First time Striper guy.

[Grizzly2072]

Thanks for allowing me to partake in this forum.

I have read a lot of the old post here and it appears one can benefit from all the collective wisdom you kind folks have recorded. I am an absolute newbie to the striper game, I fish out of a new tracker grizzly 2072 with a 150hp mercury 4 stroke it is equipped with a 80lb terrova which I run off of 24v's of lithium powered stored energy. I have live scope on the front mounted on a pole connected to a 126sv ultra and on the center console I have a 93sv as well. In addition to being new to stripers I have never trolled for anything in my life. I have purchased some umbrella rigs and figured I'd use my catfish tackle to get me started. I live in Ft. Smith so its at least an hour and a half to Beaver for me, I'd love to start making some trips up there this fall but am curious if I just need to be watching for water temp reports or are there other specifics I should be paying attention to before I make my virgin voyage? I will probably rent a place up there for a few nights each trip. I fish alone, the wife over the last 31 years just can't find it in her spirit to accompany me on my outdoor adventures. I like the solitude of being by myself so it really works out well. I would appreciate any guidance any of you could provide for a first timer.

Thanks and God Bless.

[Dutch]

I am not a striper guy, but if you plan to get into this you should be able to shorten the learning curve by hiring a guide.

[Quillback]

I have a number for a striper guide that I can PM you if you want it.  Saw him at the ramp last week and he had 3 stripers in the 5-7 lb. range.

I've caught a few myself, but not nearly as knowledgeable as the guys that chase them all the time, but if you are thinking of going anytime soon, you want to be down at the lower end of the lake.  

Sometime starting late October or thereabouts there will be a top water bite, that's how I like to catch them.  You can get them on spooks or poppers on top or you can throw a fluke or tube at them.  You want a setup that will allow you to make long casts.  

I know a guy that hammered them on umbrella rigs in the fall several years ago, so I think that is worth a shot, but it is something I don't throw.

Dan the Fisherman knows a lot about those stripey things, maybe he'll have some input.  Bfishin does too, but he only advises on how to catch 50 lbers.  😀

[Grizzly2072]

Thanks Dutch and Quillback, I know a guide can definitely give you a leg up, I might try that at some point. I would LOVE to catch some feeding on top, I have a couple rods rigged up for that already. I also have purchased some umbrella rigs to troll with, I'm building a trolling bar for rod holders for the back of the boat, I plan to try to troll with a couple rods at around 2mph with the trolling motor if I can find the fish. Looking forward to the adventure and I will post results as soon as I get any, until then I'll take any and all the advice I can get. 

[fishinwrench]

Pick a decent sized creek arm, preferably one near the dam.   Wait until that creek catches some rain and rises a foot or two.  Run up that creek as far as you can safely go....as the creek is falling out.... And start fishing your way out towards the lake, covering water quickly.    

Afternoon/Evenings are best (4:00pm until dark) 

That's how I locate them on Lake O. during late-Summer/Fall.

Stripers don't know, or care, which lake they are in.....so it should work there too. 

Good Luck 🤞 

 

[Quillback]

I've been waiting for that up the creek after a rain thing for a while, we're not getting rain here, north of us and south of us it has been rainy but not here.

 

[Devan S.]

I have tinkered with the big umbrella rigs and caught some fish. Mostly 4-8lb fish. 

My boat trolls at 2.8-3.0 mph so that's the speed I pull them at. Big gear, big rod holders, and make sure its all in good working condition. I use heavy metered braid to get my approximate depth of the rig and try to keep it just above anything I see on graph.

Common sense but make sure you are moving as you drop them over the side otherwise they go to the bottom, tangle up, and get hung. 

Most of my fish were caught in locations where top water was present a few hours before. 

[Grizzly2072]

Thank you fishinwrench, that is a strategy I'll definitely be trying out. Thank you Devan S, I'm 100% sure I would have dropped them then took off, I know there is a lot  of timber to be careful to avoid but wouldn't have given any consideration to how fast they might have fallen while not in motion. I have never trolled for anything so I'm sure I'll make tons of mistakes but that's life, I try to laugh and learn.