Stripers - Bull Shoals Fishery Meeting

[Phil Lilley]

Forsyth

Taney Center

20130 U.S. Hwy. 160

Tuesday, March 29

Stop by between 6-8 P.M.

Gainesville

Library

160 Bulldog Dr.

Tuesday, April 5

Stop by between 6-8 P.M.

[BrianS]

I vote to keep 'em out. It will make Bull Shoals more like Norfork and that we do not want

[rangerman]

They need to stock them in Table Rock....

[Phil Lilley]

They're already in BS- Arkansas stocks them. I guess Missouri is thinking about it. So the question is, I think, do you want more stripers in BS.

Not in Table Rock... they'd head to the tailwater and eat all the rainbows. The feds put rainbows there because it's a coldwater tailwater and that's about all that till live up there. So stocking stripers in TR will never happen. Sorry.

[Sam]

Are they gonna eat my crappies?

[Champ188]

I grew up around lakes where stripers were introduced 30 years ago (Ouachita and Hamilton in Hot Springs, AR). I live near one now (Beaver). In my not-so-humble opinion, they belong in the ocean where God put them.

Aside from decimating the shad supply, they are for the most part nearly impossible for the recreational angler to catch. I have guide friends who chase them, and "chase" is a very literal term. These fish run in huge schools and often move miles in a day's time. The weekend fisherman who was so excited about these big brutes being stocked soon learns that without very good electronics and a lot of luck, his chances of getting on them is not very good. Around Hot Springs and at Beaver, except for a few dedicated locals, about the only successful striper fishermen are the guides.

Meanwhile, the price to be paid is reduced populations of other gamefish — namely the native bass species and crappie. I believe the primary reason for this is reduced forage, but crappie being open-water fish will often find themselves in the company of stripers. I do not believe that striper prey on native bass because they just don't occupy the same waters much of the time. But they will eat their share of crappie.

As for putting them in Table Rock, MDC folks are smarter than that. They aren't about to take this gold mine of a lake that's pulling in literally every nationwide bass tournament circuit on a yearly basis and mess it up. I'd bet the farm on that.

[Phil Lilley]

I guess you'd have to say BS is broke to consider planting a new species- like stripers. What I mean by broke is it needs something to help it be better (bad english I know). For whatever reason, the lake never has gotten the attention that Table Rock has gotten- development, marinas, fishing pressure- and may be that's a good thing. It's nice to go down and not see as many boats and as many homes and condos on it's banks.

The physical nature of the lake, at least the upper lake, just isn't conducive to becoming a great fishery - may be. I would think a habitat project like the one on Table Rock would help although I know they've placed quite a bit of structure in the lake in years past.

It is a pretty good crappie and white bass lake and further down lake it's a good walleye and small mouth lake so I don't think they should mess with it. Let Arkansas put a few stripers in just to make it interesting but not enough to ruin a good thing. Does MDC have any say in what Arkansas does, I wonder?

[taxidermist]

I am all for it, they have been in the lake for years and years. they seldom eat crappie. most of the diet is shad and BS is full of shad.

20,000 stripers a year will not hurt anything. plus if you know anything about Norfork yo see some nice crappie and lots of good bass and walleye come out of it.

The floods produced some hybreds, and the huge stripers coming from Bull Shoals right now as in the 1980 are true trophies.

44lb Bulls Shoals striper 2010.

Here is a few Bull Stripers from many years ago 1982 maybe.

As you can see there is also some good largemouth and a huge small mouth bass, so yea the stripers hurt the other fish NOT!

[Sam]

I've got a friend who lived in Henderson, NV for years, about 15 miles away from Lake Mead. He had a big boat and he was a dedicated striper fisherman, and I went on one trip with him and a friend of his. The trip was successful - we each caught two stripers (six total), and they were all around 20 lbs. But if they're fished for here the way they are there, I wouldn't want to do it. It was just too boring.

The way he did it was to position his boat over deep water in the mouth of a cove. We all had ocean-size spinning outfits, two rods each, and they were rigged with about a 1 oz. sinker at the bottom and two drop-hooks above. The hooks were baited with big live minnows - I don't remember what kind but they were about 5" long. The lines were lowered straight down, about halfway to the bottom, and all the rods went in rod holders on the boat rail. Ed kept the boat in position with the trolling motor. Then we waited and waited - and WAITED. About 2 hours between bites, average.

When a school of stripers came tearing into or out of the cove, two or three rods would get big strikes - BAM! The thing is, don't try to set the hook on that first strike - but that gives you a chance to pick up the rod and get ready. Stripers kill a baitfish by hitting it, then they circle around and take it. On the second strike - set the hook, and the fight is on!

It's a heckuva fight, I'll say that. Just like a big white bass, but a 20-pounder. I know they couldn't be fished for just like that in the shallow waters of Upper Bull Shoals, but I bet it would be some version of the same thing.

Unless you're into reading, sleeping, or drinking beer - that's just not my kind of fishing. I work at my fishing, and not touching a pole for 2 or 3 hours while waiting for a bite isn't something I'd enjoy. But that's just me.

[ozarkgunner]

I've got a friend who lived in Henderson, NV for years, about 15 miles away from Lake Mead. He had a big boat and he was a dedicated striper fisherman, and I went on one trip with him and a friend of his. The trip was successful - we each caught two stripers (six total), and they were all around 20 lbs. But if they're fished for here the way they are there, I wouldn't want to do it. It was just too boring.

The way he did it was to position his boat over deep water in the mouth of a cove. We all had ocean-size spinning outfits, two rods each, and they were rigged with about a 1 oz. sinker at the bottom and two drop-hooks above. The hooks were baited with big live minnows - I don't remember what kind but they were about 5" long. The lines were lowered straight down, about halfway to the bottom, and all the rods went in rod holders on the boat rail. Ed kept the boat in position with the trolling motor. Then we waited and waited - and WAITED. About 2 hours between bites, average.

When a school of stripers came tearing into or out of the cove, two or three rods would get big strikes - BAM! The thing is, don't try to set the hook on that first strike - but that gives you a chance to pick up the rod and get ready. Stripers kill a baitfish by hitting it, then they circle around and take it. On the second strike - set the hook, and the fight is on!

It's a heckuva fight, I'll say that. Just like a big white bass, but a 20-pounder. I know they couldn't be fished for just like that in the shallow waters of Upper Bull Shoals, but I bet it would be some version of the same thing.

Unless you're into reading, sleeping, or drinking beer - that's just not my kind of fishing. I work at my fishing, and not touching a pole for 2 or 3 hours while waiting for a bite isn't something I'd enjoy. But that's just me.

I think alot of the stripers would end up below Powersite dam if the lake is high enough. That might produce a very interesting opprotunity to catch stripers without trolling minnows in deep water. In other states they like to sit behind the dams. I guess there would be a lot fewer rainbows in the Pothole if they are stocked.