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Posts: 35
| I've been giving some serious thought to doing some trolling for stripers this year, probably in rivers. Does anyone have any experience or tips to share? I plan on using traditional muskie trolling equipment and baits. Any info would help!! | |
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| Chris,
I have had a lot of luck at norris using bigger baits and catching some big stripes. especially this time of year, downriggering at nite. If you want some details, email me
Marc | |
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| Planer boards w/ bucktails/Poagy baits work REAL well here, as do Sutton spoons. Casting/trolling Redfin/Rebel deepers will work, as will the always dependable Redfin floaters or Storm Thundersticks; fished at night w/ a SLOW enticing wobble, these baits provide mind blowing top water action! Dad swears by Mirror Lures, and got his best (34.0lbs) on one last spring. There are many ways to fish them, just be careful not to spook them if trolling on the river. The Stump Jumpers(bucktails, Bass Pro) in 3/8oz. or 1/2oz. w/ a 4" chartreuse or white twister tail are killers here; we reel them SLOW enough to wobble the tail and score. We have found that Rat-L-Traps in 1/2 or 3/4 oz., chrome/black and chrome/blue also shine at times, and the bluegill pattern also works well on occasion. Believe it or not, they will also nail chicken livers drifted above the school, or on the bottom. Let us know how you do! | |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | Hey Sponge, ( you old rockfish man) At what water temps do you change your trolling depths? In other words, does your depth change according to season? I've often felt (like ChrisH) that much of what I've read about trolling muskies would translate well into striper. And since my boat technically is a "striper boat" the natural thing to do is give them a fair shake once in a while, eh? I bought a #5 Vibrax with a blue bell and a silver french blade just thinking to "meself" (to quote a famous M1 contributor) that striper and even musky would eat this up in Shad infested waters. Yes? No? I'm thinking smaller presentation in the spring when the forage is smaller but still hefty enough to handle a big fish.Teach me to catch a striped barse, oh great master of the rockfish...... | |
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| Yes, the temp/depth changes are related, and the good thing is, here you catch them all year long. I don't fish for them here in the summer(daytime) unless I'm food fishing, as they will often belly up when caught from deep water, especially the bigger ones. Though they may appear to swim off strong, they can sometimes be found dying at the surface later that day, hence the "no fishing" practice in the hot times. Early morning/late evening are good times when it starts getting warmer, and I like the night top water stuff. In cold weather, the sun will warm up the flats/bars, and when the shad enter there, so will the rocks. I know peeps who have caught them in 90' of h2o in the summer. dpending on time of year, they can be found off mud banks, bars, and in open h2o w/ shad balls along the river channels. You can also jig them w/ spoons/bucktails on underwater humps. I use an 8'6" Tourney Special rod from Bass Pro w/ a Shimano spinning reel for casting; the fish can be spooked easily when running shad to the surface, and I can get a longer cast w/ this outfit. Often times I will cast to the edge of a school and let the bait sink, as the larger fish seem to be a little deeper under the shad. Perhaps Marc can add to this, I'll check back in later! | |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I would think a TuffShad would sure trigger some striper strikes. When the River finally clears up a bit, I'm gonna try my TuffShad jerk on the buggers and see what hits. We had pretty good luck last year below Racine dam with shad-looking cranks. m | |
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| No doubt the Tuff Shads would work, and also GThem's new shad baits that we saw at Cave Run. If you could find the Jimmy Baker 004s/006s, another proven fish nailer. We have used one oz. Rooster Tails w/ good results, so a Vibrax should work also. Key Largo bucktails w/ mylar in the tails work well also. The Storm Big/Little Mac, both deep and shallow are popular. Live threadfin or gizzard shad can be fished under balloons and drifted on both lakes and rivers...so many ways, so little time... | |
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Stripers on muskie gear