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Post by ncsportfisher on Apr 18, 2016 8:03:39 GMT -5
Headed up to the lake arrived around 7:00 (a little late but heck its fishing!) Arrived and put the boat in and after getting some smaller baits we commenced to pulling boards. Started out in the back of creeks and just wasn't feeling it! Not marking anything, decided to pull the main lake points and it paid off for us.. 1st point boated a 26" fish give or take, second point same size fish and on the 3rd point had a double hookup of small mouths! Finally on the last point caught a fat 33-34" or so.. i had my dad with me and he was getting tired so we started pulling in the boards, the bank side got hammered but came undone! All in all was a good day for us, 3 stripers and 3 smallmouth. WT was 58-62 when we left around 1 o'clock.
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BentRod
Global Moderator
Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Apr 18, 2016 8:07:15 GMT -5
Nice report!
Fish going to be on the move soon!
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Post by ncsportfisher on Apr 18, 2016 8:17:09 GMT -5
How do you mean on the move? I am a newbie when it comes to spring lake fishing! usually i go east to the salt! While i am on the subject, I normally do not keep any fish from the lake, at what temperature are they less likely to survive? I am sure in the summer if fish are 35' deep and you catch them on down rods they aren't going to survive.
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Post by mwardncsu on Apr 21, 2016 12:21:26 GMT -5
Typical spring movements as the spawn approaches for the stripers in SML are to move downlake - though some will run uplake as you'd think they would try to do in a more typical flowing river. But with our odd rain & pump-back system it seems to create a situation where a large number run down lake. Various folks have various theories on why this is - and I'm not totally convinced it is all due to the dam/pump-back as there is little to no current as you get up the lake a little, but they do what they do.
As to temperatures - there are going to be a lot of opinions on this - and few absolute definitive answers. I'm not going to say I have the end-all answer here - but I'll tell you what I have gathered and learned. In general I feel comfortable releasing fish into around the mid to upper 70's. Some will say low 70's, some will say high 70's. A lot of factors also play in - how was the fish fought (drug in on the surface water most of the fight or a quick trip straight up and out, how long was the fight, what depths was that fish holding, are they in shallow water with little access to cool water refuge, etc, etc).
Basically, the slot limit is in place in a time window where the conditions on SML, on average, are good for successful release. I'm not saying that you can't successfully release fish in July or later - I'm also not saying that there are not times the water is still a bit risky in late Oct and even early November - but on average it is amenable.
Much of the year catching a fish from 40+ feet on a downline is going to be tough on that fish - especially 50+ feet - bauratauma sets in and you'll see their stomachs pushing out of their mouths. "Venting" a striper is not recommended - this largely is just a way to get what is, or will be, a dead striper out of sight. The warm temperatures exacerbate this problem as the fish can't get back down to the cool water refuge on their own - but even in cooler water the stress incurred on the fish from this can do it in.
Hope this helps some - and welcome others input & comments on the topic as well......
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2016 19:08:11 GMT -5
This topic (about summertime catch & release) comes up every year, and I for one am glad it does.
First off, I want to say, I will never bash anyone for fishing in the summer months. Most of the time, it is the only time families can get together and is especially the most comfortable time, weather wise, to take kids out.
You just have to do it responsibly. I'm not saying it's the right way, but just the way I do it .....
Most years, at least thru mid July when the surface water temp is in the mid to upper 70's, the temp around 20ft. is still in the mid 60's which is conducive to release (I think). More critical in my mind is depth. I won't target fish deeper than 30-35ft in the summer months, and yes there are still a lot of fish hanging around at that depth thru July. I will use planners with looong lite-lines as well as down lines. If I see a fish come up from 50ft to nail a down line at 30, I keep it. Fish that are caught on planners are kept. I know the depth of my bait, but not the depth the fish came from. August is a different story...... doesn't matter if I had a 30 minute boat ride.... limit and done.
nice report ncsportfisher...... thanks for posting it up....
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Post by hillbilly on Apr 21, 2016 22:05:19 GMT -5
Catfish are plentiful during the warm months - July through September. They have no problem surviving catch and release , and are fun and easy for kids to catch. Also, carp in a cove on a summer afternoon with some corn, threaded on a small hook and light gear is action that can't be beat. Just a few alternatives to consider.
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Post by ncsportfisher on Apr 22, 2016 6:29:17 GMT -5
Thank you all for the replies! Usually by now I am in Saltwater mode, but I enjoy pulling boards and catching the striped ones, plus SML is only 1 1/2 from the house. I love it!
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Gator
New Member
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Post by Gator on Apr 22, 2016 7:11:57 GMT -5
My opinion on the summer time fishing has changed big time. Mainly from all of the info that I have gathered from this forum and the SML Striper Club. In the past I thought I was doing the right thing by throwing fish back in the summer months and didn't know that I was killing fish. Do I still fish in the summer? Yes....but I catch my limit and I quit. I also don't fish for big fish in the summer months. This is an oppurtunity for me to catch a few "eaters" each trip and I can save them for meals throughout the year while I am releasing fish in the cooler water. Like Hillbilly said, there are other oppurtunities for "catching and releasing" at SML and other nearby waters. Take the time to explore new waters and a different species. It's a blast. This forum and the members that participate have made me a better steward of this amazing fishery and for that I am grateful.
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Post by drag4striper on Apr 22, 2016 7:21:18 GMT -5
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Post by ncsportfisher on Apr 22, 2016 8:08:36 GMT -5
I personally will not fish in the summer months as i know they will die, even if i use a seaqualizer (we have one due to regulations on bottom fishing off the coast) They claim this to be better for the fish then venting (the jury is still out). Thanks for the responses, I got what i was looking for, which is a general temperature that i will stop fishing the lake... Anyway, by the time the water is that warm the crazies will be out. I will take my chances off the beach and I will return to the Lake in the Fall!
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BentRod
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Post by BentRod on Apr 22, 2016 9:33:05 GMT -5
My temperature is 70-72 and honestly that may be a little high. After that I know I'm losing fish if I release them. I've said it before, but go fish a river with 75deg water, catch a bunch of fish and release them and then come back a day or two later and you'll see the destruction you caused. I believe it's the exact same in deeper water, except 80-90% sink to the bottom.
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