Avoca Arm 3-13-2012

[Feathers and Fins]

Water temp: 57.4

Air temp: 82 can you believe 82 in March

Sky condition: Blue as it gets

Bait: Live Shad and 5'' curly tail grubs in white

Arrived on location at 2pm and quickly made bait, the first cast net throw pulled up over 400 4 inch shad. I started out by Ballooning from anchor to the point that has been so productive the last few days, but after about an hour of nothing I started thinking with a blue bird sky the fish may have moved deeper.

Pulled up the anchor and headed up the arm toward the marina but was stopped quickly by surface activity and marks on the fish finder. Striper marks from 15 to 20 feet down in 25 feet of water.

Dropped the first bait and instant hook up, managed to get 4 more in not time and then the bits shut off. I had to run up and get more bait anyway so this was not a bad thing.

The afternoon remained slow untill 5pm and then it was on untill 8pm.

Ended up the day with 11 stripers 4 largemouth and 1 smallmouth. I really am starting to think this small mouth likes me its the same one ive caUght 6 times now she has a notch in her tail and a scar on her right side.

Fat little girl

A triple hook up 1 on the grub 2 on shad, This convinced me to put the 3rd rod away it was interesting with three on at one time.

Sorry about the lousy quality my phone sucks and I forgot the good camera.

These fish are not going anyplace soon. They were surface feeding tonight in wide open fashion. It's real neat to see 15 to 30lbs stripers crashing baits backs and tails out of water.

[wc1063]

^{I think I'm gonna call F & F the Striper Slayer from now on. I was with him the whole day at Avoca, he kept hooking up while nothing is going on my boat.}

^{Next time I'm gonna tight my boat to his and see what kind of tricks he's pulling off of his sleeves!!}

[Feathers and Fins]

No secret other than when I find active fish i stay on them, I see too many people pass over fish and keep going. When I hook one or see them actively feeding be it on the sonar or on the surface I stay in the area and just move the boat 50 rds up and down in a figure 8 in the area.

Yesterday I was watching them active on sonar, and watching the shad balled and nervous on the surface both signs pointed to a striper school in that area so i started my figure 8's. The key to multiple fish is to stay with the active feeding school and not get pulled off by other fish slapping surface. I saw plenty of that but when i see a couple hundred back out of water busting shad im staying on the big school and not chasing the single fish.

[bferg]

F and F you are the man! Love your reports and really appreciate the detail and information you share.