New to Striper

[TimAub]

Hey guys, I am new to the forum and also to stripier fishing. I have been a few times with a family friend and was lucky enough to land a few with the biggest being 20 lbs. He does not know a whole lot about them and live kinda far away. I was hoping to get some advice or even better get together with someone to learn some basics. I have small jon boat with trolling motor, outboard, live well and bait cooler or we could use yours or bank fish if you prefer.

By the way I live in Mount Juliet TN

Any information is greatly appreciated.

[txnative]

What size boat ? Below dams can be good, but you need a trustworthy vessel. I'll be away for a week, but would up for a trip when I return. Let me know if you're interested.


Chris

[TimAub]

Thanks, that sounds great.
I have a 1436 jon boat with a pretty good setup and no leaks :P

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by TimAub

Hey guys, I am new to the forum and also to stripier fishing. I have been a few times with a family friend and was lucky enough to land a few with the biggest being 20 lbs. He does not know a whole lot about them and live kinda far away. I was hoping to get some advice or even better get together with someone to learn some basics. I have small jon boat with trolling motor, outboard, live well and bait cooler or we could use yours or bank fish if you prefer.

By the way I live in Mount Juliet TN

Any information is greatly appreciated.

I fish for them below Pickwick Dam. A 20 pound Striper below Pickwick dam would be a big Striper. But what the TN River system lacks in size it makes up for in quantity. You can hit days there where you catch 8 to 12 pound Stripers on almost every cast....with a few 14 pounders in the mix. Unlike most I fish for Stripers with light tackle. If you can get a reel spooled with 300 yards of 12# test NanoFil and a good rod you can stop a 25 pound Striper. It is tough but he is not going to take 300 yards if you have 5 pounds of drag dialed in...he might get 200 or so but he will stop. Then the work starts. You have to reel that 14 or 15 pounds back to you in all that current. If a 30 pounder hits that rig I will be running down the sidewalk for about 400 yards or more. You can check out some of my posts and see some of the small Stripers I get below the dam there.


Regards

[TimAub]

Thanks Alpha, I have followed some of your post. If I am not mistaken, I see a trout/crappie magnet setup in my future. If you feel like heading north to do some schooling sometime, just drop a line-- no pun intended :P

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by TimAub

Thanks Alpha, I have followed some of your post. If I am not mistaken, I see a trout/crappie magnet setup in my future. If you feel like heading north to do some schooling sometime, just drop a line-- no pun intended :P

No problem..I would be more than happy to. I fish with the light stuff unless I am going to the Cumberland River system....then I have to step it up. But I will say the 1/8 ounce set up with a Crappie Magnet on can be deadly at certain times of the year....even for the big boys. I would fish below Percy for them but from what I have read that is messed up and will be for a while. I may go back down to Pickwick around noon tomorrow. I don't know how long those fish will hang around..and you have make hay while the sun shines....LOL. Oh..one thing about Stripers and Hybrids if you don't already know..they can and often do travel 55 miles in one day.


Regards

[TimAub]

I had heard them traveling. Also, during fall they tend to migrate to the shallow parts after the shad and that the middle 3rd of the Old Hickory system will produce during that time. Then there is Cordell Hull which holds them at the head waters almost all year. Like I said, I need to apply some time to the research. Or, have some good luck. While either fishing or anything else, I will take a ounce of luck over a pound of skill any day.

Originally Posted by TimAub

I had heard them traveling. Also, during fall they tend to migrate to the shallow parts after the shad and that the middle 3rd of the Old Hickory system will produce during that time. Then there is Cordell Hull which holds them at the head waters almost all year. Like I said, I need to apply some time to the research. Or, have some good luck. While either fishing or anything else, I will take a ounce of luck over a pound of skill any day.

I live very close to Coredll hull and fish this lake several times a week, I would lone to get into some stripers, when you say they are at the "head waters" (forgive my ignorance) but what do you mean by the head waters? also what type of lures are the best for stripers?
Thanks for the info.

[txnative]

Best lures vary based on season, prevalent forage, water body, and size of stripers. AlphaHawk uses relatively tiny lures, but catches stripers most people would assume demand larger lures. He's showing a textbook example of matching the hatch. Normally, stripers will prefer the biggest bait they can eat so that a single meal provides max nutrition, but I know 20 lbers caught on crappie jigs. This is because the vast majority of baitfish, young-of-the-year shad, are only 1-2 inches long. Stripers can get picky at times. If you aren't having success on what you're throwing, and you're positive stripers are around, switch lures. Without being there, it's hard to say whether to go bigger or smaller, but based on the season, I would guess smaller. There's a lot of small shad in our fisheries now, and they are easy pickings. That said, bring a dedicated big-lure rod. Skipjack like to surface-feed on the small shad, and that commotion attracts bigger predators. A 7+ inch skippie-imitating lure will get a big striper's attention. A pencil popper, 10" fin-s-fish, and a 7" redfin (smokey Joe color) will fit the bill. If no dice, then try a popping cork with a small-shad imitating lure a few feet below it. In tailwaters, you'll have a greater variation in available bait sizes, and stripers will quickly let you know what they want. Look for bait spraying out of the water, then use lures that match. Toss a big bait out occasionally, though, in case a lazy, large striper is around.


Chris

[TimAub]

I may have misused the term. I am referring to the Defeated Creak area. I will be fishing both below and above the dam this weekend if anyone wants to cast a line. As far as lures go anything from jigs, to the cordell redfin, large gulp shad, swim baits. The preferred bait is of course shad, skippies and I here small trout are striper candy.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by txnative

Best lures vary based on season, prevalent forage, water body, and size of stripers. AlphaHawk uses relatively tiny lures, but catches stripers most people would assume demand larger lures. He's showing a textbook example of matching the hatch. Normally, stripers will prefer the biggest bait they can eat so that a single meal provides max nutrition, but I know 20 lbers caught on crappie jigs. This is because the vast majority of baitfish, young-of-the-year shad, are only 1-2 inches long. Stripers can get picky at times. If you aren't having success on what you're throwing, and you're positive stripers are around, switch lures. Without being there, it's hard to say whether to go bigger or smaller, but based on the season, I would guess smaller. There's a lot of small shad in our fisheries now, and they are easy pickings. That said, bring a dedicated big-lure rod. Skipjack like to surface-feed on the small shad, and that commotion attracts bigger predators. A 7+ inch skippie-imitating lure will get a big striper's attention. A pencil popper, 10" fin-s-fish, and a 7" redfin (smokey Joe color) will fit the bill. If no dice, then try a popping cork with a small-shad imitating lure a few feet below it. In tailwaters, you'll have a greater variation in available bait sizes, and stripers will quickly let you know what they want. Look for bait spraying out of the water, then use lures that match. Toss a big bait out occasionally, though, in case a lazy, large striper is around.


Chris

Well said.

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by TimAub

I may have misused the term. I am referring to the Defeated Creak area. I will be fishing both below and above the dam this weekend if anyone wants to cast a line. As far as lures go anything from jigs, to the cordell redfin, large gulp shad, swim baits. The preferred bait is of course shad, skippies and I here small trout are striper candy.

Two years ago I would drive up almost everyday to fish the Caney below the dam. One day a hatcheries truck came up to right where I was fishing and they dumped about 5,000 Trout. I had seen big Stripers busting the water occasionally all day. I did not have a Striper rod with me or even anything close. Those Trout will hang around where they are dumped for a while. I knew what was going to happen as the Sun started to get behind the hill. I had already put my gear in the vehicle and just sat on a rock watching Stripers devour those Trout. They were huge fish....often there would be such a frenzy Trout would be knocked out on to the bank. I watched that for almost an hour. It was quite a site. Quite an expensive meal they had that day.

Regards

[TimAub]

Thanks for the additional information Chris.

I have heard about the trout release at the Caney. I have yet to experience it....some day :P

[Cornbread]

JPP will offer much better fishing mid november to january after water temperature drops and stabilizes a bit. casting White jigs, spoons and shiners pulled behind the boat typically make the longhunter and bryants grove area really good for Hybrids and stripers. Shiners from the bait store are easy to get and will produce as well as shad in my experience when the water temp gets down in the 55-60 area. Good luck!