glad we went fishing in the rain saturday.

Below Priest, it usually takes a couple of days of constant generation by what I have found for the stripers to show up.
The Stones River is really quite shallow for a long way and their instinct is to stay near deeper water regardless of baitfish. I have not fished for them there in a few years but I don't think it has changed.

[jad2t]

Chris - I was just thinking a 10 pounder will make me a happy guy, I don't care to lose my tackle if I hooked a 30 pounder. I don't have a boat to chase one that big with nor do I fish with really heavy tackle so.. we know how that battle would end.

Travis - I was talking in reference to the Caney. I've moved to Smyrna but I still come to Cookeville every other weekend to visit my girlfriend and it's about that time to stop drooling when I pass over the Caney 5 times and start fishing! I'm determined to catch one of those things this year. I'm thinking some big stick baits, super flukes, and a spoon should be enough ammo. One of those has to work. I just want to find out when they are around and when I'd be wasting my time.

[bd-]

Originally Posted by robhal11

we have seen and gotten into these big stripers from the Cumerland all the back to Center Hill at different times, when we were trout fishing, around 5 or 6 miles down toward the Cumberland.

Saying they stay up near the dam at low water when the generators have been off for 12 hours is a very different thing from saying they drop back 5 or 6 miles (and keep moving down if the generators don't pick back up). If they run all the way to the dam and the generators cut off, they're not going to instantly transport themselves 15 miles downstream. But if you don't get some pretty significant water moving through the system, they're not going to stick around in the upper river for very long when the water cuts off and stays off.

bd

[agelesssone]

Fishing for walleye/sauger this evening below OH dam, using 1/4 oz jig w/twister tail, I hooked into something that didn't want to stop or be turned. OK, I got to retrieve a few yards of line a time or two, but it was basically running at will.

When my braid started to get down to thin territory, I tightened the drag and the fish straightened my wire hook on my jig. Maybe it's time for a bigger capacity reel, ya think?

One fella caught a nice 24 inch walleye and, since he doesn't eat fish, he gave it to me. I thanked him profusely and the filets now reside in the freezer section of my fridge!

My only action was a big drum, a too small sauger, and a tail hooked buffalo that gave me quite a fight.

[txnative]

Jad2t,

You can handle 30 lb stripers from the bank, you just need to have enough line. I use a pflueger president #6740 or the pflueger supreme in the same size. They hold about 100 yds of 15 lb berkley big game mono backing and 150 yds of 20 lb berkley fireline crystal. I've caught stripers up to 30 lbs below center hill, a lot of 20+ lbers below oh dam, and numerous 10-15 lbers in another spot. The other thing you should ideally have is a long bank to walk on. This helps you out tremendously when a big striper burns off a ton of line and doesn't show signs of stopping or when you can't get a big fish back in heavy current. I've walked fish below oh dam from the fishing platform (Hendersonville side) to first parking lot. I usually just walk far enough down that the current is reduced or I find a big eddie. The eddie brings the fish back to me during the end of the fight, and the changing water direction helps to confuse the striper, shortening the fight.

One very important trick I use, especially with braided line, is to back off the drag near the end of the fight. Stripers, when hooked, make an initial long run, then start shaking their heads. The head shakes can open the hole the hook is in wide enough to work the hook free, especially when you "have 'em whupped" and are easing them in to the bank, only to have the striper either bolt out again or shake its' head. Braid's lack of stretch works against in both these cases, so just ease up on the drag to allow the reel to act as a shock absorber.


Chris

[jad2t]

Originally Posted by txnative

Jad2t,

You can handle 30 lb stripers from the bank, you just need to have enough line. I use a pflueger president #6740 or the pflueger supreme in the same size. They hold about 100 yds of 15 lb berkley big game mono backing and 150 yds of 20 lb berkley fireline crystal. I've caught stripers up to 30 lbs below center hill, a lot of 20+ lbers below oh dam, and numerous 10-15 lbers in another spot. The other thing you should ideally have is a long bank to walk on. This helps you out tremendously when a big striper burns off a ton of line and doesn't show signs of stopping or when you can't get a big fish back in heavy current. I've walked fish below oh dam from the fishing platform (Hendersonville side) to first parking lot. I usually just walk far enough down that the current is reduced or I find a big eddie. The eddie brings the fish back to me during the end of the fight, and the changing water direction helps to confuse the striper, shortening the fight.

One very important trick I use, especially with braided line, is to back off the drag near the end of the fight. Stripers, when hooked, make an initial long run, then start shaking their heads. The head shakes can open the hole the hook is in wide enough to work the hook free, especially when you "have 'em whupped" and are easing them in to the bank, only to have the striper either bolt out again or shake its' head. Braid's lack of stretch works against in both these cases, so just ease up on the drag to allow the reel to act as a shock absorber.


Chris

I usually use 6# but of course not for stripers. I have my baitcaster rigged with 10# and its also a heavier rod than my baitcasters that I use light tackle with. I'm not sure how much 10# line I can hold, Ill have to look into that. Thanks for the advice everybody, I'm gonna start trying hard for one of these in the beginning of March!

[white95v6]

[QUOTE=bd-;18982
If you're saying you regularly catch large stripers on the Caney close to the dam, on low water, with the generators off for 12 plus hours, I'm sorry but I'd have to see it to believe it.

bd[/QUOTE]


i didn't say large stripers. and i didn't say regularly.

i have caught them up to 8ish lbs. and on the same day hooked a monster at lancaster(deep hole) but it broke the line very fast. the generators had not been on on wellll over 12hrs. don't remember exact time.but we fished the night before 7ish. then next morning hooked the big one around 9ish.

[txnative]

There are, naturally, stripers in the deeper holes between the dam and the mouth, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Big fish feel more comfortable in deeper water, this is true of all species. Big fish have survived predation by other fish and birds and animals, and the sanctuary of deep water doesn't go away because they are bigger. It's the same thing, but reversed, with smaller species. Put a bluegill out in 30 ft open water, and that is one uncomfortable bluegill...he knows he's in a dangerous place with no cover to hide in.


Chris

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by txnative

Put a bluegill out in 30 ft open water, and that is one uncomfortable bluegill

Chris

Heck I would be too...

[chaseasl]

Awesome catch, I would love to get on some that big