Stripers at Newburgh Dam

[Striper18]

Anybody have any reports on the stripers and hybrids. The river is leveling off and thought about making a trip this weekend. Barring no rain. Thanks

[JustinM]

I honestly haven't been out there in awhile. With the water level staying around 15' it should be prime time right now.

[Striper18]

Justin, have you had much luck fishing for them. I like to use artificials but I am sure live bait is working great now. Typically we throw swimbaits and spoons. Thanks

[JustinM]

I mostly use artificals. I'm not a fan of swim baits there due to the depth. XR 100's rattletraps work really well. Also bucktails. Use a 3' leader with a 2oz pencil weight to get it down deep. Tie a barrel swivel on to the end of your line. Before the swivel put another one on with 6# mono about 6" long with the weight. Then the 3' leader going to the bait. Also you may want to use a bead to keep your knot safe. That way when they take the bait they do not feel the weight at all and pull line freely. Also the 6# mono for the weight because the weight will be what gets snagged. Much better to just break off the weight than the lure/bait. With live bait there is no telling what you will catch so be ready. As for luck, yes I've always done pretty well. I do like jt meyers lock and dam better for stripers. A LOT less traffic and better fish and numbers for me. Newburgh there is a hump between the 3rd and 4th gate about 3/4's down the wall. Cast over it about 20' then reel back over it. Stripes are usually all over that hump. If that doesn't work go to the down river side of the hump and cast upriver over it and reel in. You will catch them there. The Kentucky side is also better than the indiana side imo. Bait fish hold better over there, unless the skips are running in the current. The stripes will most likely hold close to the bottom with the river at 15'. Lemme know if you have more questions.

[JustinM]

One more tip for the river. Check with Paul or don and see if anything on the green river has spawned. If they have and the babies are out the the only place I will go is where the green dumps into the Ohio. There is usually a mud line from the two coming together. Troll right down the center of that line and you will hammer them all day long. Not a lot of big fish but you can catch tons of 5# ers eating all the babies. It's especially good when there has been a lot of rain. All this striper talk make me want to go out on the river tomorrow!

[Striper18]

Justin, thanks for sharing your information. I have fished below Barkley and Kentucky with a guide and prefer to go after Stripers before anything else. We mainly caught them on live bait. However, we did use spoons and swimbaits also. Top water pencil baits will also work. The swimbaits we use have 1/2 to 3/4 inch weighted heads. Since Newburgh is close I have decided to start here. Gas prices dont look like they will be going down and I need to learn how to fish the areas closer to the house. Last question and I will leave you alone. Is the JT Meyers dam more dangerous then Newburgh and where do you put in to reach it. Maybe we can hook up sometime and go. Thanks

[JustinM]

JT is about a mile east of where the wabash dumps into the Ohio. Easiest way to get there is hovey ramp and head west then lock through. Or a ramp on the wabash and run south til the river then east. But I don't like the wabash. Wayyyy to many log jams just under the surface. As for which is more safe? Both will kill you just as fast if you're stupid about it. JT is better imo cause it is much narrower than Newburgh. But at the same time has more current. If you do anchor make sure you have a knife ready to cut the line just in case. I trust my motor 150% but I don't shut it off if inside the lock wall. Just a few safety tips. Also there are a ton more Shad around jt. The finger at the end of the lock wall that runs back south holds a ton of Shad which makes getting live bait easier. Also jt is the best area in southern Indiana to see bald eagles imo. I see them every single time I go there. And they have nests all over down there. If you do run the wabash to the Ohio watch out for Asian carp. They are thick down there. And they jump like crazy. Your Indiana license is good til you run past the wabash btw.

[JustinM]

Here is a very good update for you. Imo this is one of if not the top guys on the river around here. Paul is also a great guy and willing to help anyone.

http://camofishguideservice.com/the-fishing-report.php

[psvec]

Here is a very good update for you. Imo this is one of if not the top guys on the river around here. Paul is also a great guy and willing to help anyone.

http://camofishguideservice.com/the-fishing-report.php

Thanks Justin, I have not fished for strs since the winter. I go after them in the hot water discharge, but i do fish for spots alot. there is some good fishing for bass by the jt dam, also i fished the green this past weekend tournament and only had two keepers and lost a good rod over the side of the boat. the green was very low but with all the rain it is coming up. the only bad thing about the green is alot of barges.

[Striper18]

Thanks for the info guys. I am fairly new at all this and cant wait to give it a shot. Was gonna go sunday until the weather got bad. Took off this Thursday but think I am gonna hit the White for channels. The family and myself are getting the itch for some fried catfish. Gonna see what we can do Thursday since the weather is gonna be nice. Keep me updated on catching the stripers and hybrids. Gonna give it a shot soon. Take care

[JustinM]

If you are that new to striper fishing the river it may be a good idea to get a guide just to see it all in action. The guy on the site I posted is very good.