MassBass

Your probably pulling hooks because you have no give in your set up. Loosen up your drag so the fish can take line. Another idea is use mono or a softer rod.

Went down to my spot with the current and the laydown. Looked good with a real defined lane of current. Chummed, casted, soon i got a fish. Then I got another smaller one. Still have never caught a small carp in the main river. 27~ inches are the smaller ones. Using a 1oz bank sinker on a slide with a hair rig.

Somebody call Jeremy Wade he'll get to the bottom of this.

Pulled one yesterday, 32". I think it had something to do with water temps, but this thing was fired up. I probably fought it for 15 min. it would not tire. After that I had two runs for no fish with a different rig that I had tied on. Then I snagged up and lost my hardware. I think an important thing is light wire hooks. If your hook isn't totaled after one fish, its too heavy. I also need to start using lighter line on the hooklink so i don't lose sinkers, slides, and swivels.

Used and abused in salt, better off buying two $50 casting reels.

This is from earlier in the summer. 3-4 chain pickerel.

what about chain pickerel do you target them. Considering toothy fish are your favorite.

I would try the vertical approach with a little flashy kastmaster, unless the water is too tannic.

I have been using 1oz. pyramid sinkers. Heavier than that there is a much bigger splashdown which can spook fish. The shape of the sinker helps it hold not just the mass. Of course we don't know everything about your river's current so this is just an idea.

Not a bad idea to be prepared for another specie besides LM. Especially if your water is known for pike, cats, etc.

I have always thought tarpon are like giant minnows/shiners.

Try fishing at sunset/night and early AM

Finding my go- to spot stagnant despite some rain during the day, I decided to move. The brush was thick and the old deer trail grown over mostly. I went upriver to a spot where main river current sweeps by a living lay down. Good moving water. The water was muddy but it was not flooded. Unusual color. Chummed, casted, soon a strong take, by the time I handled the rod the fish was swimming straight back at me to the structure. Strong, definitely a carp, it was in the snag and then I broke off. I was excited after this, pretty sure the spot was good for another chance. Got another take, big fat carp 22" girth 29" long. I caught another fish at 33" that was built different. It was starting to get dark with sunglasses on, and I was kind of remote, so I packed up and left. I think I found a better rod its an Ugly Stik lite 6'6" M. Has enough backbone to control the fish.

Was it possibly a chain pickerel? The pickerel are in every little pond around here, while pike are only in the big lake and river. They look similar and have a similar taste in baits, a spinner being one.

I am not sure if you are conducting a precise scientific experiment here, but do you have a hypothesis of what will work best? There is a line between sportfishing knowledge and scientific/academic knowledge. Is an old Alaskan fisherman smarter than some young guy with a masters in Biology? If its of any value, I caught some tough river sunfish vertical jigging a small kastmaster spoon.

pressured sunfish at a community dock for example can get very smart, they can even see the hook on a worm presentation. If a snap makes it easier for you use it. You won't have to worry about a snap being a weak link and breaking off with sunfish.

I agree, spinners. 1/4 oz. gold panther martin is good.

Its commercial season for stripers. You could catch/photo/release and then go out to dinner for striper meat. I caught some keepers this year but I revived and released them. Im not always up for the killing and butcher of the fish and im not starving.

Thats great. Those big swimbaits work but its just so low percentage and you have to accept you will get skunked more.

Thats a nice pickerel. 5 pounds is a monster.

I caught a fish this evening, 29.5" on the tape. I was chumming the spot for some time before he hit, with some bites that made me tinker with my rig some. He ran out to the main river current, but turned around; I would have had to put the brakes on somehow if he kept swimming downriver.

I'll second the slug-go suggestion, definitely a key lure in your striper box. 9'' is the size but I reckon the 12" would work, maybe even bring out the biggins more than the 9". The tandem rigs are good, for sale on the lunker city page. I have not caught a striper on a slug-go this season but in years past it was always my go to. White is the basic color that works but other colors can call up fish to.

Swimbaits on jigheads have really gotten popular for stripers, and they have accounted for a lot of big fish. You can also change your presentation between jigging and steady retrieve, depending on the weight, current, etc.

Some monsters of the sea. You should keep at that, for everything there is a season. Do people get stripers down there i read they are down there and they mingle with those fish you caught.

Large Pike. Forgot my tape in another bag. One of my biggest.