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Cumberland Striper
Anybody doing much right now? Fished last Friday and Saturday 6-9am with my son.
Focused on main lake points and flats in the Jamestown area. Water temp was between 85-87, marked a lot of fish both days. The fish we marked were shallow and most were in 60ft or less of water laying near the bottom. Friday fished with spoons and bucktails with no luck(shad caught too small to use). Saturday got decent bait and caught several nice smallies and one really nice striper. For me the fishing was a big success because my 6yr old got his first striper!
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[QUOTE=BassHawk78;563706]Anybody doing much right now? Fished last Friday and Saturday 6-9am with my son.
Focused on main lake points and flats in the Jamestown area. Water temp was between 85-87, marked a lot of fish both days. The fish we marked were shallow and most were in 60ft or less of water laying near the bottom. Friday fished with spoons and bucktails with no luck(shad caught too small to use). Saturday got decent bait and caught several nice smallies and one really nice striper. For me the fishing was a big success because my 6yr old got his first striper![/QUOTE]
Fish can be all over the place but I've focused on open water with the dam in site. Most are fishing deeper down to 65 but I am still getting fish fast trolling down riggers and slide divers 27-45. You would be better off sticking with the schools close to the bottom in the 60 something ft of water if you plan to continue to jig. You can also use shiners if you can't get big enough bait. Shiners will keep easier and last longer on the hook.
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Saw where this was caught by someone.....really nice fish
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I got this 36 incher in the same area. Lance was literally going in when I was headed out at day break and I got a Kapow! text as he passed me. LOL . Had several broken leaders this weekend as well as the straightened jig in the pics. The hook was almost straight on the jig that landed this fish. Powerpro 50 pound braid and a 6 foot leader on slide divers is just too much force for these bigger fish. Brought my gear home and I'm adding 90 foot of mono to get some shock absorption. It's a great problem to have to fix!!
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[QUOTE=Duayne;563708]Fish can be all over the place but I've focused on open water with the dam in site. Most are fishing deeper down to 65 but I am still getting fish fast trolling down riggers and slide divers 27-45. You would be better off sticking with the schools close to the bottom in the 60 something ft of water if you plan to continue to jig. You can also use shiners if you can't get big enough bait. Shiners will keep easier and last longer on the hook.[/QUOTE]
What speed do you consider fast trolling?
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[QUOTE=MrPike;563768]What speed do you consider fast trolling?[/QUOTE]
My average speed is 2.6 mph, my top speed is 2.8 and the low is 2.3. For me it's just the slowest I can go when I put the boat in gear. Wind and current do the rest. People that can vary throttle speed usually watch down rigger cables and adjust the throttle to make sure they have a consistent angle. Me, I have to watch my cables and calculate in my head what I think the actual depth is if the boat speed\angle changes. I keep a simple trig spreadsheet on my phone to reference if I get stuck.
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[QUOTE=Duayne;563769]My average speed is 2.6 mph, my top speed is 2.8 and the low is 2.3. For me it's just the slowest I can go when I put the boat in gear. Wind and current do the rest. People that can vary throttle speed usually watch down rigger cables and adjust the throttle to make sure they have a consistent angle. Me, I have to watch my cables and calculate in my head what I think the actual depth is if the boat speed\angle changes. I keep a simple trig spreadsheet on my phone to reference if I get stuck.[/QUOTE]
Ok just wondering. I usually troll between 2.7 and 3.0. All my fish this year that I got rigging have come 2.7-2.9 mph. I use a kicker motor so I have very good control over my speed. I use 12lb downrigger balls.
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[QUOTE=MrPike;563791]Ok just wondering. I usually troll between 2.7 and 3.0. All my fish this year that I got rigging have come 2.7-2.9 mph. I use a kicker motor so I have very good control over my speed. I use 12lb downrigger balls.[/QUOTE]
Ah, OK. I used the term fast trolling for using a gas motor versus what I call slow trolling with the trolling motor.
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I appreciate the discussion on down riggers. I have never used them but considering trying them out since the striper bite seems to be steady and I'm having such a hard time catching any good bait right now.
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[QUOTE=boskeet;563803]I appreciate the discussion on down riggers. I have never used them but considering trying them out since the striper bite seems to be steady and I'm having such a hard time catching any good bait right now.[/QUOTE]
Keep in mind there is a reason the guides rarely go to fast trolling. It can be deadly one day and daunting the next. I've only had one trip that didn't end with a limit but several times the bait guys had their numbers in no time and I struggled to get two fish. I continue my search for the holy grail of fast trolling and competing with live bait on Cumberland but I am not there yet. I am getting closer! More changes to come on the next trip... :)
I would invest in slide divers first. It's not a huge investment and they have out-fished the down riggers the last few trips out. There are several threads on them here if you search for them.
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Boat traffic
I thought I read that you were trolling on a weekend? If so how is the boat traffic. I've avoided coming to the lake the last couple of months. I'm going to try and make it down the 22nd and 23rd. This month during the week.
Im hoping that most schools will be back in session and the lake will be less crowded.