Caught another big one out of Echo Bay 12/9/2012

[lvfishingdude]

Well I think the fishing gods shinned down on me after taking a bunch of family friends out fishing and letting them catch all the fish this summer.

Went out at 6:30 am right before the sun was up over the mountain. Surprisingly the wind wasn't blowing at all like they said it was supposed to be the day before. So, i went to my favorite spot that I call Eagle Cove, because the bald eagles seem to like that spot. When I arrived there, a huge bald eagle was there looking over the cove.

I started trolling with the same lure I caught my last big striper on last year. I was marking fish all over on the fish finder but nothing was biting. Right when I was about to make a turn out of the cove my pole goes off. I immediately knew I had a big fish. It started taking line like crazy. I luckily changed the line on my pole to 15lb berkley big game the day fore.

By the way I was all by myself with no net or gaff.

This fish just did not want to give up and I noticed almost all my line was being taken off my pole so I was able to kick the boat into reverse and I started to gain some ground on him. It was funny having to use my foot to put the boat into reverse and neutral. I finally was able to get him about 15 yards from the boat when I finally was able to bring him to the surface and saw him, but he still wasn't ready to give up, so he took off again.

10 minutes later i finally was able to get him up to the boat and he turned on his side. He just barely had his mouth open, but I was able to slip my hand in and grab on. He started thrashing back and forth, but I was able to get my other hand in and lift him into the boat.

I couldn't believe I caught another big striper in the same place with the same lure just a year ago.

The fish measured out at 44" long and weighed 44 lbs. Pretty sure it was a male. There was nothing in its stomach. It had a huge head, and I think it would of weighed more if it was full.

This trip proves the big ones are still in the Overton Arm. You just have to find them.

Man my arms are tired after this trip.








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[wolfs4evr]

Sweet! Nice catch!
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[syncityangler]

[cool] What a pig Striper!!!! good goin' man, the fish Gods were on your side today! Some day I'll get a double digit Striper.

I love Bald Eagles, they are my favorite animal. Every time I seen one when I lived in Seattle I would have a great day fishing usually taking home a Salmon. [fishon]
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[lvfishingdude]

the bald eagle I saw today was the biggest I had ever seen. The wing span on it was enormous. They are so beautiful

All I can tell you is just keep putting your time in on the lake.

Anyone thinking the river is the only place that will give up a big one is crazy.
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[wolfs4evr]

I think I know what area you are talking about. Last April or so I was south of that area a mile or so and seen one around that size. We were chasing the Smallies on the bed at the time moving from one area to another and I was up on the bow and seen it come up for a snack right off the bow. I couldn't get a rod in my hands fast enough. lol Tried but no luck on that one.

I guess one of these days I need to learn what there is to learn on trolling for Stripers, etc. I hate the thought of running the big motor to troll but might have to mess with it. I suppose every now and then wouldn't be too bad on the big motor hours. The depth of the lake is just so intimidating to troll on. Plus I am new at this stuff. I can cast and run a line in with something on it but beyond that is beyond me boat knowledge wise.

Are you just using cranks, plugs, etc and trolling them at there natural designed depth or using downriggers/something to get deeper? Is going deeper important or just finding them and hoping they will come up from the depths for a particuar presentation? 2.5mph is about it for me at a idle with the 115 4 stroke I have. Can't do anything slow unless I am on the electric TM.
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[lvfishingdude]

the best tool i can can tell you to use is your depth finder. I am always watching it. The other thing i have on my side is i have been fishing that area since I was 5 years old and know the ins and outs of that part of the lake, so I don't worry much about getting to shallow or messing up my prop.

The great thing about trolling even with a big motor is, you don't waste much gas. Going slow burns little to no gas. Before I got this boat I was trolling with my 225 johnson and didn't have to worry about speed.

I troll around 3-3.5 mph. Some might say that is fast but I am telling you it never fails me.

I also troll with a lot of line out. When I use my counter reels that tell you how much is out, i usually let out between 200-300 feet. Yesterday I was actually using my new spinning reel combo I bought and I just guesstimate how much line was out there.

Now i will give you a couple hints on my secret spot.

When you go out of Echo Marina, go left. it is a couple miles down but before stewarts point. Look for bald eagles. It is on the left side of the lake, not across the lake. This spot is great all year round. This is where I have caught both big fish and I can not count how many stripers/small mouth bass/large mouth bass I have caught in this cove. I don't technically fish for small/large mouth's but I always seem to get them just trolling a little to close to shore.

I caught that fish in less than 20 feet of water also. So you don't have to worry about going very deep. Find the shad on your fish finder and I guarantee you the stripers are behind them
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[BillyH]

That area you are talking about is pretty good. Last time we were up i spied a couple of pigs. It was kind of cool, the gizzard were all over the threadfin and the stripers were right behind the gizzard. It was like a swimming buffet and there were some healthy ones. We usually do well pulling plugs in and out of the coves, most coves we would get a hit right as the plug was coming into the cove just off the points.

Nice fish though, good to see someone baggin the big ones up there still.
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[playa702]

Nice!!!!!!!
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[lvfishingdude]

forgot to update you after i filleted that monster. its stomach was empty. like i said in the above post i think that fish would of weighed a lot more if it was full.
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[TheWhizzle]

Alright, now first please let me say, great fish, great job.



But I gotta say what's on my mind. Hope to not offend...

Why'd you kill it man? A 44lber should stay swimming in the lake. There are soooooooooooooooooooo many eating-size stripers in the lake, I can't fathom why you wouldn't let that monster live, and bag a few 2 pounders for the dinner table.

We all know that the lake is overpopulated with stripers, and the only way to help the population attain a larger average size is to kill the small fish and release the big ones.

I just can't condone killing trophy Lake Mead stripers.

Again, I hope to not offend, and I'm not trying to stir the pot, but this is a topic I feel very strongly about, and I had to say something.
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[lvfishingdude]

Very simple answer, because I wanted to keep it. There are more big ones in there and losing one big one isn't going to hurt anything.

I typically catch and release the fish I catch, unless I know someone wants the meat. The meat on this fish is going to help feed my family and a bunch of friends.

I don't understand why people have this opinion you should release the big ones and keep the little ones?

I can reverse the same question you asked me, Why do you keep the little ones and not let them grow?

By the way I take no offense to your post, and understand how some people feel about keeping big ones, but if I get a big one, I am keeping it.

Also for the record, the one big brown I caught up at Cave Lake a few years ago, I tried to release it, but it just wouldn't get the air back in it so I had to keep it. My family also loved eating that one.

Just know anything i keep doesn't go wasted.
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[ChuckStreamer]

I have to agree with Whizzle, I know everyone has the right to keep any fish they want but I think the smaller stripers are better eating. Not every fish will get big, they have to have the right genes. The lake is overpopulated with dink size stripers that will never get big. Those are the king of big fish we want in there to reproduce.
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[lvfishingdude]

they published my article in the Moapa Valley Progress this week

http://mvprogress.com/2012/12/12/lucky-l...lake-mead/
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[montananinnv]

I would have let that big dude go too. I couldnt wack him if i wanted too. but then again i hate eating them and yes, its a big deep lake with lots of big dogs in it, probably wont hurt anything. congrats man, thats a hell of a fish and you worked your ass off for it with your many trips out there. especially by yourself its a major accomplishment. also very cool picture of you holding it on the docks. wish i could say iam not extreamely jealous. once again, great fish to a great fisherman. thanks for sharing. cant wait till i get to land a big fat striper too.
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[SEALFISH]

Very nice fish! Congratulations.

I'd actually like to catch a bigger striper again out of Mead but all NevadaE puts me on is dinks[laugh]!
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[wolfs4evr]

[quote lvfishingdude]they published my article in the Moapa Valley Progress this week

[url "http://mvprogress.com/...-lake-mead/[/quote]"]http://mvprogress.com/...-lake-mead/[/quote][/url]

Cool []
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[BigE]

[cool]I have gotten you to your first DD and some close. You are bound to get one soon. As far as that NevadaE guy, he is letting you wait til he is ready to get you a bigger fish.
That is a hell of fish for mead. Must have been fun on 15lb test.
Congratulations.
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[lvfishingdude]

it took me 29 minutes to get it in. that was the most fun fish I have ever caught!
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[ChuckStreamer]

Good Job on making the paper. How does that work? Do you call them and tell them you caught a fish or do they have someone at echo bay?
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[lvfishingdude]

i know all the people who run/work at echo and they let the paper know. the editor of the paper emailed me to ask me the story on it.
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