready to reel one in. Just curious how accurate the iPhone app in particular is. I may one day afford to have a fancy smancy sonar combo unit with a 50" big screen, then I'll pay big bucks for the mapping. For now, just a better idea of whats under the boat will do. Just don't want it to be 30' north and 80' east of where my boat is - if you catch my drift.

I know its been brought up before, but I wanted to get everyones opinion who uses still what they have found. I am curious to the accuracy of it. I'll try it out myself, but I just downloaded and installed it. MUCH better detail than what I have been used to, but I have one issue with it right off the bat. I am scrolling around the dam end of the lake and I notice that a lot of honey creek is in blue. According to this there are quite a few docks in 1' of water.... I'm just wondering why the lack of detail there. Doesn't bother me if its just because they don't have it, but what about the rest of the lake? Is it relatively close? I'm just looking for something to help me get a feel for the lay of the land and while the topo I have been using has "worked", it only gives me a very rough idea of what the topography is like.

Ok. I know you have been over this a million times before, but refresh me. I know where to get brooder's, but the bluegill I just go catch? Now, live baiting - I tried it last year with no success. But I think I gave up too soon. So I just rig up downlines and slow troll? Keep the bait around the 30' mark and go over the area you suggested before? I think last year I was just not trying in the right spots. If I remember right I was limiting myself to near the back of Indian Creek and the shore line around the big Island by the dam. I really did not focus much on points and humps at all. As far as boat moving is concerned, would the main motor be too much for them? I have a trolling plate on that puts me at nearly a standstill if I want so speed is not that big an issue. But if noise is that's another.

Glad you had a good one. I almost thought about looking for whites last night. But once I set my jaw its all or nothing. That will make for a nice fish fry for sure!

I should add I did troll both my route and F&F's, well, most of his till I lost another lure along the way. Must have clipped a point at just the right angle because I was in the same depth of water I had been running in. Saw quite a few fish on the sonar, never saw a school like I was hoping for. Maybe just lockjaw.

Well I figured it out. There are no reports, because there are none to give. Went out last night, got out later than planed, but was on the water by 5:30 or so. Saw a bunch of guides, but I obviously was not fishing the same place they were. Lots of other traffic also. Kind of annoying, especially when you cant catch any fish. Got real annoying when I added more lures to Scott's collection. I guess I am going to have to invest in some scuba gear. I am not sure what to think at this point. I cant just go out an throw away $ and have nothing to show for it. There has got to be a way to nail this down. I mean, I know fishing is called fishing for a reason just like hunting is not called killing. Am I expecting too much? I could see if I was sitting stationary in one spot expecting the fish to come to me. Maybe what it boils down to is I have about 0 confidence in my lures and setup at this point. I have always heard that the more confidence you have in them the better it seems to work out for some reason. I have plenty of confidence during the early part of the year, but once July hits I am toast. Help? Is there anybody who can shed some light and make some sense from my complete frustration. I've got family coming out on Sunday and I would like to take my brother and BIL out and let them hook up with one. Not looking for the biggest fish in the lake, just one that will bend the pole good and put a smile on their face. Surely there is an area, reasonable in size, that if I employ a certain tactic I could have a high percentage chance of catching a decent striper.

Interesting. I figured they would still school up in open water. I thought it was they just moved deeper, but still kept their normal seek and eat habits following the bait around. I usually get luck with the loner here and there all through the year, but thought the majority of them stayed out west until the summer came and then they migrated this way.

I guess I just was thinking what you meant earlier by long points were REALLY long points. But I guess, thinking about it now, a really long point would almost be considered a flat huh? I don't have live bait, but I do have some stuff in the 6" range. I'll run my two rigs at 5' or so difference and hopefully also be able to get the other two rods down close to the 30' mark.

I have not. I might just have to though. How deep is it there?

Well then, I like your experience more than mine. I think I'll have to just try it. Should be pretty calm out there right now, usually is at least during the middle of the week. On the weekend I would think it near impossible unless I just wanted to go on a roller coaster boat ride. Would you say that I would come across any schools of fish going this route? Or am I more likely just to run into a few here and there? Trying to get an idea of what to be looking for on the sonar.

hmmmm...ok, I have a lot more to learn than I thought I guess. Other than two of those areas, maybe 3, I would not consider those points up the creek to be long points? Or is this just what your saying you would do, not necessarily sticking just to long points? I will take this under advisement and mull it over with the captain. I was thinking something like this. I like your idea though. I like sticking to indian creek area. Just past 4 corners is where I caught that big one last year on the friends boat. I have seen some fish on the graph the few times I went over by starky around the humps. I was thinking that maybe, since they plan on generating between 4 and 6 this evening it might draw some good current of the main channel and bring it up over some of those humps. But then again, I could be way over thinking this.

mmmmmmm....walleye - yes, that is my preferred species for sure, but not at the moment. I really want to get a handle on this striper fishing even if its only to the degree of catching just one or two each trip. I am not looking for a boat load each time I go out, just a few. Reason being is that I have family and friends I want to take out, who do not get out fishing much on a boat, and want to put them in touch with the other end of most likely the biggest fish of their lives. I know it was done for me and those are the times I never forget. I have taken these guys out walleye fishing and while they are still excited, and do like the taste of the catch, its just not the same as catching a good stripe. In fact, the last time I took a guy out and we caught some walleye I had to convince him there was a fish on the other end of the line. He kept on telling me he couldn't feel one and I would take the rod for a moment and tell him that there was one still on. Funny stuff. I think I have a few points targeted that are near the channel. I think I'll just hit them and spend a little bit of time working each one over. I'll look for them, then move on. If I find a school I should see quite a bit of arches on the sonar right? That's what I have seen in videos at least. I have seen it before fishing but only once or twice last year. Most of the time when I see a bunch of arches stacked together its whites.

Blackened striper - have not tried that yet. Got a recipe to share? Hey, I know what your mug looks like....I'll find you....

Follow up question - when fishing the points how do you break it down? Run parallel with them, cross them? I read something the other day that made some good sense. They said that stripers will hang off to the edge of the long points and ambush the bait that comes straight up on top of the points.

Ok, just started plotting it out. Guess I am going to have to rethink it a little. So far I got 10 miles plotted and I'm not even back near the dock yet. At 2 mph...well, that's not going to work is all. So, I'll take your advice F&F. I'll just plot out the points I'll hit, looks like there are 7-10 of them, and spend a little bit at each one looking around. I think I just need to take a day off work and fill the tank up and start cruising.

Thanks F&F, Ill launch at Indian Creek like always, but am planning my route to take me up to near LBS and then back around the other side of the lake home. 30' minimum eh? I was thinking about the same, since I'll be going out in the daylight instead of night fishing. I've heard they have been caught in water that was over 100' deep on the channel. Suspended of course. I just figure that the more water I cover the more I'll be able to see. I wont stay in one place till I see a mess of them on sonar. I have watched countless videos of peoples sonar and striper fishing. I have seen what they see a few times. I figure there has to be a school or two in my neck of the woods somewhere, just a matter of tracking them down.

Lol. I wish I had the drive for crappie, they sure do taste better, but alas I have my mind set on hunting down these stripes. Doc...come on....new rig and no pics to show.... Hey, trolling is a good way of breaking in a motor aint it?