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Post by gixxer130 on Feb 20, 2013 21:45:23 GMT -5
I am starting to gear up to hit stripers seriously this year. As i said in my introductions I've fished with my grandpa growing up but we always trolled because he didn't know where to find shad. So i was curious is there anything to especially to pay attention to when trying to find shad, and also usually how are the migrations of the stripers through the lake? Not trying to ask people for their secret spots but trying to get ahead of the curve this year and catch some decent stripers, as my biggest to date is 26" lol.
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Post by mytoyzfishing on Feb 20, 2013 22:21:44 GMT -5
For me, Im still learning patterns as well and about bait during daylight. I typically get my bait at lights during the wee early hours in the morning. Some that live waterfront go out the evening before to load up on bait so they don't have to get up early.
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Post by HokieChad on Feb 20, 2013 22:37:22 GMT -5
it depends on the time of the year. Just about anytime of the year, you can catch alewives at night under lights. The warmer the water, the deeper the water needs to be under said light. Just about any net size and mesh size should do the trick. When ales get tougher in the summer, a larger net with larger mesh (faster sink rate) usually does the trick.
Catching shad is a day by day proposition. Most of the time you should focus your efforts for shad in creeks along muddy banks or flats. Shad will usually show themselves by their trademarked tail splash/flip. When throwing for shad, use the biggest net size you can get to open fully. That covers the largest sq footage and gives you a better chance to catch bait. Usually you can find shad in less than 6 ft of water and the mesh size doesn't make much difference. In the winter, shad can be deep (30ft) and it will be necessary to use a large net and a large mesh (faster sink rate) to get on them.
Sometimes you can find shad and throw once and have all the bait you need. Sometimes you might not get to fish because you can't find the shad. All part of chasing stripers!
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Post by gixxer130 on Feb 20, 2013 22:58:44 GMT -5
Hey thanks for the advice guys. I'm gonna start practicing with a old net in the yard to get my throw close to where i need it to be. I use to be really good throwing one but its been awhile and sure I'm a little rusty.
How do shad feed. If i built a good size cage roughly four foot squared submerged off the dock. How long would they live you think keeping them in there. I guess tomorrow I'm gonna do a little research on the two kinds of shad. Never really paid that much attention to them.
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BentRod
Global Moderator
Posts: 2,252
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Post by BentRod on Feb 20, 2013 23:24:27 GMT -5
Gixxer130, if Mward can learn to catch stripers, anybody can! He just passed hook setting school last week. We've seen a lot of Mary Poppins hooksets out of him over the years! ;D It's a tough gig to figure out overnight, but stick around here and you'll figure things out soon enough. The thing to remember is that there is no one or secret way to catch these fish. The best way to learn is to read as much as you can about striper fishing and then get out there and experiment. I've learned more through trial and error (and curiosity) than anybody could ever teach me.
A bait cage should work very well right now and get increasingly less successful as the water warms into late spring.
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