Nice Night For A Boat Ride

[Feathers and Fins]

They are scattered all over the lake but the biggest concentrations are near the dam in summer. They roam all the time but seek out the cooler water of that area. School size varies of course, The bigger fish are more solitary without a doubt that's 25pounds or more where the smaller ones school more. It is very common to find a bunch of 10 to 15 pound fish in a large school.

Its a lot of gut feelings based over years of chasing them to be honest. I learned to listen to my gut. Read my sonar and pay attention to the surface of the water and the sky above looking for anything that might give them away.

[Feathers and Fins]

wait a minute!!!!!!! show off? you are the one who brought up hunting lol.

[nathanhooper]

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.

[Feathers and Fins]

The summer is not the best time to look for birds, but it is a good time to look for shad being pushed to the surface early and late, it does need to be calm though. This is the toughest time of year mostly because of pleasure boating putting the fish deep. I do have a trick that can be very productive and very unorthodox, get chicken liver and put it on a treble hook and drift with it about 50 ft out. It sounds weird but has saved many trips. I do not know why they like it but they do.

[J-Doc]

I figured catfish would bite a liver before a striper.

[wc1063]

There were many many times when I was out on the water, thinking yes the lake is beautiful, but not catching anything for 4 hours is not worth my time. But that's the way it goes sometimes. We can't all be like F&F, if we are, the lake would be empty!!!!

[Feathers and Fins]

If you think I don't have skunk days you are wrong, true they are not many but there is days I go home scratching my head, BUT those are the days that keep me coming back more than the days I load the boat with fish. I just don't report on the bad days lmao!!!!

I haven't trained all the fish yet Wilson... Note: I said YET lol.

[nathanhooper]

F&F ain't the only one out there draining the lake. Lol. I know a guy I work with who is the same way. Here is one interesting thing I can spot right off hand. They both just fish. Doesn't matter what gets pulled up, they just fish.

I think sometimes I go with the mentality that I am out for a specific species and weight. That's what gets me in trouble I think. I don't fish, I am hunting at that point, I need to start fishing instead.