striper fishing novice

[MMax]

After resisting the temptation for years, sticking to only LM and SM, I decided to give in and try striper fishing. I have a 17' Carolina Skiff rigged with a couple of depth finders, a good trolling motor, 4 rod holders, rods, reels, and tackle all suited for the task. Over the past 2 years, as late as this past Monday and Tuesday, I've been on C-land trying to catch my first striper; that's right, I've been out at least 12 to 15 times and have yet to catch my first one. Up to this point pride/stupidity have kept me from reaching out to those of you with the talent/skills to catch striper, but the lack of action has finally beat me down. I need help. I usually either down line shiners at various depths around the mouth of Indian Creek or Lilly Creek, troll big hair jigs w/plastic trailers or fish bottom w/shiners. I don't have a down rigger so when I troll, I use 1 oz. to 4 oz. sinkers and rig up carolina style to keep the jig down or use dipsey divers/jet divers to keep them down. I feel like I'm doing the right stuff but as I mentioned earlier, I have nothing to show for my efforts. I going out again Saturday and I'm looking for ANY advise that might lead to a striper wetting my deck. Thanks in advance.

[fishincreek]

Don't do it! You will forget about LM and go bonkers once catch a few of those stripers. Be HAPPY that you haven't boated one yet- it's not to late to turn back........... You have a PM by the way.

[MJ]

I have about the same problem. I have tried several times without any luck. I always pull planer boards with jigs. I think a lot has to do with just finding the fish. I have taken a couple guide trips and it seems we always spend a lot of time looking before we ever catch anything. The guide always tells me to start by just driving and watching the fish finder until I locate bait fish then just work the area. The guide I used is Mike Beckham. He will fish until you catch something and usually I am the one that gets tired!! I would recomend having someone take you out to learn the different ways of finding fish. I think my problem is that I don't go enough to keep up with where the fish are. Would probably have more luck if I was able to spend a couple days straight fishing. Anyway, if you decide to hire a guide I would recomend Mike. 270-866-5360. If you go Saturday post your results!!!

[PRO V LE]

At this time be sure and have a rod ready to cast for surface feeding Stripers. Look for the birds, they will tell you where to fish. They were still on the main lake last week but could be anywhere with the water temps.

[JoeB]

If you're going to troll for them, I would ditch the big sinkers/jigs method. If you aren't going to invest in downriggers, use lead core outfits, steel line outfits, and or release dipseys. A 3/8 oz white dollfly w/ a pearl trailer will usually catch fish.

If you're going to bait fish, pull the shiners behind planer boards at the appropriate depths. Bottom fishing w/ shiners is pretty futile as they just lay on the bottom and don't trigger many strikes. Learn to catch and keep alwives and bottom fish, and I guarantee your luck will improve.

As someone else suggested, you'd be money ahead to hire a guide for a day and ask him for a tutorial for setting up your boat and how to impliment different techniques. Gluck, Phil

[MMax]

I did go out Saturday morning, but due to the promise of early rain, I bailed on the lake and bank fished for trout below the dam. Got a limit of little ones in about 1.5 hours and headed back to Nashville. I'll be back to try the striper soon, weather permiting.

[cumberlandguy1]

You should not have given up on the lake. The fish are biting pretty well.

[Boat Bums]

Hey guys by no means do I know alot. Up here on the Ohio River at Louisville Ky. We fish below the dams and do very well but casting is the order of the day and big baits catches big fish rattle traps, swim baits, topwater spinners, and floating plugs. I have seen them fish the river below the dam on Cland in this fashion. This may be the answer for you since you already bass fish.

[elnutsmalljaws]

I bought my first boat in 2003 and when I thought about Striper fishing at Cumberland my Brother in Law gave me the absolute best advice ever. He said he went 20+ times with a 2-3 day trip as part of those times guessing maybe spent some 40-50 days on the water trying to learn to striper fish with absolute ZERO luck. Said he hooked 2 but never landed them and they were small fish anyways. He then got smart and hired a guide for 3 different parts of the year to learn about spring, summer, fall/winter fishing and he can flat out catch them. I hired Gerald Bates of Bates Guide Service my first day on the water which was a Tuesday in October 2003 and my wife and I fished with him all day and we only caught 1 fish. High blue skies and all the guide boats were still out late in the day with nobody catching fish but I asked a million questions and he happily answered them all. He tried so many different things that I started taking notes. We got off the water and I went into Jamestown and bought 4 rod holders, 4 rods, all the tackle and we went out the next morning overcast cloudy and we limited out with 4 that went between 18 and 23lbs each. We limited the next days as well but it took a little longer but 2 days and 4 fish each day all due to what Gerald Bates taught me during that one 8 hour trip. He is an outstanding guide that will answer any questions you ask and I highly reccommend him. He is the type that was appologizing for only putting 1 fish in the boat, offered me another guide trip for half price whenever I wanted it to cover for only boating 1 fish. I take guide trips to LEARN, not just catch. The dream guide trip is to boat fish after fish and learn but what I learned from that man that day has more than helped me boat my share of fish based on the ratio of days on the water I fish for Stripers. Hire a guide, it will cost you a bit of money up front but add in all the trips so far with nothing and you will come out so much better in the long run. Just my 2 cents worth.

[cumberlandguy1]

elnut, that is exactly the right information. I learned more from a friend of mine that is a guide in one day than I could have learned on my own in 5 years. The biggest thing about striper fishing is learning to FIND them. Cumberland is a big lake and the fish tend to roam at times. Most of your day on the lake is searching for the fish. When you find them, you can usually catch a few. We caught and released 14 Friday and Saturday. Water temp is 52 and the fish were released very quickly. I believe in 0 limit in the winter time.

[kygorski]

Watching the birds and watching the locator are good points, the fish move around earlier in the late fall, and there will be some limitred surface activity. Kep trying they will come, several yrs ago I left home at noon, set up my down riggers and two flat lines, started to troll the flats near the dam, and had three fish on at the same time, having multiple hook ups happens. with my arthritis and bad knees I have yet to go after the stripes trhis year, but I fish almost all winter health conditions permitting, and manage to hook up in the back of ctreeks late in the fall[now]. If you're interested I have two down riggers, used once, both manual with an 8 and 10 lb wqeight, I'll sell them for 200 bucks .With the mounting brackets.Paid over 400 for them , but to big a hassle now.

[apb]

I did go out Saturday morning, but due to the promise of early rain, I bailed on the lake and bank fished for trout below the dam. Got a limit of little ones in about 1.5 hours and headed back to Nashville. I'll be back to try the striper soon, weather permiting.

Should have stayed on the lake. This weekend was good for the stripers despite the lake turning over. Snottie weather like we had this weekend can be good.

Mmax, some good advice above. I agree, take a guide trip or three (Bates is a good recommendation). Different things happening with stripers different times of the year. There is a lot to figure out. Night time right now, red clay banks, bucktails, slivers, little macs or other plugs that look like shad.

Andrew