|
|
Post by hicksmc on Nov 27, 2019 11:57:58 GMT -5
I have very limited opportunities to striper fish and lose track of where the fish are staged. Can anyone provide some insight on a general area of where the stripers are located right now?
Really want to have a good look at catching one (or a few) this weekend.
Thanks in advance.
|
|
irons
New Member
Posts: 319
|
Post by irons on Nov 27, 2019 15:35:20 GMT -5
Probably not the best first post, maybe introduce yourself, offer something as you go. Most of the ones here fishing work steadily at patterning the fish. What I did last year is not working this year. Been slow fall for me. There’s not one area to go and catch fish, if so know one would say. Do some research and go back through old post and see what people have posted over the years. Good luck
|
|
|
|
Post by coheasion on Nov 27, 2019 16:33:23 GMT -5
|
|
johnr
New Member
Posts: 1,290 
|
Post by johnr on Nov 28, 2019 7:49:14 GMT -5
Fish are from hardy to Halesford. Also in gills and above on the Blackwater. Find some bait in the larger creeks and fish nearby. They'll show up.
|
|
|
|
Post by slammer on Nov 28, 2019 8:54:17 GMT -5
Wow, I sit here and read this and realize why this forum is dead. Thanks to JohnR for helping a guy out when others just want to post their blurred out photos(lame) to say " nah, nah nah, I caught fish but you will never know !" Sometimes it is better to give than to receive...
Hicksmc, How dare you come on this forum and ask where you can catch a fish !!! We would never give you information to help you have a good memorable weekend of fishing !
Yeah I know, he can read the forum for hours and hours research for himself, make friends and hope someone helps him out a little, hire a guide etc.... Blah blah blah ....
Hicksmc, If you like to spring fish and use artificial lures I can put you on some good fishing !
|
|
irons
New Member
Posts: 319
|
Post by irons on Nov 28, 2019 9:16:45 GMT -5
Slammer, I don’t think anything I said was rude or not helpful. I just simply said to at least introduce yourself first then maybe ask for help. Also said nothing was working for me this fall and to look through old post. Guess I should have given latitude and longitude coordinates. You have a good thanksgiving!!!!
|
|
greg
New Member
Posts: 328
|
Post by greg on Nov 28, 2019 10:16:29 GMT -5
I don't fish for Stripers, unless I'm out fishing and they show up busting some bait on top, then I'll throw at them. I can say that if I'm planning on coming down for a day of fishing I will usually get on here and ask about the water conditions. I post in the Striper section because I know someone here has been on the water. I don't ever recall a time when I have asked that I didn't get a response to my question, I thank you for that and will continue to ask when I need some info. Enjoy the winter fishing, I'll be back out there in March, and have a great THANKSGIVING DAY.
|
|
|
|
Post by hillbilly on Nov 28, 2019 18:47:27 GMT -5
Hicksmc - water temperatures have dropped a little over the last two weeks, so not sure how that might have changed the bait behavior, but if you are fishing above the bridge I would try Beaver Dam Creek - go to the back, or perhaps Indian
Good luck, hope you get a couple
|
|
|
|
Post by greywalls on Nov 29, 2019 23:47:14 GMT -5
Wow, I sit here and read this and realize why this forum is dead. Thanks to JohnR for helping a guy out when others just want to post their blurred out photos(lame) to say " nah, nah nah, I caught fish but you will never know !" Sometimes it is better to give than to receive... Hicksmc, How dare you come on this forum and ask where you can catch a fish !!! We would never give you information to help you have a good memorable weekend of fishing ! Yeah I know, he can read the forum for hours and hours research for himself, make friends and hope someone helps him out a little, hire a guide etc.... Blah blah blah .... Hicksmc, If you like to spring fish and use artificial lures I can put you on some good fishing ! ******************* Dang - pretty harsh response to a post that was left outstanding for less than 24hrs. Bad day? Life's too short. |
|
|
|
Post by hicksmc on Dec 1, 2019 7:54:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the pointers. Spent most of the day working the upper part of Blackwater with no luck. Came back home (Bull Run), kept fishing, and caught two nice ones off the dock!
I think I spend more time looking for them on the fish finder and waste opportunities with a line in the water! Finding bait is difficult, so artificial is where I lead towards with limited time.
|
|
johnr
New Member
Posts: 1,290
|
Post by johnr on Dec 1, 2019 13:36:24 GMT -5
I too used to ride for hours just looking. Realized I will never catch them by just looking around. So I started just fishing and following my gut. And I started catching them and learning more than I ever did by riding around looking. This held true for all species.
|
|
|
|
Post by jb4sml on Dec 1, 2019 15:41:13 GMT -5
Thanks for some Heart Felt Truths... Not trashing anyone on this forum or at any of the clubs that fish for this fish... It's just that if you are not out every week or every day you are at a loss... I don't go out this time of year because I don't want to spend half the day going up the Roanoke looking for fish. You have people that like to fish that need some help in getting out.. I would fish more if I knew there was fish close to me... I am as close to 70 years as you can get.. Not looking for sympathy but for a helping hand for someone that enjoys fishing as much as I use to... If you look at my posts any time I get out and catch something I tell you where I caught. Dam it's not a states secrets god knows I have kept enough of them over the years. Just saying no hate posts please...
|
|
|
|
Post by coheasion on Dec 2, 2019 9:10:58 GMT -5
I'll give my $.02 worth on this....and that is that unless you are fishing everyday for these fish then you will not reliably know where the fish are other than using a "best guess" of where to start which is what the seasonal guide is I posted. Reading that and other posts on here is how I learned and I spent 2 years of pretty poor angling learning my lessons and taking my lumps and there is a ton of information on here to help you get started.
And...most of the folks on this forum are not on the lake every day constantly in the fish....and those that are are most likely guides who arent going to willingly give out a lot of specific information for free....if you want that, then hire them for a day and it will help you locate the fish for the next week or so or until the next major weather pattern comes through.
The last thing I will say is that this forum died when the Mafia tournaments became a big thing.....and there is a tournament this coming weekend so information is likely not going to be shared a week or so prior to a tournament, especially to someone who just posts from out of the blue on the forum. I'm not saying that is what your intent was, just how it might be perceived.
And the whole dead forum/Mafia tournament thing is probably my biggest negative with the SML fishery. I think there is still a lot of camaraderie out there but it isn't as freely shared as it once was prior to the tournaments becoming a big thing. Not saying one way was right and one is wrong....it just is what it is and I preferred the social aspect and being welcomed to the fishery that I don't really think is prevalent anymore. Just my opinion.
|
|
|
|
Post by mwardncsu on Dec 2, 2019 9:54:38 GMT -5
Chris - perhaps I'm wrong, and know I'll be viewed with a biased perspective here - but I honestly do not believe the tournaments are a direct correlation with activity on this forum - if I'm wrong, then let folks tell me that to be the case. The "die-off" in the forum has really be in the last 2 years - we're on the 5th season of the tournaments. The participation here (or lack there-of), is honestly due to many other factors... other venues where screen time is being sent and info is being shared (Facebook, Instagram), shifting patterns of folks fishing or not fishing (i.e. I've fished like 5 times in the past 2 years now), and a shift by a reasonable number of us to not fish at all in the summer (so less opportunity for reports) - and I'll admit, ones that may be fishing in the summer are perhaps worried about posting about it for fear of negative reactions as a result - oh, and Photobucket killing the free pic sharing for a while was a major nail in the coffin - it just accelerated the push to other social venues - Facebook, etc. I've been active on a number of other fishing forums - such as StriperSoup and others - and all in this format have largely died off.... the StriperSoup is a great example where certainly there was no tournament impact as it was a multi-lake forum - it used to have as much or more participation as here, and for a period of time was even a paid site. Over the past couple of years folks just over time got burned out on it and its participation tracked about the same as here - actually this one is much more lively than that one now. People generally want to just smash the "like" button on a picture now vs. truly interact. It takes time to put together a good report post - I bet I would spend 30 min or more putting together my trip reports. Then, when you put in that time to provide a interesting, helpful report, there would be almost no feedback/response - makes you question why bother with the investment of time on the front end. If I was fishing at all these days, I still would be doing those reports as I found them valuable for me, if no one else - but having literally only been out 3 times in 2019, and I think only one of those was on my boat, I've sadly not had much to report - or comment on with respect to patterns, conditions, etc. I know others that used to be major contributors here, like Bentrod - are in the same state - I think he's fished even less than I in the last 2 years.... sad state of affairs. As mentioned above, Photobucket really hurt this format bad - post with pics always got a lot more engagement than post without - and that timing happened around 2ish years back (now they have finally caved on that position but it is too little, too late in many cases). I've been on this forum (and its predecessor) for about 10 years now - some here have been even longer - the cast of characters comes and goes as life takes us all in and out of this sport in different waves. It is up to each "wave" of folks to carry forward the banner for the next - but, we have so much competition for our Digital eyeballs and time now and it dilutes any one of these venues. I will say that with the fishing having been tougher over the past couple of years, that in itself has tightened some lips. Look back at the drop off in participation and it will also directly correlate with when the numbers were dropping. Most want to have some understanding of an angler's practice and ethics before giving out a lot of information to know they are aligned and share the same principles. Also, unfortunately, there seems to be an increasing level of "I've not put in the time, but put me on the fish" mentality - not pointing this to any one person or anyone in this thread - but you see it here and you see it on the other social media outlets - the instant gratification. Yes, we all started from not knowing anything about striper fishing and had someone help us along the way - and we should share that forward. I still do when I can add something of value and have time (which I've had a lot less of to be on here in the last year). I am always willing to help answer the "why" question - the "where" questions do get to me when its the only question asked as they are the cheap way out from which one does not learn. Also, the "one and done" posters that pop in looking for the fish and then never to be seen from again to help build the community don't help the motivation either. Folks also need to be willing to get out there, put in the time, learn the seasonal patterns and do the work..... that is where you learn - that is where the reward comes from. And I guarantee you that there is a core group of folks on here that when they see that passion from a given angler on here, one that is working to learn - that they will be supported - either on the public side of this forum - or in a lot of cases the Private message side.... If any of you out there are intentionally not participating here as a result of the tournaments, then I challenge you to rethink that mindset. Knowing most of you I seriously doubt it to be the case as I see the amount of help that you provide each other not only after the tourney but the nights & days before - but make sure you're helping those others that are new and up and coming in the sport.... of course like a wise man that used to be on this forum every day until about 8 years ago told me when I first started here - "tell 'em what you know, but don't tell 'em everything"  My 3 cents  |
|
|
|
Post by coheasion on Dec 2, 2019 10:18:44 GMT -5
Hi Mike - appreciate the well thought out reply. Maybe the timing of the decline of posts is just a coincidence and due to other external factors - maybe not - doubt we will ever know for sure, but I do miss those days. Reading several reports from any given weekend when I wasn't able to get to the lake was always a joy and one I have certainly missed.
And please, do not take my comments as disparaging the Mafia tournaments in any way, I think you and the team do a wonderful job with them and they help the community and have a whole host of wonderful benefits. I guess I just have some nostalgia for the way the forum used to be and after reading a few tourney reports of how many boats were in certain spots and how hard they were to fish, it sure seems the reports dried up after that. But as you put it so well, the two may not be related, it is just my opinion that it has at least contributed to the decline.
|
|
