Report from the Big C

Well we change direction and instead of heading toward cherokee in tn we went to Cumberland instead searching for monster stripes. We got to the lake around 9:00 and fished till 4:00 in the morning. We put in at the Jamestown dock and fish were busting from the time we got there till about 2:00. Everything seemed to be just about perfect except for the bite. 5 boats 2 keeper stripes and 3 walleye is what we have to show. I don't think I have ever heard the amount of fish that were blowing up and wouldn't hit anything you throwed. Threw slivers, redfins, thundersticks, long A's, you name it in in about every available color. I personally had two blow-ups, one that was a really good fish but no hooks in him. They said the nite before folks were killing them so I guess we were just off a night LOL Any suggestions when the fish are like that?

I'm only learning about stripes as I am mainly a Bass fisherman, but a buddy and I had the exact same thing happen to us a few weeks ago. I asked all the guys in the know and what I got from it, was sometimes it's just like that. There are nights they will just blast you and others where you can't make them bite, just fishing I suppose. Drives ya nuts don't it??

LOL Yea it kind of gets to you after the fiftieth knee buckling explosion to what your mind seems to be the next world record. But overall I guess I have had worse days. You can bet that if possible I will be back there Friday night.

I fell your pain and don't have any suggestions. Been there for both the good and bad times. I'm heading down Thursday night through Saturday morning. I see where the 'last quarter' of the moon will be on Thursday night. I'm wondering if your experience is better fishing for stripes at night closer to a full moon than a new moon? Is there a pattern related to that or is it just the fact that they gorge one night and then lay around on the couch for two days or so?

If you are getting them to blow up constantly like that, you are doing something right. Just need a minor change to get them to take it. That change may just be a change in the retrieval speed, color, size of the plug, or a combo of the above. Also, not every blow up with result in a hook up. I've had them absolutely crush a plug and somehow miss two large trebles.

[quote=markmac60;294822] ... I'm wondering if your experience is better fishing for stripes at night closer to a full moon than a new moon? ...[/quote]

New moon is better. If its full, hope for cloud cover to cover up the moon, or find the dark banks and fish those.

Andrew

But you did get a chance to go out didn't you? Its not called fishing for a reason. There are nights when you can do no wrong, and then there are those nights when nothing goes right.Last thursday, after two fruitless hours of casting, got my first hit smaller fish, couple of casts later, bingo! a good one, but net was tangled on my spare rod, played the fish, got the net untangled, got the fish into the boat, and then everything that could go wrong did. Got hooked in the leg by one of the trebles, that fish was still very green, cut the hook, released the fish, and headed for the ER. Got to the dock, decided to cut my jeans to expose the hook,lucky me, the barb had gone through, little bloody, but cut closer to the shank and pulled the hook out, used myfirst aid kit, and went home, wound looks good neosporin worked.and you werwe complaining about the fishing?

That's the reason I married A nurse!!!! She used to fish to...Till she landed a 235#er....That was me !!!I said I do...She said I don't anymore and that goes for a few other things I won't get into....Sorry bout your luck ...

Oh by the way, crazy glue stops real bad bleeding....learned that from a nurse...lol

You know I had four great nights of fishing, , should have quit while I was a head. But you take the good with the bad, and thats not the first, but hope its the last time one of those loose trebles get me. Carry a first aid kit in the truck always, and several pairs of diagonal cutters are always near, someplace in the boat. My new friend is also a nurse!!