Striper Setup

[MNfisher]

I am really making a goal of catching my first rockfish this year. I am purchasing a 8'6" surf rod with a pretty good capacity spinning reel on it. What would you striper guys suggest to put on it for line? I will be mostly fishing tailraces since I am not currently a boat owner. Thanks for any help.

[StriperFan]

I personally like a backing of 30# braid, then I use a double uni-knot to top off with 20-30# mono. Usually I will put 125YD braid them top the real off with the mono. I like the mono and the long rods for the way they can handle casting and the shock absorbance.

[tkwalker]

MN... Not sure how you are going to fish for the Rocks ... This is what I used for 20 Plus years.... This is with boards and trolling ... and I never lost a fish do to equipment failure ... Braid will eat your eyes of your rod (it is an abbrasive cable ... It is a gimmick, I still have 60year old braid that my Dad used on Shakespear Supreme reels it hasen't changed a lot ...then they used steel rods and steel eyes ... unless it is set up for braid it will eat your eyes up ... !!) unless the rod is specifically designed for it ... the higher end rods maybe.. and they are usually the ones that is hawking the Braid ... I started out with a cheap Eagle Claw 8 foot 6 inch yellow trolling rod from Cabela's and caught dozens of 40 to 50 pound linesides .. These are baitcaster rods so you have a range of reels that can be applied ... later on I had custom rods built that utilized the Rogers Wrap ... what this was is a set up of the eyes of the rod for a bait caster ... then rolled to the bottom of the rod like a spin caster ... Zero torque on the rod .. you could play a 40 pounder with one hand ... Think about it ... when the eyes are on the top of a rod and the fish in play moves to either axis the rod wants to roll left or right ... It puts a great load o the action and handling of the rod ... But when the eyes are on the bottom of the rod the backbone of the rod is relieved from the torque.. But bait casters (winch) has to be used Spinning reels will not get the job done on a 40 plus fish in a trolling situation ...

Sorry.. back to line ... in a trolling mode .. I used 40# Berkley Big Game ...Hook to swivel for my leaders ... The main line was Big Game #50 test ... Now remember I am after the Trophy Rogues 40 plus to 60 plus pounds with 16 inch bait fish ... If you want to catch your first rock schoolie .. Use a soft tip and stiff backbone for a rod (yellow eagle Claw ) and at least #30 pound P-line or big game line ... don't play them bring them to the boat or shore ... Now the Fly guys do well with what they use ... #10 rods plus stuff and streamers ... I am not even going to go there I'll leave that to bd ... I am not a Fly guy ...

There is only one knot for Mono ... It is a double knot ... very simply made and it has never failed me in 40 plus years of prof. Fishing ... It is a Palomar Knot .. check the video ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiDDdW22X9k

Bottom line if you are just getting started ... A cheap catfish pole at Walmart will work ...but use good line and a moderate $$ baitcater reel for a winch ...

BUT HAVE FUN AND LEARN ... You will catch one and then the fever will start ... but keep a notebook of temp .the type of day ... (stormy, mild blue bird skies etc) ... It is all and adventure I hope this helps <'TK><

[MNfisher]

Thank you so much for all the info! I will be mainly casting baits from shore below dams, as I have no boat to fish from. So i also need a rig that can cast FAR!! Thanks again for all the advice! I already have the fever and that was just from hooking probably about a ten pounder tossing a fluke below percy. I just had a 6' med walleye jigging rod that i used in MN a lot with 10 lb fireline on it. It pretty much dominated me for about 8 seconds and as I was reaching to loosen my drag because it was screaming so much, the line broke.

Thats all it took...I am hooked.

[GO-OKFISHIN]

MNfisher,

Pm me your phone #. When the time changes I will be fishing Priest after work 5:30-7 Pm. I don't mind sharing when and where they start moving up. You need some waders and a set up that can cast a Zoom fluke w/ a 1/4 oz. swimbait hook. You can throw an exposed hook but you will get hung up a lot.

[white95v6]

Originally Posted by GOOKFISHIN

MNfisher,

Pm me your phone #. When the time changes I will be fishing Priest after work 5:30-7 Pm. I don't mind sharing when and where they start moving up. You need some waders and a set up that can cast a Zoom fluke w/ a 1/4 oz. swimbait hook. You can throw an exposed hook but you will get hung up a lot.

i am willing to donate alittle boat time for alittle info. keep your feet dry.

[MNfisher]

Originally Posted by GOOKFISHIN

MNfisher,

Pm me your phone #. When the time changes I will be fishing Priest after work 5:30-7 Pm. I don't mind sharing when and where they start moving up. You need some waders and a set up that can cast a Zoom fluke w/ a 1/4 oz. swimbait hook. You can throw an exposed hook but you will get hung up a lot.

I have all those....pm sent. Thanks!

[txnative]

Mn,

Gookfishin is extending a good invite, I would definitely take him up on it. If you see someone in a Hook1 cap, it's probably me. I fish priest in spring, it can be a phenomenal bite when it's on, and the crowds don't seem to hurt the quality...well, at one location anyways.


Chris

[MNfisher]

Originally Posted by txnative

Mn,

If you see someone in a Hook1 cap, it's probably me.

Have you met Chad Hoover, I fished with him last summer when he was in town for a weekend. He was a very nice guy and had a blast fishing with him!

[txnative]

Not yet, I look forward to meeting him, though.


Chris

[FOXZILLA]

When do you guys expect the rockfish and hybrids to start their run- a certain water temp, about the time a particular plant blooms, whatever?
I don't know enough about the lower stones to wade it so I'll probably motor up from the new ramp in my Gheenoe. Its olive green with a 9.9 Yami. Hollar at me.
Donnie

[StriperFan]

Originally Posted by MNfisher

Thank you so much for all the info! I will be mainly casting baits from shore below dams, as I have no boat to fish from. So i also need a rig that can cast FAR!! Thanks again for all the advice! I already have the fever and that was just from hooking probably about a ten pounder tossing a fluke below percy. I just had a 6' med walleye jigging rod that i used in MN a lot with 10 lb fireline on it. It pretty much dominated me for about 8 seconds and as I was reaching to loosen my drag because it was screaming so much, the line broke.

Thats all it took...I am hooked.

MNfisher. Long casting distance, along with large line capacity is what I love about these set ups. This is perfect for any striper between 5-30#, still lets the little ones give their fight, but brings the bigger ones in. To be more specific, I like the Ambassadeur 6500 (this one has the clicker option for freespool) on a Bass Pro Power Plus Trophy Class 8'6 downrigger rod. You can put this together for around 100 bucks. For the best casting I would put 125 yd 20# fireline on the spool first, I like to put a little peice of tape on the knot at the spool to keep the knot from spinning with braid. Then use a double uni-knot to top off with another 125 or so yards of berkly big game 20# test. The uni-knot will not give, and it is the easiest I have seen to tie two lines together. If you need help learning the double uni-knot just PM me. And then attach your hooks or plugs with the palomar knot. I bought these rigs for downrigger fishing, but now I use them for everything. Best I have used for throwing a 10" gizzard shad with a 2 oz weight. Also, no need to worry about the fireline eating your guides with these rods, mine are 15+ years old and the eyes look like new. I have used this same rig in the gulf for kingfish and blacktip shark (blacktip shark not by choice) in open water and it gets them in. Now all that said, if you are trophy striper fishing, 40+ or better in a river around heavy cover, be sure to have a couple of TK's 2x4 and winch rigs handy..I do. The only reason for the braid is to give extra line capacity to the relatively smaller reel. When you need to change line, just change the mono down to the fireline.

[nofish]

I might've missed it, but what do y'all use for throwing topwater lures and jerkbaits

[nofish]

Originally Posted by nofish

I might've missed it, but what do y'all use for throwing topwater lures and jerkbaits

From a boat?

[StriperFan]

Here are some of my favorite baits, there is a 7" and a 5" Cotton Cordell Redfin. The Pencil Popper is my favorite, but it has no name stamped on it and I can't remember who made it at the moment. But I panicked last time I got down to just one. The top one is a swimbait, you can fish it at any depth. When fish are hitting over deep water, I will cast it out and let it sink while I work back another bait. Or even If I am just marking fish deeper. I like the redfins for calmer situations when things are kinda quiet but the conditions are right, they are a little light, but effective. The pencil popper is my favorite because it is the heaviest, and causes the most comotion. If I see fish working or just know they are there I will throw it first. If the fish are aggressive I reel it back fast, kicking up as much water as possible. Or if they are not as aggressive or I just want it to stay in the strike zone as much as possible I will reel it back as slow as it will still stay on the surface, and it looks a lot like a redfin. The popper does not float, it is heavy, probably 4 oz. So you have to real it in just to keep it on the surface.