To be honest, that didn't even dawn on me until I saw several other posts with this same basic title....

So then, I guess todays trip was a pretty good start

I caught 3 Stripers, which went about 13, 13.4, and 18.2 lb, and what was even cooler, was that I caught the 13.4, and the 18.2 that I'll post photos of here, on my micro-light, with my new little Shimano Sahara. It handled them just fine, and the 18 fought pretty darn hard too. I guess I could learn to like that reel..... but it still feels like.... well, a Shimano to me.... Hmmmm.

Anyway, these were some really healthy, beautiful Stripers, and so I was glad they released so strongly.

13.4 lbs

Lighting wasn't great on either of these, but I kind of like this shot though. 18.2 lbs

Peace,

Fish

PS, BTW, it was in the 20's this morning ! REALLY cold for these parts. My hands were hurting, and barely functionable..... but my bald head was toasty in my fur bomber hat

well, that settles it. i think i'm going tomorrow. temps supposed to be in the low 30's with the wind blowing, but dadgumit chis you've pushed me over the edge. i wanna catch another big striper so bad i can taste it.

great catch as always. were you using live bait again? if so, how are you hooking it? i go in one nostril and out the other with a little piece of soft plastic on the hook to keep it from rolling backward and re-hooking the bait. maybe you know a better way though.

always down to learn some new tricks.

Chris- your stache looks like it came from the same fur as your hat  ;D nice fish too.

Paul- you better dust the snow off the boat!

WOW - I love all these striper photos - GREAT fish...and on light spinning gear too! :D

I once caught a 33" catfish on my 5 1/2' light power spinning rod with 6lb test line...so I sorta know how much fun you had! 

Nice fish !

Much thanks guys. Sure had fun

Rained out today ....well, not really enough rain to amount to anything, but just enough to make everything wet and nasty + it's still pretty darn cold.

And too cloudy for good photography, so today I'm just kind of aimless....

Hey Bmadd

your stache looks like it came from the same fur as your hat  ;D

It's does, huh !  ;D LOL

Peace,

Fish

Nice fish Chris!! Man I would love to fish with you one day, you are one of my fishing heroes. Nice hat too, matches well with your stache.

Thank you Ed

I'd really like to meet you, and actually all of the guys here, in person, to talk fishing.... but as far as actually fishing with anybody > With my AADD, I just can't fish and socialize at the same time. I'd either just have to put my fishing gear away, or be rude, and ignore anybody that was with me.

When I'm fishing, I get into like tunnel vision or something, and forget about everything but the fish {for better, or for worse}

Peace,

Fish

Thank you Ed

I'd really like to meet you, and actually all of the guys here, in person, to talk fishing.... but as far as actually fishing with anybody > With my AADD, I just can't fish and socialize at the same time. I'd either just have to put my fishing gear away, or be rude, and ignore anybody that was with me.

When I'm fishing, I get into like tunnel vision or something, and forget about everything but the fish {for better, or for worse}

Peace,

Fish

You got company - that's why I have a single-seat boat (canoe). ;D

That's also one reason (of several reasons) why I don't belong to my local bass club...the tournaments are designed to be social events - 2-person boats with mandatory rotation of all the club members amongst the boat owners...you fish with someone different every tournament. When I fish, I like to fish - not socialize or make small talk. But I love talking about fishing with anyone when I'm off the water....

Hey Goose, yep, you sound just like me ! 

Start me talking about fishing, when I'm not on the water.... or just got off of the water, and good luck getting me to shut up ! 

I've had many fishing trips when I tried hard to get off of the water, with just enough light to see.... Then ran into another fishermen at the ramp, and STILL ended up getting home late Oh well.

Fish

Thats OK, I will talk to myself LOL

hey chris were you using live bait again?  if so, how were you hooking it?

Hey Paul, of course. In these parts, their is just flat out no other choice if you want to be in the running for a true monster Striper, than Split Tails, or maybe Squaw fish.

Here's a rigged Split Tail.... but from back in the day, with a regular full treble hook. I now modify them so that their is only 1 full hook left, and even it is barbless. Oh btw, it's only coincidence that this Split Tail's tail is split

Oh, one other interesting thing to note;

Striper fishing with live bait in these parts, has no negative stigma attached to it whatsoever. Lots of guys use live mudsuckers and bullheads, because they can buy them at the bait store, and being much smaller, they can catch more, but often smaller Stripers on them. However, just as with fishing for trophy sized Largemouth's, a lot of anglers just don't have the patience, or confidence in such big baits. Still more yet have a really hard time catching a Split Tail to begin with.

I'll admit, it's much easier to go out and drag crankbaits around all day (troll), and maybe catch 10 or 15, 3 to 6 lb'ers.... but if I did that, I'd feel like I wasted my time on the water, for nothing but dinks.

I want to know that when that 40 lb'er finally comes along, theirs a really good chance it will eat my bait, and end up in my boat ! Their's just not enough of them out there, to wait for 50 forty lb'ers to come along, so that one of them might eat my crankbait....

Peace,

Fish

Man, nobody care's if you use live bait to catch these beautiful fish, are you kidding? You are one with the fish, and are all over 'em because you are a focused, dedicated, talented angler, and we all love seeing your fish, your photography, and your fuzzy hats! Rock on, brother!

Hey nothing wrong with live bait, it's all a means to an end.

Catching any species of fish that size on light equipment is a notable feat.  I'm curious, being totally unfamiliar with a California striper, as to how long a fight those fish put up, can you exhaust them with only 2# or 3# of drag? Here in Florida many times catching comparable sized fish we have to chase them down with  the boat or get spooled even using larger reels and rods with more line capacity, 100 yds of braid just isn't enough line.  Just yesterday I caught tarpon about 25# with 20# class rod and  stradic 4000, drag tightened to 10 or 15# and had trouble getting it in, fishing off a jetty I did not have the option of chasing it down.

I commend you on this notable feat, I couldn't do it.

hey chris.  thanks  a lot man.  that's a real interesting rig.  i use live skipjacks.  i have finally settled on hooking 'em through the nostrils, but i think i'm gonna try your way too.  thanks for taking the trouble to put up a pic.

and i totally agree on the live bait thing.  we are just getting cranked up this year on striper fishing, but last year all the best ones came on the real thing.  just like you said, more on artificials, bigger on live.  yesterday, i fished a 10" skipjack for about an hour.  no takers, but i have all the confidence in the world that if the one i wanted had been there, she woulda ate it.  i can't really say the same thing with artificials. 

good stuff bud.  thanks again.

Thanks guys

SirSnook, well, the water is REALLY cold right now. My graph said 42-43 ! So maybe that's why, but I think I had the 18 to the boat, in no more than 7 minutes. I mean, don't get me wrong, it fought hard for those 7 minutes.... and also, 7 minutes can feel like an hour when the adrenalin is pumping, and all you want to do is get it in the boat {the whole time thing, reminds me of the movie we just watched last night.... "***" ....kind of hard to follow, but I'd still give it an 8 out of 10}

Now, the big Sturgies on this gear are quite a different story. They can easily take 1 hour, or more.

Fish

Haha awesome!Stripers are by far one of the strongest fish pound for pound,and definitely in freshwater.But hopefully we're gonna go tomorrow for the first time lol and hopefully this upcoming weak we'll get our new lowrance hooked up thatll help with the drop shotting

Beautiful Stripers. Congrats on your first trip of the year too. 

Thanks again guys 

Fish