Striper tackle & fishing help

Rookie Striper fisherman getting started and looking for tackle suggestions. Expect to fish live bait mainly on down rods with a little trolling possibly. Right now have 4 7 ft. rods with large Penn reels (Salmon type) spooled with 30# Big Game green line. Usually set up 1-2 ounce weights, bead, barrel swivel and 5-6 ft. leader of the same line. I know the alewives from the lake are best but have never had success catching any. Always pick up shiners on the way in but have only caught bass on them. Is there anywhere that sells shad. Was told a bait store near Lee's Ford used to sell them but not sure if that place is still open. Coming down the week of Thanksgiving hoping to boat a few. Will be fishing out of Jamestown and expecting them at the creek mouths and on in. Any and all help or suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks again, technonorb

My only suggestion is that 30# line is too heavy. Just my opinion, but I have 17# max on my 5 rods (Berkley 7' MH) that I use for Stripers. Never put any heavier than 17# and have never had one break me off either, including biggest at 29 pounds and 22 pounder that I was LUCKY enough to land a few weeks back. Maybe the bigger line is not that big of a difference but I am of the addage, use the smallest line possible for the best chance to hook some fish. The rod and drag will help land them.

Been using 17lb trilene (in red box) since 1984 and have not lost a fish yet, well there was an incident with a big Walleye and a lantern one night, oops...

Do you guys have any luck with shiners? Like I said, odds are thats what I'll be pulling and are there any reports of hot areas and depths? Thanks for your help. will be fishing this Saturday to Wednesday any one going to be on the water? tech

Shiners will catch stripers if you put them in front of the striper. Some days they are real picky and that is when the Alewifes can be the bait of choice. Getting to know your depth finder can be the biggest help. That and being able to put the baits at the same depths you are marking bait. The other thing to consider is a decent bait tank. The fresher the bait, the better. Most often, Stripers do not want a lathargec shad, they want it alive and kicking.

Agree with the other guys, the 30# line is a little heavy for the lake. With a good drag setting, 20# is as heavy as you'll need. I prefer not to go too light as I catch and release in cooler weather when the stripers are shallow. With a lighter line, you'll have to play them longer which lessens their chance of survival after release.

If you are new to striper fishing, you might also consider a guide. Maybe try a couple of trips, in different seasons to pick up some pointers.

Andrew

i also agree that the 30 lb is too heavy. i actually use 12-15 LB "P-Line" and i have never had a fish break my line. I caught a 33 LB fish 4 years ago with no problem. With any line, just be cautious of the drag and play the fish properly. While trolling, make sure you have the drag set properly. These fish hit like you are salt water fishing and they can strip 50 foot of line off in a hurry. As far as rods go, I started out with a couple "catfish" rods and a couple spinning reels that i used for walleye fishing. My first couple years down there were spent praying that a fish would not spool off my line. I always hear rumors of that but it never happened. I probably had 75 yards of line on those spinning reels and never lost a fish. I caught 20 LB fish trolling with that spinning rod. It is just too expensive to go out and buy all those poles at once. 10 years later, i feel i am a little more equipped. back to the line, i use 10-12 when i am casting. as the other guys stated, try a guide the first couple of times and ask them a ton of questions. that is what i did. the guide told me to downsize my line, especially in the clear water of cumberland. another thing, you need to get out on the lake and get accustomed to the different patterns of the fish. having the gear is one part of it - BUT knowing the lake and their patterns is key. i have spent more time down there NOT catching fish than catching fish. but there are days that i caught6-8 fish and the guides got skunked and then there are days when i get skunked in 12 hrs of fishing and the guides are back in the marina by 9 am. about the shiners, i think they work just as well. the mistake that most people make is using the bigger shiners. i think the bigger the shiner, the less likely you will catch fish with them. some of the bigger shiners are gold in color and resemble more of a shiner than a shad. i have done best using the 2-4 inch shiners. my 33 lb striper came on a 3 inch shiner in the middle of april. now the suckers work best but only in the october and november months for me when the fish are down deep. they are hearty and live in 90 ft of water. i have never caught a fish in the winter on those suckers.

Thanks for the great info. Like I said... I'll be on the water Saturday to Wednesday. Give me an e-mail if you're going then too and maybe meet up and tell a lie or 2 or 20. Point taken on the line and the 1 time we had alewives given to us they were dead before we left the dock. Homemade bait tank wasn't all I thought it would be. Will enjoy time on the water no matter what the fish are doing, but a bend in the rod sure tweaks the day don't it?
Thanks again, tech [email][email protected][/email]

i have heard alot of comments regarding that you MUST have a shad tank. I have fished there since 1997 4-5 times a year in the cold months. The livewell has done a decent job as long as i did not overcrowd it.

as far as summer goies, its tougher to keep them alive.