Are the Stripers still hitting top water?

[Mark Tucker]

I’m heading to Beaver on Wednesday and am wondering if the Striper are hitting on the surface?   We are staying in the Starkey area.  I’ll post reports during the stay. 
 

Mark

[Devan S.]

They were around Friday. I was unable to find large schools grouped up hitting but did find some here or there. 

[Mark Tucker]

Thanks Devan!

[Quillback]

I haven't been out for about a week myself, but they were as Devan said, just some here and there.  Check point 5, back of Little Clifty, point 1, area around Indian creek launch - those are the places I'd look.  You really need to be out as soon as it gets light in the sky too.  Good luck!

[Bassmeister]

2 hours ago, Quillback said:

I haven't been out for about a week myself, but they were as Devan said, just some here and there.  Check point 5, back of Little Clifty, point 1, area around Indian creek launch - those are the places I'd look.  You really need to be out as soon as it gets light in the sky too.  Good luck!

Do they typically hit top water in the mornings all year or just in the summer? I haven’t figured out their migration other than maybe around Prairie Creek in the cold weather time and dam when it’s hot. I’m going to try to target them a bit more with bass gear. I can’t stand live bait fishing so that’s out. 

[Devan S.]

I think there is probably some all spring into early summer and late fall. I would assume in mid-summer there is too.

 

Spots are fairly obvious because there will be boats more or less sitting and waiting at the common spots(bluff ends, humps,  points) Other than that I spend a lot of time driving slowly at 20-30 mph and looking for activity. I'm not driving down the middle of the lake either I'm skirting close enough to bank to see and look for swirls but not close enough I'm spooking everything off. 

When I see locations with activity I stop. Shut off the motor and attempt to be as quiet as possible(don't go banging around the boat). Think trolling motor as low as possible and drift if there is wind too them. 

Now this has been my experience....your never going to see swirls and run right into active fish. Getting there faster is only going to spook them off. In my experience, they will come up and swirl and chase for a bit then be gone. In some period of time maybe 5 minutes maybe 15 minutes they will come back to the surface might be 100 or 200 yards away or they might be right by your boat when they come up again but at this point its all about how quiet you have been getting near them and how far your can cast and a lot of luck. 

If you are lucky enough to get them to come up nearby you just cast into their area. I have not had a lot of luck blind casting....I am really just targeting fish on the surface. Even then my hookup percentage is only about 50/50 its seems that they miss the bait a lot for me. 

Again I am seeing a lots of one or 2 swirls in a casting sized area every 5 minutes or so. I am not seeing big schools of multiple fishing breaking the surface I saw that once last week in a cove and we hooked up on one good fish and then the school was gone(probably from banging around in the boat looking for a net). 

I am fairly new to this as this is the first year I have been finding fish but I like this style of fishing and I'm not out looking to catch limits so take this advice for what its worth. Also last week I didn't catch any fish past 7 AM....I've tried throwing swimbaits and spoons to fish the same areas but have yet to catch fish anyway but on topwater. 

[Bassmeister]

Thanks, good advice! I’ve taken a similar approach but it’s kind of hit or miss for me. I either get them really early or not at all. Luck of the draw for me since I don’t know all of the spots and don’t want to run up on guides. So I guess right or I don’t. It sure is fun though. Makes me wonder why I’ve spent so much time and money catching black bass when there are so many other ones out there that can be more fun.

[Mark Tucker]

Thanks Quillback and Devin. Very helpful!