5/2 First Top Water Experience

[gofish2]

Been fishing a lot since March but it’s been off the dock and having pretty good luck. Between friends, family and myself we have caught 2 citation crappie, 1 citation large mouth and 1 citation striper along with over 20 stripers between 27”- 36”. I’ve got to say that the in-water light that I install in Feb has to be one of the best investment that I have spent money on. I haven’t posted report on fishing off the dock because to me it’s just not the same as going out on the water and catching fish.

So with all that being said a buddy and I went out this morning to head down toward the dam to try our luck at finding some schools breaking on top. As we load up at 5:30 we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ride to the dam from Roanoke mid-lake with the fog and we were right. It was thick! Made it down to R8 marker at 6:15 and decided to stay put at the marker until some of the fog burned off. We were worried about getting ran over then running aground. After setting for 20 minute the sun was burning though pretty good so we headed to the dam. After looking around a bit we spotted some fish breaking the surface along the bank so we headed over trying our luck and it wasn’t to be. They were hitting all around and then gone. We headed out looking for others and other boats hoping to learn from watching others around but no one had the same idea as we did this morning. Saw 2 boats pulling boards and 1 other just cruising by and never stop. Not sure if the fog kept people away or the storms from last night.

Will try again in a day or two, after reading some others post about seeing them breaking on the surface and catching them on top water plugs I have to do what I can to catch one this way. I watched a guy last year catch 6 in a matter of 15 minutes this way as my son and I threw everything in the tackle box at them except a top water plug. Now I have dozen plugs in the boat and walking the dog like a pitbull on a leash.  Just got to be in the right place at the right time.

[choochoo]

The play-by-play I hear from your wife about the light action is very entertaining.  Sounds like a blast!  Plugging at night is my passion.  If you ever need a partner just let me know.  I'll spring for the snacks and gas, until I get moved and boated up.  Then I'll call you!

[primetime]

Man! That is awesome! Last month at the Striper club meeting the speaker was teaching about the top water bite and the lures to use.
Congrats on your catch!

[striperjohn]

I have been in breaking fish where they would hit nothing but a topwater popper. Guys casting bucktails, spoons, spooks, rattletraps were not getting hit. I prefer topwater anyway but I have heard guys say you can cast anything into a school and they will hit it. Simply not true.

[gofish2]

StriperJohn
And that was the case with my son and me. We are at the dam and seen some fish breaking (not a ton of them) so we start throwing fluke's at them, and then F-18 and then so on, you get the point. Then a bass boat pull up 100 ft away, a guy jumps up with a spinner rod cast out in the middle of them with a top water plug and starts working it back and forth. My son is what in the world is he doing and told him it's what you call walking the dog. Well about half way back to the boat the water explode up and it's fish on. We watch him for 15-20 minutes catching and missing more fish then I care to think about. I was at store the next day buying top water plugs. It something about watching a fish bust the surface and having the opportunity to reel him in. Just something to have got to see to appreciate it. Hoping to get in on some of the action soon!

[gofish2]

May 5, 2016 8:25:21 GMT -5 primetime said:

Man! That is awesome! Last month at the Striper club meeting the speaker was teaching about the top water bite and the lures to use.
Congrats on your catch!

My wife and I were there. After they passed the box around with the different type plugs in it my wife ask me you got them on the boat? Told her some of them, well then she said you best go get the others! Got love it when your wife has passion to fish as much as you do. And by the way the Striper citation caught off the dock, well it was hers. Maybe your daughter (aka Little Bent Rod) can load up her tackle box more on door prizes tomorrow night at the meeting. Have to introduce myself to you if you are there.

[ghostcomanche©®]

It is not unusual for busting Stripers to not want an artificial lure. After all, they have the shad coralled and can easily feed on them, and in their feeding frenzy they won't pay any attention to something top water, or very near the surface. They are to engrossed in the shad in front of them.

Normally the bigger fish in a topwater feeding school of stripers will hang below and to the edges the surface feeders. The bigger fish do this because they are lazy, want to conserve energy, and just wait for injured or dead shad to float down to them.

If your not getting any takers on topwater lures, try throwing flukes, bucktails, or medium running crankbaits, that will get down to the deeper stripers. Also, just fishing the edges of the school can produce fish too.

Have one person do the topwater thing, and the other person try the sub-surface thing, until you see what is the most productive.

Then again, sometimes the Stripers just don't want an artifical lure, regardless of
how you fish them. You just have to try different tactics with them, and hope something will work.