Is it too early for night bite top water yet?
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Is it too early for night bite top water yet?
I am not a striper fisherman so someone with more knowledge than me can verify but the night topwater striper bite heats up when the shad spawn is going on. I have only been striper fishing a couple times and this is when we went. Water temp currently is low 50's so we are still several weeks away from the shad spawn. I predict late April to early June to be the best time with May being the peak of the night time striper topwater feed on the shad spawn...striper fishermen please correct me if I am wrong.
R19 hit the nail on the head. I start in May usually and fish it through the middle of June. If you can't hear the shad flippin up on the bank you might as well go home though. It seems to me to be feast or famine with this style of fishing. The occasional walleye is what keeps me going!!! Love me some walleye!!!
I know a couple of fellows that are throwing doll flys off of points about an hour before dark till about 10 catching their limit every night that they go the past week and half.
they are half way back in the creeks where they are finding bait
If you can stand the weather at night it starts in December. Youve got to pick your nights and times.
This thread got me to thinking about the last few years when the lake level was kept low. We would beach the boat right before dark , and then quietly walk the banks throwing redfins literally 5 ft from the bank. For some reason the fish would follow it all the way back and explode right in front of you. Fighting a big striper in skinny water from the bank is an insane thrill.
We may never get to do that again (in my lifetime anyway) with the water levels and all the jungles of saplings and new growth around the lake. But it was a blast for a few years.
[QUOTE=stripernut1;567747]This thread got me to thinking about the last few years when the lake level was kept low. We would beach the boat right before dark , and then quietly walk the banks throwing redfins literally 5 ft from the bank. For some reason the fish would follow it all the way back and explode right in front of you. Fighting a big striper in skinny water from the bank is an insane thrill.
We may never get to do that again (in my lifetime anyway) with the water levels and all the jungles of saplings and new growth around the lake. But it was a blast for a few years.[/QUOTE]
You could do that from Rowena . Drive your car down to the ramp and just walk the bank all the way up to the next cove. I never did it seriously but I thought about it a lot. I'm kind of locked into the early am fishin. Things are quite and I can see! I did it a few times for about 30 minutes. Took a rod, pliers and a bucket. That's all that was needed. I will say I did check it a fairly often for visible bait. Guess I preffer haulin a several hundred pounds of equipment around the lake and burnin fuel. Nothin like the wind in your face and burnin fuel on the lake. Must be good for the soul.
I think 60 degrees is the magic number for shad spawning. I have best luck in dark nights and throwing parallel to the bank. Last year was tough. Seemed not very predictable. I like throwing a gizz4 and a Redfin
[QUOTE=stripernut1;567747]This thread got me to thinking about the last few years when the lake level was kept low. We would beach the boat right before dark , and then quietly walk the banks throwing redfins literally 5 ft from the bank. For some reason the fish would follow it all the way back and explode right in front of you. Fighting a big striper in skinny water from the bank is an insane thrill.
We may never get to do that again (in my lifetime anyway) with the water levels and all the jungles of saplings and new growth around the lake. But it was a blast for a few years.[/QUOTE]. That’s the way I fish for them from my boat, I have my black light ready, I have it turned off but as soon as I set the hook I turn it on, so I can see how to fight the fish, I find a place where the river channel swings close to a rocky shore or cliff line, turn every light on my boat off and troll alone as close to shore as I can without bumping the rocks, and as slow as I can, making long cast and retrieve lure with just enough speed to make it stay under the surface of the water, if they are hitting it on top of water, I like using a bomber long A magnum or Redfin, and if they are bumping the top water lure and not really taking it, I switch to a sliver, because retrieving it with a slow steady crank, it will run about 3 feet deep, and they will jerk the rod out of your hand if your not ready, I think the best strike zone for striper is 3 or 4 feet from the shore line, and I think fishing dark nights with boat lights out, it will double your catch, this is without a doubt some of the best fishing there is.
They’re biting now. We had 12 Saturday night & lost 12 more. Probably had another 50 smack st it. Plenty of shad up too.
[QUOTE=Les Young;567846]They’re biting now. We had 12 Saturday night & lost 12 more. Probably had another 50 smack st it. Plenty of shad up too.[/QUOTE]
friday night was the same way, water temps were 50.6 to 51.3
there is a misconception that the shad spawn has something to do with the striper night bite, ive caught more and bigger fish from december to april than any time of the year.
glad to hear ya got em:cool:
Yep it may peak about that time, but a couple times in very warm spells I have been out at night in December & the striper were busting everywhere.