Cumberland Striper - From Zero to Hero

[DHall]

I really enjoy reading your posts! Keep them coming

[OutInKy]

Here I go again, Friday night of the last weekend of June. I'm even better equipped now with the addition of the bait tank, and a brand new 10', 3/4" mesh, 1.7 lb net, and 45' of wire on my underwater led. I'm ready to go deep and get this striper thing right, getting the good bait that catches the keepers! I didn't fish the previous weekend because we took a camping trip to Laurel with the other boat, so I left a bit early in the evening to give me time to scout for bait and test out the bait tank.

Back to my favorite spot where I've been seeing all the bait and catching a few fish, and guess what? It's all still right where I left it again! There are schools of bait, and groups of good sized arches on the graph, so at least I don't have to run around looking for fish. With the bait tank filled, chilled, and salted, now it just needed to get dark so I can round up the bait.

But there was one thing to do to occupy my time until dark...that big heavy net! UPS had just delivered it that Friday afternoon and I realized real quick I couldn't throw it with the same method as my lighter nets. Off to YouTube to refresh the triple load method, and out in the yard to give it a whirl. After a few throws, I seemed to get a decent spread and I figured "good enough."

Out on the water, and with a 30' longer hand line, it was a mess. I could get the net to spread front to back, but not left to right. Back to YouTube where I re-watched the video, only to find I was loading the net up right. Another failed throw and then I realized I was actually throwing it wrong. The triple load throws from under the left arm out like throwing a frisbee, not from the right. The next throw nearly opened the net fully, but now I'm wore out from throwing the thing. Oh well, it's about dark and time to put the light out and take a break for a bit.

Within a half an hour I have a good thick layer of bait at about 35' on the sonar, so it's time to see what this net will do! I threw and let it sink a bit and killed the light. Hauling all that weight up that long handline, I was expecting a big bag-o-alewives. Instead I found a brand new way to get a zero! Nothing, nada, zilch! So I waited a bit to get the bait tight around the light and threw again. And again I got nothing!

Now I'm really getting frustrated. Just when it seems I'm starting to get some of this figured out, I'm back to zeros. It's pitch black dark, I'm soaking wet from the triple load, and I can't even fish because I can't catch bait. What else can a do but throw again? And so I did, but just as the center of the net began to sink I realized there was no rope between the pile laying in the water and my arm. The rope had tangled a bit and pulled the loose loop right off my hand.

I grabbed the first rod I could and tried to snag it with a few casts, but that was a failure as well. Then I realized I should drop a marker on the Helix, but I had already drifted a bit in the wind before I did. The next 3 hours were spent dragging treble hooks across the bottom and guess what? Another zero! Geez, at this point I don't think I could catch a cold licking door handles at a Dr's office!

Not wanting to accept the fact that I had threw $200 in the lake, I went back Saturday to try again. When I got to my spot there was 15 boats within sight, so obviously I rocked and rolled as I wasted another 2 hours dragging the bottom. I didn't want it to happen before becoming the "hero", but I knew this time was coming. The water was as warm as 87 near a rock wall, the pleasure boaters were out in full force, and the fish were deep. Losing the net just sealed the deal...it's time to give it up!

I'm not giving up on striper completely, just sitting out the summer. I cleaned out all the striper gear from the boat and put it away. I'll do a little more crappie fishing, and maybe a catfishing trip or two but now that the water is nice and warm I'll mostly just be a recreational boater.

Tight lines to all of you that still chase the fish when they get this deep, and thanks for those of you that have helped steer me in the right direction.

I'll be at it again this fall and the story will continue, after I buy another net!