Summer Stripers

[Adrian]

Been seeing these puppies showing back up on the Sonar in the main river channel around deep structure. Old Hickory gizzards have been hard to come by lately, so I went to Station Camp creek and netted a couple dozen creek chubs and headed out. We caught about 10 and some nice cats. Side note, the Striper bite was only in the mid afternoon. Here's hoping that it's about be ON!

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg582/adriandavidpayne/July-2016-Striper_zpsmuyewxjs.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/adriandavidpayne/media/July-2016-Striper_zpsmuyewxjs.jpg.html)

[jaybird]

Great fish!

[spottedbass]

You just about kill me every year about this time. I have hunted all over Old Hickory and can not find the stripers. I envy your striper catching abilities. I need to get my son hooked into one of these and he would be hooked on fishing.

[unkangler]

Great report/pic's ... Beautiful healthy looking fish.. ... Rockfish stuffed with crabmeat; yea that's good eatin' :)

[Adrian]

If you want to catch them this time of year it requires some good electronics. They are either on structure near deep water or tucked in by deep cliffs. If I was a betting man, I'd say they were laid up on the cliff walls across from the steamplant. There's plenty of shade there and it's deep right next to a huge flat. I'm going to look there next time I go out, but yesterday I didn't have enough gas to make the trip.

Here's what they looked like yesterday. I tell the wife, this is what we're looking for. When it looks like spaghetti, park it. One other thing, they get really bait size specific this time of year. Gizzards or Creek chubs in the 4-5" range are the ticket.

*and No, the water temp was not 93º, the Lowrance was reading the transducer in the hull because I was cruising.

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg582/adriandavidpayne/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-27%20at%201.45.53%20PM_zps9bbtwnlm.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/adriandavidpayne/media/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-27%20at%201.45.53%20PM_zps9bbtwnlm.jpg.html)

[spottedbass]

Thanks. That is what I look for on my Lowrance. Just haven't found that. I'll keep looking. Is live bait the only way to really catch them?

[Adrian]

Live bait is just my preferred method when they are suspended in this Hot weather. It sometimes requires a jigging spoon to get them fired up once you put the live bait in their face which is what I do. I park right on top of them and downline.

When they are active you can slow troll A-Rigs or U-Rigs quite successfully. For my money, there's just something about finding them and putting a little swimmer right in front of their big mouths :)

[Dakota]

Thanks great report!


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[gordonc615]

What do you want/need Adrian for a ride along with you? You are always pulling the big boys out! Seriously if you ever EVER need a partner plz pm me I will drop everything and tag along.

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[SAMBOLIE]

What do you want/need Adrian for a ride along with you? You are always pulling the big boys out! Seriously if you ever EVER need a partner plz pm me I will drop everything and tag along.

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If you go with Adrian please do not post your picture wearing a bikini.

[unkangler]

For my money, there's just something about finding them and putting a little swimmer right in front of their big mouths :)


I bet that is fun... Striper probably try's to rip the rod right outta your hands !

[Heiny57]

Nice fish,,,, and good info on hunting them.

[Adrian]

I require bikinis of all my passengers :)

I really don't expect these Fish to become consistent until the middle of next month. Right now it's hunt and peck.

As far as ripping the rod out of you hand, this time last year I did lose my Shimano/Okuma combo right over the side of the boat. That's $300 down the tube...

[Tnarcher]

I live right on OH and haven't caught a striper on it since they put up the barrier at steam plant.
I stink at reading my electronics.
Great fish man.

[mikey_cot]

I hear a lot about people sight fishing to stripers on flats in their native salt waters. Do they ever behave like that around here?

[jad2t]

If you go with Adrian please do not post your picture wearing a bikini.

Hey maybe he wants to identify as a woman, just call him Caitlyn. That's the trend these days.

[TNBronzeback]

Thats some good info Adrian. The waters around middle TN really do offer great year round fishing for all species if ya do some digging.
Im gonna have to pick a day and search the river for some more sauger spots while the weather is still warm. Wouldnt hate finding a school of them bad boys in the process! lol

[Adrian]

I hear a lot about people sight fishing to stripers on flats in their native salt waters. Do they ever behave like that around here?

They behave like that sometimes in the winter on the flats around the steamplant. Just follow the birds...

[gordonc615]

I was thinking one piece lol two piece don't flatter my bust line

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[StriperFan]

Its back on again. I went to the river yesterday and found some in a deep wash out I'll put in another thread. Always good to see some good river action.

[Dakota]

Its back on again. I went to the river yesterday and found some in a deep wash out I'll put in another thread. Always good to see some good river action.



Have you ever striper fished near the rock harbor marine west of Nashville?


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[StriperFan]

Have you ever striper fished near the rock harbor marine west of Nashville?


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No, I think that is on Cheatam lake. I pretty much stick to the Cumberland River east of Nashville, its the side I live on. I'm sure someone has though.

[Buccaneer]

StriperFan - Technically all water from below OH Dam to the face of Cheatham Dam is "Cheatham Lake". That being said I have crushed stripers on the up-current and down current ends of Mud Island below Old Hickory Blvd bridge. Usually this is a spring and fall area but early mornings can produce some violent topwater action.

[brewer88]

Nice to see you catching them again Adrian, it has been slow for me so far this summer. went to cheatham last weekend but they were pushing too much water to fish. hopefully get a chance this weekend and see if there are some good size skips to use

[Adrian]

I can't wait for more Striper Reports to come through! I've been too busy to go chasing, but this is the time they start showing up closer to my house. Pretty much from Rome to My House in Station Camp. There's a lot of Bridges, Bluffs, & Mouths between here and there :)

[MNfisher]

I can't wait for more Striper Reports to come through! I've been too busy to go chasing, but this is the time they start showing up closer to my house. Pretty much from Rome to My House in Station Camp. There's a lot of Bridges, Bluffs, & Mouths between here and there :)



Hey Adrian, I know you have a bass boat, how do you keep live bait?


Mike

[agelesssone]

Hey Adrian, I know you have a bass boat, how do you keep live bait?


Mike


Mike, if you don't try to keep too many, they can be kept in a live well with the aerator running.
On my bass boat, I had a timer that would cycle on/off at 1/3/5/7 minutes according to the settings I set.

[MNfisher]

Mike, if you don't try to keep too many, they can be kept in a live well with the aerator running.

On my bass boat, I had a timer that would cycle on/off at 1/3/5/7 minutes according to the settings I set.



Cool, thanks. I'd like to try it sometime, but I'd have to rig up some kind of portable tank.


Mike

[TNBronzeback]

You can always go with the mesh laundry basket route. Lol. Thats what i used to do. It creates some drag drifting/trolling down river but it works in a pinch. Lol.

[Adrian]

Shad are definitely harder to keep alive in this weather. What I do is catch the Shad, then run out to the Deepest coldest water I can find and fill up the live well with it. I set my aerator to 3 minutes cycle. One thing that helps, I take my empty water bottles at home and rip off the label, fill them up and freeze them. I drop one of those in there every so often until they melt, rinse and repeat. The smaller bait starts to die after about 3-4 hours, But, I can put 30 creek chubs in there and they'll last all day and be just as spry as ever when I release them at the ramp.

[MNfisher]

Shad are definitely harder to keep alive in this weather. What I do is catch the Shad, then run out to the Deepest coldest water I can find and fill up the live well with it. I set my aerator to 3 minutes cycle. One thing that helps, I take my empty water bottles at home and rip off the label, fill them up and freeze them. I drop one of those in there every so often until they melt, rinse and repeat. The smaller bait starts to die after about 3-4 hours, But, I can put 30 creek chubs in there and they'll last all day and be just as spry as ever when I release them at the ramp.



Thanks! And the creek chubs can work for the striper? Or are you targeting other species with those.


Mike

[Adrian]

Creek Chubs are great for Stripers. You will get the occasional Catfish with them as well. They seem to be a little more lively in the water than Shad. Bass will also eat creek chubs...

[MNfisher]

Thank you sir!


Mike