nathanhooper

Ok, went out Wednesday night. Got some more shots. I'll try to give a little bit of description and all for each one, but still leave it up for general interpretation. It was a 3 1/2 hour trip or so, and the shots are in order of that. It was daylight when I started and dark when I finished. I was using downriggers. So most of the shots will show my ball line. Although I did not catch one fish, I did learn how much blowback my balls have and now can set them to the right depth that I want and all. It was a productive trip in the sense that I got some good practice with the equipment. (thinking positive here) Average trolling speed for the trip was 2.5 - 3 mph. There is one time when I tried the electric and I'll point that out later. Here is the first shot. Fish, bait? I am thinking these fish were not real big, when you compare them to some of the other ones I saw. But interesting how they relate to the structure eh. Here is another shot not too long after. I'll leave this one open for general dissection, but I am seeing bait and fish going after bait? Another. But I have noticed sometimes how the arches are different. Notice the one in the middle of the shot. This might lead us to discuss just exactly how the arches show up and all? And why it is important to take precaution when installing the transducer and do so to the T. I wondered if anyone could tell me if those long arches were fish suspended in those tree tops and coming up to check out what noise just went overhead. I have hear, and I have seen(not recorded yet), in real time, fish coming up to the ball and then going back down. It was on another guys boat, but very clearly evident. This is when it starts to get dark. I have noticed this several times now with this unit. Junk shows up in a thick line when the sun sets down. I am thinking, based on this and another shot I'll show later, that I need to tweak the settings some. Just not sure how. I play with the sensitivity and all, but I don't want to drop it too far down do I? This line shows up even when I have the sensitivity down in the middle 70's. Fish shot. Here I turned up the sensitivity on the Sonar Viewer Program. The thick line of stuff is really thick so its hard to pick out stuff inside of it. This is also where I trolled with the electric motor. Are the arches showing up fish? Or could it be junk and stuff? I know I get a lot longer arches when I slow down for sure. This shot made me start thinking. Look at how the surface clutter goes away when I get over deeper water. Very interesting. I need to tweak the sonar, just don't know how yet. Another shot of it. Notice the big rock. Shows up different with the sonar on the boat and the mode I run on it. What do you recon those fish hanging off the side are? This is on the edge of the main channel near the dam. Thoughts?

That's another curiousity of mine concerning the mythical creatures some people pose with and are said to live in our waters... Watching the birds and water surface is like the number one thing that comes up when talk about stripers takes place. Is it also true durring the summer? I get the cooler water thing. I can wrap my mind around it. But then to wrap my mind around them coming shallow durring the summer is tuff. It's starting to make sense though. Talked to a guy I work with who fishes, and fishes religiously. His truck backseat is dedicated to carrying fishing equipment everywhere he goes. Doesn't matter the species with him either. He started talking about his knowledge, but he is the type that holds a lot of info tight. Not to say he does not share, but it's on a need to know basis. He said they come shallow even in the summer months to feed. Made sense when he talked about how you can wade out in the water and go so many feet deep in the summer and feel the cooler water down lower. He talked about catching them trolling rattle traps in shallow water. And using old stick baits with a leader and jig attached to the back. I know it will all sink in. Just can't wait till it happens.

6 miles or so, by my rough calculation, would put the outer reaches near point five and to the back of Indian Creek. Am I getting close?

Ok, so lets get down to some maybe/maybe not silly questions. Is there just one big ole group of these suckers, and they split up into smaller groups within the bigger group? I read the stocking reports, and while I know that they do not all survive, I believe that there are more than 200,000 stripers stocked each year. That might not seem like a lot, and maybe its not, but that would be one heck of a school. So I assume that they do not all run together or at least real close together. However, when you say they are(for the most part) within 6 miles of the dam, that would make me think that you would see significant signs of them swimming around unless they are all schooled up in a couple hundred yard area of each other and I just happen to be one of those fisherman who am always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Is what I am saying making any sense? Sometimes I fail to see the bigger picture when I try to envision things in my head.

Show off....lol

Oh wow. I never would have thought that much. That for sure explains a lot. I put a few miles on trolling, but no where near 30 I bet. See, its still having a hard time sinking in my head. Trying to wrap my mind around chasing them as a specific target. Hopefully it will settle in soon. Might need to get a bigger gas tank in the mean time...

I'll keep it in mind. Although, when the cool air starts to blow my mind and body switch into hunting mode and fishing mode is put at bay. I have to say, I like fishing a lot more than I had ever imagined I would, but hunting fills that certain spot that fishing can't even begin to touch. When you can literally get completely away from everything and just sit and wait for the game to come to you. Of course, I guess that people catfish like that, but its still not the same. I wont pass up a good fishing trip though, so I'll for sure think about it come that time.

Figures, I usually fish Indian Creek although its further north of that area. Decided to expand my horizons and go more toward point 3. Not as far as a drive as I had imagined. I do remember the day before I went fishing with my friend and caught that one striper, a guide was in the area we caught that dude. I guess there is something to say about following the guides around.

So, just to be redundant and get this to stick in my head. Just because there is a thermocline, that does not stop the fish from coming up and feeding top few feet of water early in the mornings and late at night? I really like the idea of live bait fishing. I can imagine it would be a pretty neat thing to be sitting there and all of the sudden something big is on the end of your line. Kind of like regular bass fishing, but still different. I like trolling too, I do not find it mundane at all.

Yea, I am a glutton for punishment. I remember now you telling me about that striper following your bait. I may be better off not getting a camera till next year or else I am liable to pull my hair out when I actually see them and they don't bite. At least on the sonar I can blow it off as some other fish...lol. Its just my frustration. Actually, I sat there last night and wondered to myself "Where are all the striper guides...". There is a clue for me, duh. I do not get to fish much in the mornings. I'm going to try this weekend though I think. I had thought about going to the river. How far down from the dam are they? I think I'll stick to main lake though. I know its my stubbornness, but I set a goal and I aim to reach it. I thought my goal of 10lbs was pretty reasonable, but makes me wonder if I should not have set it at ANY striper. lol.

Ok, honestly, I'm sick of saying that. Yea, it was nice out yesterday evening. However, I am ready to start catching fish again. I keep asking myself when it will all 'click' and I will catch on. Last year was my first year for having a boat on the water. Till that point it was always bank fishing. Bank fishing taught me a lot, more precisely that of feeling the bite of the fish. I did translate that to my boat fishing and started catching fish pretty quickly. All of my time fishing was spent running up an arm of the lake and fishing a cove. I am not a fast fisher when it comes to doing that, I work an area pretty good before moving on. In that time I caught just about every species of fish except striper. It was nice because I never knew what I was going to catch. Sometimes it was just a bunch of blue gill, but they are some tasty critters. Then this spring I watched as guys would be trolling for white bass and filling the boat in a matter of minutes. I tried, but just did not have the right equipment. Got the right equipment, but the run was over and they had moved on to greener pastures I guess. Then a friend shows me how to flatline the last part of May and into June I was doing pretty well with that. Catching two to three good fish, and a hand full of others each trip. Now I am struggling. Might be because I am trying to hard, but I have set a goal to catch a striper on my own(not that I don't want others in the boat or anything). Man, I never thought it would be so tough. I am trying not to let it get to me, but its wearing me thin. The only thing I have not tried yet is the way my friend does it and what we caught that one striper on a few weeks back. He uses downriggers exclusively. And with that he uses big jerkbaits exclusively. The size and color sometimes varies. I imagine he does so because he can repeat it without too much being different trip to trip. He knows exactly how far he trolls them behind the ball, and in return how deep they run. Of course, he also mainly targets them around this time of year when I guess they are more predictable in the depth range they run? So I guess thats where I am at. I went last night and tried umbrella rigs(large alabama rigs) and then even tried some flickershad to see if I could at least pick up a white or hybrid. Never a bite. Of course, I only fished for a little over 3 hours, but I would think I could have had one bite. Maybe I am seeing fish on the sonar that are not really there. Could be boat speed. Could be depth(actual fow I am in). I do know I am keeping the bait in the zone right above their heads, at least within 3-4 feet. I just wonder when it will click. This is more of a rant I guess. I know there are so many variables and everything. I read and re-read the very helpful information available here and elsewhere. But in all honesty it all comes down to putting a lure in the water and hoping a fish bites. I guess that it is what makes it different than hunting. With hunting as long as I can locate game, then its just a matter of if I am a good enough shot with my equipment. Fishing, you have to locate them, have the right equipment, but then wait for them to decide to bite. I almost have to say that fishing is harder than hunting. Which does not make me feel any better considering how long it took for things to click in my head when it came to hunting.

Well go figure. I don't know why I confused the two. I guess I was just thinking gar. Well, if I run across an alligator gar I'll be prepared. lol So is it kind of like deer and other animals where the smaller the species the more tender the meat?

Well, I did it. Got me a garrrrrrrrrrrr permit. Heck, I never knew you even had to have a permit, but I was just checking on length requirements and all. Interesting. Now I'm torn between chasing after one, or completing my mission for a 10lb+ striper. Tough one. May just have to carry the flyrod with me on my outings is all.

Oh yea, you want to talk about large bait balls. We passed over one before I had started recording that was showing up 15' thick on the sonar. I am almost tempted to run some small pony head jigs, kind of like a spider rig for crappie, to see if I cannot pickup some of those smaller fish and stuff. I think your right though. I think that those are smaller fish of the bass variety. Where I was fishing I doubt there were paddlefish around. On that SonarViewer from lowrance you can pause the screen and then put your cursor at different places. Those bottom two photo's, when measured, the arches are around 12" thick. Being in close to 70' of water, almost right off the main channel, I am really thinking stripers. I was cruising around 2-2.5 mph at this point trolling. Sonar speed is actually full bore. I like a fast update. But as soon as I turn on recording it slows it down tremendously. If anyone wants these charts I have recorded I'll send it to them. The SonarViewer is a free download. People may find other pictures they have seen before and want to know. With the viewer you can also set it to greyscale for those who do not have color units. I guess Lowrance just records raw data to the SD card and then the SonarViewer is like a unit head just like on the boat. Very interesting. Its not like screen shots. You can manipulate color and sensitivity even.

Whats the best way to chum them up?

I agree Doc, determining fish size other than maybe depth of fish is something with so many variables that it would require more time than it would to just try and catch the darn thing. Went out last night with the wife. Tried a new area, and recorded most of the trip. Here are a few shots for interpretation. Did not catch anything, so no way to determine exactly what we saw, but I have a pretty good idea on some. Did get the wife to thinking about a camera though... These will start from when we got out to dark. You can see the thermocline getting more evident as the evening goes on. Very interesting how it does that. I was down lining live bait, and a tried some free lining also but wind and waves was too much to tell anything from that. My wife jigged some also so I'll include some pictures of that. Latter two are after dark. Notice the double echo on some of those also.

FOF? I like to tie, what size streamers?

Is there a particular fly pattern you have found they like above others? Me likes to fly fish!

One other, is your camera not showing up on sonar? I'm looking from my phone so maybe I'm just not seeing it.

Not meaning to take off subject, but would you say that a black and white camera would be enough to gain insight to as what a person is seeing on the sonar? Aside from the fact that color would be nicer. Maybe a max depth that the b/w would work in versus color?

I honestly have never heard of eating gar. First for me. I know where there is a bunch though... I'll try it for sure. But the question is how do you catch gar? I am pretty sure I had one the other night, but seems like it just pulled the bait off the hook. Maybe the circle hooks I was using?

Ha, no worries. I got more lead to make more balls. There is a rapala stick bait in there too...

You aint kidding! There were a couple of times those little dude's I had on would surprise the heck out of us with their pulling on the pole. Had our hearts going a couple of times thinking this was the time.

Ah, yes, boat speed. I forgot about that. It does make a big difference I am starting to notice. We were crawling. Almost just drifting. I would kick the electric motor on every now and again to keep us in the deeper parts of the water.

Here is a picture of after it got dark. Again, you can see the clutter start building at the top of the water column. Makes it hard to see things. My bait is up there, at this point we were running 4 poles. One I had up around 15', the other two were between 20' and 30'. You can see a tree coming up on the right hand side...same tree that got my DR ball tuesday night I think. This is a stones throw from where I caught that striper Sunday evening.