inland freshwater striper fishing

[KRS]

Evening everyone,<br /><br />Later this month and thru the spring will be my first time going striper fishing. I will be going to Lake Pleasant (Arizona).<br /><br />I have heard that I need a fishing light, so I can attract shad... then what should I do? I know I need to rig lures or bait, but what types, what methods, floating, sinking, etc.?<br /><br />Any help that can be given would be appreciated.

 

[NathanY]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Well if you gonna use a light, I assume you are going at nite.. When I do that, I go to the bait shop and get striper minnows. These are usually shiners that are about 5-6 inches. I use a circle hook and hook them right through the bottom lip and come out the nostril. Striper have a tendancy to attack head first, and by using the circle hooks, you really dont have to set the hook. I drop my light down about 4-5 feet. Use whatever weight you want to keep the bait steady. I usually fish it about 15-20 ft deep.<br /><br />May be different in AZ, but that how we do it in AR....

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Excellent. The light I found on ebay is a floating light, I am guessing yours is submersible.<br /><br />The stripers out here feed on shad (that's what Game&Fish say), so I will see if a bait shop sells shad.<br /><br />What size hook (Don't give me an actual hook sizing number because I don't know them) do you use.... 1" across or so?

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Also, if you have info on trolling, would like to learn about that too. I used "pop-gear" on mackinaw years ago, still have that old gear, wonder if it will work on striper?

 

[jtexas]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

here's a great resource for striper fishing info on Lake Texoma, includes a lot of tips & techniques: www.sixoldgeezers.com<br /><br />Be aware that shad are extremely delicate - you can't even buy 'em around here; bait fishermen use nets to catch their own. You'll need some kind of oxygenated bait tank. I tried keeping some in my livewell & they all died within about five minutes. Shiners work pretty well, but you need to find some big ones. We hook 'em just like Nate describes. but with an egg sinker, barrel swivel & and about a 18" leader - so the minnow can't twist your line up. Put a glass bead between the sinker and swivel so the sinker can't cut through the knot. You want a pretty wide gap hook, inch and a half between the point & shank wouldn't be too big. The circle hooks are less likely to get gut-hooked. <br /><br />I prefer artificials; they're more productive in the winter months, but that might not work down there. Slabs & spoons up to 2 oz. vertical jigging, and 4" sassy shads or storm wild eye let 'em sink & retrieve 'em slow & steady. I use mono at least 17lbs, or 30 or 50lb braid.<br /><br />if you can't get tips on hotspots, look for humps on flats, like an underwater hill.<br /><br />often you can see schools of baitfish on the fishfinder before you see any arches - if they're balled up like a thumbprint on the graph, you've hit the jackpot; they ball up close together when under attack by stripers. Bigger fish will be down under the school, and on the outer edges. but if the bait is spread out in a line, keep moving - means they're relaxed.<br /><br />most important - have fun & post the pictures here!

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Wow, excellent info.<br /><br />I will post my success here in a few weeks!

 

[1968_Red_fish_IMP]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

What size do the striper run on that lake in Az.? If they are between 2 and 6 pounds you can use a #6 livebait hook, and up about 12-18" slip on a crimping style split shot. As for the shad, "if" it is legal you can meter the bait balls and use ultra light rod/reel with small treble hooks (the kind you use for trout fishing) and a 1/4 oz weight and throw into the bait balls and snag the shad, but keep them in a live well. They die off pretty quickly, but you can snag enough to get you fishing for quite awhile. Again, try metering the fish (stripers) usually you will find them in the areas near the shad bait balls. Let the wind be you friend and drift the shad just off the bottom, or a few cranks up. They will hit that bait about 60 MPH and hang on it's fun. Also, if the stripers are boiling the surface, throw a hopkins "silver" up to 1/2 oz jig at them, or if they are in deep water just drop the hopkins down and jig up and down simulating a live bait that is wounded. Good luck

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Went to a seminar at Sportsman's Warehouse just the other night. There was a pro fisherman and a professional guide and a Game & Fish biologist presenting. They say average weight is 5lbs, although 40 inch long fish have been spotted/caught.<br /><br />The bait shop sells shad (I think) and I have heard that frozen anchovies work too?<br /><br />Thank you for the rigging help, I was wondering how to setup my poles.<br /><br />60mph? Wow!

 

[NathanY]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Well how did the fishing trip go?

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

I am going next weekend, the first weekend in March, the water should just be hitting the spawning temperature....

 

[1968_Red_fish_IMP]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Originally posted by azfyrfyter63:<br /> They say average weight is 5lbs, although 40 inch long fish have been spotted/caught.<br /><br />The bait shop sells shad (I think) and I have heard that frozen anchovies work too?<br /><br /> <br /><br />

Usually when these fish are schooled up good the majority of them are between 4 and 8 pounds. They are definately a preditor fish and they do an awful lot of chasing bait. Rarely are they in one certain spot, unless that spot happens to be full of baitfish (shad). Also, they spook really easy to the sound of outboard motors. So when you do fish the areas they are congragating in, use the electric trolling motor to move around with. That is why I like to drift fish them. Cut anchovies do work on them, but they LOVE shad. And have heard that they love Rainbow Trout, (but that bait is illegal) Cant remember if I mentioned, hook the shad right through the underside of the nose (inside the mouth and straight up through the nostrils. Most of the time it is like 60 MPH, but at times they will just mouth the bait, and then ya just feed a little line at a time till they are running and click the reel in and set the hook. It is not uncommon to have several hookups at a time with these fish. If I could figure out what the heck URL means, I would post a pic of some 4-6 pounders out of Skinner Lake in Southeren California. Man-o-man, I wish I were going. It's still a bit chilly here to launch the boat for me, but soon I will be getting into them in Truman Lake. After you clean some, you will see why shad is mentioned for bait so much. Almost forgot to mention, they can be line shy, and since the majority of them are between 4-8 pounds go with 6-8 pound test, just set the drag so they can run. I have had to follow them with the boat at times to not break them off. Also be cautious of their gills (right at the back tips) it's like a razor blade. <br />Good Luck!

 

[jtexas]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Don't know if they do this in AZ, but we got flocks of sea gulls on our lakes, and if we see 'em circling & diving, that means a feeding frenzy is going on with stripers chasing the shad up from the deep & birds attacking 'em from above. Ease in with your trolling motor & have at 'em.<br /><br />And '68 redfish is right about setting the drag; stripers go deep when hooked, and when you get 'em in almost close enough to see 'em, they'll make another run for the bottom. Big 'uns will do that 2 or 3 times until you get 'em tired out enough to land 'em. Just let 'em take all the line they need.

 

[1968_Red_fish_IMP]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Jt~ I think there are sea gulls there too. Them birds just dont seem to know where home is anymore, ie; lakes, dumps, anywhere but the ocean. We even have them here in Missouri. Another bird to watch is the grebe, them grey to black colored coot looking birds. They will swarm on an area and dive for the shad, and this is only my imagination, but I think that the stripers hang out just under the shad and take the wounded that the grebes miss. Whenever we would see this, we would jig the Hopkins spoon. This time of year the shad should be spawning, being all balled up in the coves (kind of shallow water up to 12' deep) get the bait early and drift with the wind or trolling motor on the main channel leading to the coves.

 

[1968_Red_fish_IMP]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

<br />And here is a tip in filleting them, cut out the dark colored meat along the backbone. I usually make a "V" shaped cut along the fillet on each side of the dark meat the whole length of the fillet, and just pull out the dark meat. That meat is oily and really fishy tasting, kind of like a mackeral taste YUCK!

 

[KRS]

Re: inland freshwater striper fishing

Woo Hoo, 7 day countdown until I go!