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A buddy and I are heading out Friday night to chase stripers, and was curious if anyone knows how the debris/trash is on the lake? Last year I got out there and and couldn't move cause there was so much debris, so I figured I would check since it's been raining lately. Thanks,
As of last week it had calmed down quite a bit. However during the day it gets pushed to the bank by the wind and then comes back out to play at night. Bottom line is be very careful and I don't recommend running fast at night right now. West end of lake is in better shape then the east end, where there are some real season enders floating. Be careful out there and wear those pfd's. Report back how you did when you return, good luck, Mark.
Thanks for the info Mhall. I will definetly report back on our trip, assuming more storms don't chase us off. Anybody else seen the lake recently?
upper end is coffee with cream colored - hard rains this am. lake is coming up and there is moderate floating debris. reiterate previous warning -> BE CAREFUL when running. Night bite on bluffs is reported to be good right now.
It depends on where you put in. I was down there Monday night, and, there was a little debris on main lake at Conley. Most pockets had stuff in them. It would definitely be worth your while to go, though.
Thanks for the info, didn't make it out Friday (21st) due to weather, but I'm headed down there tonight (22nd) to give it a go. Putting in at Jamestown. Has the debris gotten worse since the middle of the week? I'll post our results when I get in tomorrow.
Tough night chasing stripers...Didn't have trouble finding shad, but couldn't seem to get on the fish. Heard first blowup around 1130pm, then none till 3am. Heard around 6-10 blowups from 3am -430am. Landed one striper about 4am on Rapala. Lake looked good around Jamestown, very little debris in main lake. Worst spot with debris was around mouth of Lilly Creek. Water temp was 66 and water was clear to slight stained. Anybody else do any good this weekend?
We had a good night on Cumberland Saturday. Striper bite stated around 11:30 and lasted until 3:30. Lost count, but caught around 15 or so. Missed a lot of fish. Lure and color was everything. Only had hits on red and white Sliver. We only had one red and white sliver in the boat....all other baits, including off color Slivers would not draw a strike! Mid-creek was the ticket on dark banks. No fish coming from more than three feet from bank. Shad went down at 3:30 and striper followed. Seldom get into them as good as Saturday night, but not the first time that we found only one lure and color combination was the only way to catch fish. Most fish were keepers but 10 pounds being the biggest. Can't wait till next weekend!
Wow. You did better than me. I was around the Conley area (Fawbush) and heard very few stripers. Left around 2:30 after only catching one stripe, one smallie, and one walleye. Where were you if you don't mind me asking (up lake, mid lake, lower lake)? How far up in the creeks? Also, as a general striper question, when you are there and the shad are up decent, do you move around alot until you hear the stripes or do you stay put where you have always caught them and wait for them to come up? BTW, i threw red/white sliver quite a bit without a bite. Our lone striper came off the blue/silver bomber.
thanks
I fished middle lake. I try to fish areas with active blow-ups. I think its more important to find active feeding stripers on nights that the shad are up all over the lake. If shad activity is slow, I try to find the area with most shad flipping and fish there, even if no blow-ups are heard. If you find the shad, the stripers will usually come up sooner or later. I am certain that the stripers are sometimes just as picky about the lure action, color and presentation as any bass or crappie can sometimes be. Also, I try to keep noise to a minimum and keep my trolling motor on the slowest speed possible without switching on and off and making sharp turns. I don't like trying to parallel the bank; spooks to many fish. Instead, I fish further away from the bank and try to make a soft entry as close to the rock (or on the rock) as possible. After I retrieve for maybe 10 feet I reel in fast and make another cast. A slow to very slow lure presentation is usually better. Just being in the right place at the right time is half of it.
Interesting.... i do parallel and can see how it could spook some fish however, I have been successful with it in the past. I might head back Wednesday.
thanks.