Sat. Feb 4, - Sun. Feb 5 Roanoke stripers

[kville]

Got to the lake Friday evening around 7pm. My wife came with me this trip so we got a room at West Lake. After talking to some others staying there about the bait situation around Indian, I decided to leave my boat on the trailer and go to Hardy and try for some big baits. Hung out at the room for a while and ended up sliding the boat in at Hardy around 11pm. It was around 24 degrees. Started marking good marks as soon as I hit deep water coming out of the ramp cove. Had 16 great shad between 10-14 inches long in 40 minuntes. No mother-loads, but was getting 2-3 a throw. Stopped to warm up by the propane heater on back deck as my hands were getting numb. Each throw was adding to the ice layer up front. I must have set there too long warming and thinking it was easy because it took another hour and half to get just 10 more big boys. I split the big shad with a friend who was staying at the Inn as well. After putting my boat in the water back in Indian and getting a bunch of 8 inch shad to go with the big ones, I had about 1 and half hour to rest before alarm was set to go off.

Woke up to 19 degrees at 5:30 am. Wife was a trooper and put on extra layers and headed out with me. Water was very colored up until we got to Hales Ford bridge. Started in a creek below the bridge where we caught some last trip. First lines out at 6:30… first fish on at 6:40am. Wife caught our first one. Hit a freeline as I was putting in in the rod holder. We did not even have all the rods out yet. (A sign we should have been fishing earlier.) 26” to start the trip. About 7:15 we caught the second fish, a 28” on an outside planer. Both those fish hit the 8” shads. The sun had came out and we were sitting on the back deck eating ham bisquits and warming by the propane heater when both outside boards went off at the same time. Grabbed the back one, but nothing. Wife had the front one hooked up. After about 5 minutes, she had the 38.5” striper in the net. On our mickey-mouse scales, it weighed 22.12 lbs. I weighed it several times as I thought it looked a little bigger, but that is what they said. (I am going to try to post pictures, not done that here before.) About 10:30, we caught the fourth fish. It was 35” long and weight 17 lbs on the scales. Fished a while longer but no more in the boat.

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That evening, the friend I split the shad with had a double and both were over 17 lbs!! Sunday was not as good for big fish. We ended up with only one striper on Sunday, 25”. 4 Largemouth including a 5lb-13oz. Great trip!! Wife caught one of her biggest fish ever. Air temps were brutally cold and Sunday the wind was not that kind either, but you have to go when you get the chance!


(somebody get with me, I need help with the pics,  thanks!)  

[drag4striper]

Great report! Always nice to put your loved ones on good fish. Not to mention it seals the deal for future trips.  

[coheasion]

Excellent report - love hearing that your wife toughed out the cold weather!!

[mwardncsu]

Great day with some nice fish.

On the pics - check here - smlfishingforums.proboards.com/thread/37/posting-pics

You can also use the Tapatalk app on a smartphone to fairly easily add pics to a post

[ncsportfisher]

Great report! Glad you got on them. BTW Kville as in Kernersville nc?

[kville]

Thanks mwardnscu for the help posting the pictures. That was over my pay grade, but I think I got it. First two pictures are both wife's fish.   Excuse the rednose on the shad,  that was Sunday afternoon and he was taken aboard Friday night.  Yes, Kernersville.  86 miles driveway to dock, but always worth it.       

[ajrod88]

Wow those are some PIGS!  

[jt]

Well done!Thanks for posting