Summer Striper Tactics
Posted: Thursday, June 12, 2008
by Michael King
GPSNAVPRO ELECTRONICS
Contrary to popular belief that the best time to fish for stripers is the spring of the year , summer time striper fishing can offer some of the hottest action of the year. Yes , it is true that some of the largest fish taken or caught during the spring as the fish are loaded with eggs and milt , but the rigors of the spawn can make catching large numbers of these brawlers a challenge. Let’s face it. When they have procreation on their minds , feeding is secondary.
This is perhaps my favorite time of year to striper fish. It is warm , and I have found as I get a little older that this is a plus in itself as fishing in the cold can be uncomfortable to old bones. Also the tactics are much simpler , not only in the rigging of tackle and bait presentation but in the finding of large schools of hungry stripers with your electronics.
Spring fishing with live bait entails the use of planer boards in shallow water or tedious bottom fishing with cut bait. In the summer you can put your electronics to work and I think this is the fun part as you search holding areas for schools of hungry stripers. It is also much simpler to present a live bait on a down rod to these fish once they are detected.
Down rod fishing large gizzard shad is perhaps my favorite striper fishing tactic. I have used it successfully year round and on different lakes in numerous states. It is a simple technique that involves finding the fish on your sonar and simply dropping baited lines straight down amongst them. If you can find the fish , this technique is unbelievably deadly. The fish are off the spawn , the water temperature has increased their metabolism , and they will eat. I have had 100 fish days applying this technique.
The equipment I use for down rod fishing consists of a medium heavy action rod in seven foot length and a Garcia 6500C reel spooled to capacity with 20 lb. test Berkley Big Game line in the green color. Of course this is my preference and you may wish a different set up. The business end of this rig consists of a 3/0 to 5/0 hook of your choice either circle or standard 3X live bait hooks. I prefer a short shank live bait hook. You will also need a 3 to 5 foot section of 15 to 20 lb. test fluorocarbon leader attached to a no. 5 barrel swivel. Above the swivel I use a 2 to 3 oz. egg sinker , depending on the size bait I am using. You will need enough weight to get a large bait to the proper depth quickly and to keep it there. Note that the fluorocarbon leader line is a must and will increase your catch rate 11 fold.
After procuring a bait tank full of lively gizzard shad or whichever bait fish is prevalent in your lake it is now time to go on the hunt. Stripers dropping back down out of the rivers will stop along flats and points holding bait fish to rest and feed up. They may be in water 20 feet deep or 55 to 70 feet deep at this time. The hotter the weather , the deeper they will be. They may also be found holding on points in the mouths of large creeks or up to ¼ of the way into the creek. I have found them at this time of year in the backs of coves early in the mornings only to move out off the points in the mouths of these coves as the morning progresses. All lakes are different and this is where a good fishfinder comes in play. Some lakes have cold water discharge dams above them on the main river. If this is the case , the stripers will gravitate up to these areas. You will just have to put your electronics to use and search the lake until you see fish on the graph. When searching for fish with my Lowrance LCX-15 at this time of year I set the depth range to 70 feet and search water from 20 feet out to 70 feet deep. As the summer progresses you may need to set your depth range to 100 feet. But remember this , even during the hottest days of the summer , stripers are not afraid of shallow water and can be found in the 20 foot range. If you are not finding schools in deeper water , it pays to check out the shallows , as they will move shallow to access schools of shallow bait fish.
Once a school is located I hook a large gizzard shad through the top of the mouth and out one of the nostrils. I then count it down to just above the depth the fish are holding. On my boat I use Driftmaster rodholders and place a rod in each of the holders on four corneres of the boat , two up front and two to the back. If you are using smaller baits , you can use more rods. I have found when using large gizzard shad , the four rod setup works best as it keeps the baits separated and tangle free. When using a 4 to 5 foot leader line the baits have a lot of freedom and will tangle. Once the rods are out , use your trolling motor to move slowly around to re-locate the school on your fishfinder if you have drifted off of them or if they have moved. Once located , stripers will move back and forth in an area , sometimes as much as 200 yards one way or the other. Sometimes , however they will be hugging tight to the bottom and remain in one small area for hours. When this is the case , get ready to have a sore arm. If you see stripers on your sonar hugging bottom and are not getting bites , drop the bait to the bottom and let it sit there. Hang on to your rod as this will produce.
As the summer progresses and the water heats up the stripers will roam the lake , following schools of bait fish. They will seek out their comfort zone. This will be different in each lake. It is up to you to find these areas with your sonar. That is part of the fun , putting the pieces of the puzzle together. You must have a good sonar unit on board , it is a must.
Well , I hope some of this will help you in your quest to have one of those unforgettable days on the water striper fishing this summer. Down rod fishing live bait for summer stripers is very relaxing and very productive. Remember to use fluorocarbon leader line and purchase the best fishfinder you can afford. The fish are out there and they are willing feeders at this time. Good luck!
For a full line of quality marine electronics at discount pricing and free shipping visit GPSNAVPRO.COM .
This Article has been viewed 1,173 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.