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Hello all,
I just installed a down rigger on my small boat. I have a 4# ball. What depth would you recommend trolling for stripers. I am going out tommorow. From what I have read the stripers may be deep this time of year. I will be launching at Calville.
Thanks in advance.
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I'd start at 60' and go from there. The weather has been nice... they might be up a little shallower. They can be as deep as 120' sometimes though. I was out at callville a couple days ago, and i saw a few stripers cruising the coves in about 10 feet of water.
Good luck out there
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Hello,
Might be to late. But right now the water is cool enough the fish can be anywhere best bet in the morning start shallow and then start going deeper until you find them. On the beach i have been getting them in about 40 feet trolling. But some big ones have been caught from shore a 15 & 8 were caught friday from boulder launch area. Good luck and lets here your report.
Stripercraze
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Hi from freezing cold Utah.........
Thanks for posting info regarding Stripers.
But how deep do the catfish at Mead go? Do you know?
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I personally don't know much about catfish. Hopefully others will chime in. I would be interested in this as well. When I lived in the cold country a hot buttered rum kept me from getting cabin fever. Spring is only months away.
Tight lines.
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The cats at Mead typically hang out in less than 50 feet of water. In the winter, they can hold on the deeper side, and are typically less active, but if the water temp drops below 50, the cats can get really active (with the stripers) if there is a shad die-off. The water gets too cold, and those shad start droppin like flies- the cats and stripers school up under the schools of shad in deep water (50-80 feet) and pick off the dying ones. It is more common in lakes in the deep south where it gets colder in the winter, but if it gets chilly enough here, you can have some stellar fishing during the die-off.
In the early spring, cats start getting active, and can be caught on a variety of baits (fresh-dead, live or frozen shad and frozen chicken livers are my favorite).
At night, channel cats start roaming around in search of food in water as shallow as 2 feet. I like to soak baits in 5 to 20 feet of water.
In the summer, the cat-fishing can be great, and then it comes to a halt when the mature fish start their spawn. When water temps hit 72F- 82F, the fish focus their energy on the spawn and stop feeding actively for a few weeks. Because fish spawn at different times, you can always catch a few fish, but the fishing will get really good later in the summer.
By early fall, the fish are fat and in a feeding frenzy. Still focus your efforts in water less than 20 feet. This time of year, you cant go wrong with fresh cut shad (not that packaged crap).
The fish will feed throughout the year, but they are just harder to locate in the winter.
As with all bait fishing, 2 rules apply:
[ul][li]Change your bait every 15-20 minutes- fish like smelly, fresh bait- not water-logged mushy bait[/li][li]Bigger Bait= Bigger Fish - if you fish with a nightcrawler, you are gonna catch a dink. You tie on a fat shad, hold on.[/li][/ul]Happy Cat-Hunting!
The Whizzle
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