Chumming

Don’t throw away tired, dead or bitten bait. Throw them into the transom well. Chum Chum Chum when you get the shoppers. Chum the waters you are about to fish.

Cut Bait Fishing

A fishing technique we need to know more about is ‘cut bait fishing’ (sections or filets of bait fish). Some of the biggest Stripers ever recorded were taken on cut bait fished on a bottom rig. This method is similar to live bait fishing except that the boat is positioned over a likely spot and moored with a bow and stern anchors. The second anchor keeps the boat from swinging and tangling the fishing lines. Dead baits, such as Gizzard Shad or Blueback Herring are hooked to lines and cast around the boat. Baits are fished on the bottom while others are suspended at various depths. When available, live bait is used in conjunction with the dead bait. The bait can be cut into various shapes or slashed to give off more scent. Larger baits can be cut in half to make two baits. The head section will be used on one line while the tail section is hooked to another. Fresh dead bait will attract more fish than frozen bait. Another idea is to use scissors and cut the tail section off a live bait. Drop it to the bottom and let it flutter around. It’s a sure fire technique if someone is home. If not the bait will die in 10 minutes anyway. At this point you are still cut baiting. Some of the best cut baiting is done from spring through late summer. Position your boat on a hump or flat near deep water. Use both anchors to hold the boat still. Start by chumming a couple dozen baits in to small fingernail sized pieces. Make sure you drop some directly under the boat. Also, you want to throw some out where your lines will be. I like to use a whiffle ball bat with the top cut off. Fill the body of the bat with your chum and sling it out there. Cast your lines in a 360 degree radius around the boat. Position your rods like the clock. Try to fish about 12 rods. People will fish as many as 30 rods doing this, keeping some right under the boat and casting others as far as they can. The tackle setup is fairly easy. Slide a 2 oz. egg sinker on your main line. Tie a barrel swivel and a bead to keep it from your hook. Tie a leader from the swivel to your hook. The leader should only be 1-3′ long. Shorter is better. Another method is to tie on a slide or fish finder rig. Even a ready rig works well. Just clip it on above your swivel and clip on the appropriate sinker. Do not tie a down line weight directly to your line. When the fish picks up the bait he will feel the weight.

Directional Bobbers

Use weighted and unweighted Directional Bobbers. They will fill in the gap between the last planer board and a Freeline.

Downlining

When fishing in deeper water with fish throughout the water column stagger your baits to determine what depth the fish are most active. For example on Lake Lanier in the summer time the thermocline might be at 30ft and your marking fish from 40 to 80. Place your rods at 40, 50, 60, & 70 feet. Having the large spread along with longer 8ft leaders allows you cover as much water vertically as possible. The deeper you are fishing the more you can tighten down your drag as you have plenty of stretch available in your main line. Tightening down your drag is especially helpful when fishing near timber, just remember to back it off a bit when the fish gets close to the boat. When fishing 12 to 25 ft below the boat you want a looser drag as your don’t have as much stretch available. Always place your baits above the fish your are marking, stripers suspended in the water column look and feed up. If your marking fish and you’re not getting bit, drop down the bait 15/20ft below the fish and quickly reel your baits up though the fish, this will often trigger a bite or just start the big motor and leave it idling. When a striper hits put trolling motor on rabbit and go in opposite direction. If striper makes it to the trees open your bail and let him come out when he is ready. Sometimes banging on the bottom of the boat with 2×4 or broom handle will “call” the fish to the boat, stripers are curious by nature and will come to investigate. You may even want to put Ben Parker spoon in rod holder so when boats go by moves spoon up and down. When fishing in shallower water, I keep the rod closest to me on the bottom, bouncing along, pulling it up quickly if I see a tree or other obstruction. Often only that bait that is right on the bottom is the one getting bit.
Take up the slack when a striper is coming towards you.

Flatline / Freeline

A Flatline is also referred to as a Freeline. This is when you hook a bait and let the line out behind the boat. There is no weight added. The idea is to have the bait on or near the surface. The strikes will be seen as well as heard most times. The variations of this are to add a small split shot (above the swivel) to allow your bait to swim deeper. Another way is to add a float to keep your bait on a short leash. This will ensure your bait is near the surface. This is very effective when trolling over brush piles etc. There is a flatline on the rear right side of the boat at 10′. This is the Prop wash bait or Transom bait. The flatline on the rear left is 40′. The float down the middle is the longest line, about 75′. Notice that you are covering a lot of water. See Charts for what size weight to use.

Fly Fishing Seek an expert by hiring Henry Cowan.

• Something Else fly
• Sz 2 Clouser minnow
• Gummy minnow
• Fluoro fiber
• Intermediate sinking
• Sinking line 1′ per 2 sec
• 8-9 wt rod with a large capacity reel
• WF9ST fly line with an 8-9′ leader
• 15′ lb test for sinking 3′ length or fluorocarbon line
• Spring and fall months are prime time

Lead Core

Lead Core trolling can be used any time of the year but it works extremely well in the months that the surface temperature is heated between 85 to 100 degrees causing the Stripers to descend to depths that they feel more comfortable in whether it’s for oxygen, bait (keeping in mind that blueback herring thrive in water temperatures of 50 to 65 degrees), quality of the water and/or turnover.

What is Lead Core? It is a main line where the outer material is a fiber called Dacron that comes in different strengths. I use 36lb test and the cost is pretty reasonable at $16 on Amazon. The stronger Dacron helps when you get stuck in a tree having more strength to not break off like the lighter strengths of 18 and 27 lbs. which are primarily used on smaller line capacity reels. The lead core line comes in 100 yard lengths has a different color every 10 yards. This is what helps you determine where the jig is located in the water column based on predetermined charts showing you the depth that your jig is at based on the speed of the boat with the number of different colors to make that determination. Each color released in the water will sink approximately 3 feet at 2.5 mph. For example, 5 colors out with a 2 oz jig will put your jig at 20’ deep running at 2.7 mph. The inner material is a lead line or wire that is breakable by pinching it. It’s only purpose is to add weight to the line and get your jig down to the preferred depth quickly and stay there. Typically I use a 2oz Chipmunk or Capt Mack’s White or Chartreuse/Blue jig and other colors but have used 3 & 4 oz. jigs later in the season to get down deeper. With the heavier jigs you don’t have to let out as much line to get them down deeper and because they are closer to the boat you may see them on your sonar. I always use a 6 to 8” paddle tail trailer with a rattle stuck inside. The noise made as the trailer is swimming can attract a Striper from way off or I use a U-tail trailer but without the rattle. I use a medium heavy 7’ tiger stick with a non line counter reel because you are counting colors not feet. I use the Bass Pro Snagging Special Level Wind reel with 22lb open drag which has a larger than most reels line capacity so the lead core comes off the top easily but also allows for a couple hundred feet of 30lb backing in case you are 10 colors out and the Striper keeps running. This reel also has a 4:4:1 retrieve. The slower retrieve keeps you from totally exhausting the Striper as you bring him in. And I always use a Seaqualizer to release the Striper. Nothing worse to see than a fish floating and bloated on the surface. Release him properly so that you can catch him another day. I do use a leader with the lead core from 20’ – 50’ of Seaguar Fluorocarbon line. I use the Willis knot to connect the leader to the lead core. Using a small swivel to do this causes issues as the swivel may or may not go easily through the reels take up guide. And for me it’s easier to tie the Willis knot in the wind or a rocking boat than for me to tie on a swivel. But that’s me. Some locations to pull lead core are the humps just out from East Bank Bay, the humps in Shoal creek SC 6 & 8, the two mile shoot from Vanns to the Six Mile crossroads, from the mouth of Six Mile to Shady Grove, the humps in front of Tidwell ramp and many more places. Catching a Striper, what other fish in Lanier has a mouth big enough to eat an 8” presentation. When a fish is on you will hear the clicker sporadically sounding off but if it’s a snag the sounding off will be continuous. You can net a fish caught on lead core but not using an umbrella rig for obvious reasons.

Pitching Blueback Herring

Using a spinning rod the bluebacks should be hooked chin through the head on 8lb test with hook on a loop knot. Pitch the herring against the bank or at reef poles lobbing 9 o’clock to 3 then let out line – wait one minute. Do again.

Planer Boards

They look more complicated then they are. Planer Boards are a great tool. They move your bait away from the boat at a distance that you control. It enables you to fish many more lines without getting tangles. It also is extremely productive when the fish are spooked of the boat. You can run a planer board into 2 feet of water while your boat stays in deeper water. You simply let out a determined amount of line and attach the planer board with a clothes pin styled clip that’s attached to the board. When the fish strikes the board is released. I use the glass bead so my board slides down my line and stops at the bead. Some people prefer not to clip their line directly to the back clips, allowing the board to fall off the line completely. I have lost too many boards doing this. The only time I would recommend doing this if you are the only boat in the area. You will need to have plenty of boards to replace the boards with every bite you get. Or like I say, you can attach it to your line and reuse the same board repeatedly. Notice the planers on the outside have about 10′ of line after the planer board. This is designed to pull shallow water in either direction. The middle boards will be maybe 20′ and the ones closest to the boat will be the longest. The outside boards maybe 50′ away from the boat. This is giving you a 100′ wide area to fish. You are covering different depths as well. Change it around to you are comfortable with it. Add split shot to the middle planer board leaders.

Power Casting

Using a 2oz bucktail jig add a 7″ paddle tail and cast out as far as you can; then count down 5 or 10 as it sinks; then reel in moderately. Or use this set up to power reel.

Power Reeling

Find 30-50’ humps. Have Downlines ready at different depths. Using an 18” leader with braid using a 2oz bucktail jig tipped with 8-10” chartreuse paddle tail or just herring. Make only one attempt then move – OR – using a Ben Parker Spoon cast out horizontal, let fall back under boat. Already have Downlines in the water at different depths.

Another way is to drop spoon to bottom, power reel up to surface quickly. Also bring up in stages then allow to flutter down. You can try bringing up the spoon very fast but stopping at 10-15’ for a moment then continue up another 10-15’. Stripers may take the bait on the rise, when it stops, when it starts again or on the fall – OR – power reel on clear bottom in 100’ of water or right into trees.

Spoons

You can drop a 8″ Ben Parker spoon to bottom, power reel up to surface quickly. Also bring it up in stages then allow to flutter down. You can try bringing up the spoon very fast but stopping at 10-15’ for a moment then continue up another 10-15’. Stripers may take the bait on the rise, when it stops, when it starts again.

War Eagle Spoon – natural shad or blue herring. Can use with a trailer (Fluke). Work all the way from bank forward. Allow to flutter down. Get bites on the fall using 8 to 10lb line.

Top Water

Throw Blueback Herring behind top water lure cranked by partner. Red Fins, any Spook, Super Spook – drag only, shiny Spook – sunny days before lunch. Bombers when it’s dark before daybreak or after sunset on points and reef poles. Replace treble hooks on Red Fins with 1/0 treble hooks. Retrieve should be as fast as possible still keeping the Red Fin on top of the water. Use #4 treble hooks on Sebille Magic Swimmer size 140 in Ghost Pearl color. Retrieve should be rip-rip-sit. Other popular lures are Chug Bug, Sammy and large stick baits such as Cisco Kid. Remember fish no deeper than 15-20 ft will come up for top baits.

Umbrella Rigs

Umbrella Rigs can be used any time with no relationship to the time of year. They are a great search tool when fishing it on, over or around humps, points, roadbeds, creeks or river channels. I was told by my umbrella rig mentor, Don Finfrock (RIP) that if I purchased a umbrella rig, I should also purchase an umbrella rig retriever. Mine is still new in the bag and on the boat as I have never needed to use it and have yet to lose one. If you follow all the rules and tips you will not lose your umbrella rig. The first rule is paying attention, not talking to others, to stay focused on using your electronics mapping, sonar and down imaging. Always knowing where your rig is at all times is key. The other person  brings in the catch. You are the one who stops the boat or puts the boat in neutral and reels in the other rod. Otherwise, the umbrella rig would sink to the bottom and you could lose it by getting hung on something. By doing this it makes it easier to bring in the rigs and causes less stress on the catch. Determine the depth you want the rig to be at by using the umbrella rig chart based on the type of umbrella rig you are using whether it be a 3 arm or four arm with either a 4, 7 or 9 jig apparatus being 2 or 3 oz and whether you are using 100 lb mono or 80 lb braid. There are other charts for other types of lines like braid or copper lines. As an example, to get the umbrella rig down to 20’ you would have to let out 85’ of line for braid. As you are dropping the rig you need to be moving at a speed slightly faster until all of the line is released for your depth and also while releasing the line don’t let it all at once. Thumb the reel to prevent bird nesting and let the line out in 10’ increments. Once the desired length of line is released the boat speed can be reduced to your depth setting of mph for the 20′ depth.

Using you mapping software you can look ahead in the direction you are traveling to see any obstacles coming into view like unexpected trees or humps giving you the opportunity to speed the boat up to make the rigs rise to avoid whatever threatening object.

 If umbrella rig gets hung you stop the boat, reel in the other rig then back up the boat so as to not wrap the line around the tree making it more difficult to save the rig. As you move backwards reel in the excess line until you are centered over the line. At this point slowly back up the boat a few feet. Most of the time the umbrella rig will comes loose and you can reel it up. If it doesn’t come free give some line back then wrap the line a few times around the boat cleat. Either continue moving backwards or forward slowly and pull up the tree that has caught your rig. You may have one or two jigs missing but they can be replaced by carrying a full complement of umbrella rig parts like wires and jigs.

 You should vary your umbrella rigs’ colors until you determine which color they are willing to bite. Start with chartreuse on sunny days or white on cloudy days. I usually use a  rainbow version having multiple colors. Again, once you see what color they like you can switch the entire rig to that color.

 For my equipment I use 80lb braid connected directly to the umbrella rig using a 120lb snap swivel, a Daiwa LCB57 line counter with 26lb open drag (again another large capacity reel), 6:1:1 retrieve with a medium heavy tiger stick.

Do not stop the boat when reeling in a fish unless someone clears the other lines out.

 Do not attempt to fish over trees. It would be better if you troll the river channel.

Use your mapping software on GPS and follow contours carefully.

Create waypoints and use them to create a trolling pattern.

 Fishing into the wind will slow your boat which will make your rig run deeper. The opposite happens when fishing with the wind as your boat will increase your speed.

Some tips for umbrella rig trolling:

Maintain a trolling speed of 2.50 to 3.50 – change the speed from time-to-time to learn what the fish are looking for. You can use the same speed schedule whether you are in clear or stained water. If no luck vary speed, distance from boat, moving pattern, colors and jig size. Jig size needs to be uniform but types of jigs can vary. Also, colors can be uniform or rainbow. Try horse head jigs or fish head spins. Trailers can be cut in half or spiked with scent. Use of paddle tails creates more vibration and sound whether normal size or crappie size. Depth of Umbrella Rig is determined by total weight of jigs and arm vs. speed of boat. Colors of jigs can be pink if the water is stained; otherwise use chartreuse with chartreuse trailer, or white with chartreuse trailer, or white with white trailer. If you are marking fish and they do not bite keep going over the same fish over and over; zigzag or speed up; increase the distance from boat; stop momentarily then speed up. Numerous trolling patterns exist. Try the “S” pattern and the figure eight patterns. Both of these patterns when used properly will allow the trolling depth of your lures to change. As an example, when turning to port, the rig on that side will drop in the water column while it is moving but its speed is a bit slower. As the Captain turns back to starboard, the rig on the port side will rise and experience a slight increase in speed. This is the “S” method and should be used in wider creeks or open water where the fish are suspended and on the move. The figure eight method is an extension of the “S” pattern and will allow your rigs to change trolling speed as well as depth. Again, the use of the Umbrella Rig results in a “reaction” strike; therefore, changing speeds and small changes to trolling depths can make a significant difference. Both the “S” pattern and the figure eight pattern are effective throughout the year. In the fall and spring Stripers may be found on points and humps. Trolling umbrella rigs over points or on the sides of points is very tedious therefore you should have a good understanding of the depth of your rigs. This holds true for trolling over humps as well. Also, take advantage of your mapping software to orient your trolling pattern to certain contour lines. Some units now can highlight preset water depths with colors making it easier to fish In those depths. Water temperature and depth control represent two major considerations fishing fresh water. Depth control when trolling Umbrella Rigs is extremely important. Throughout the year Stripers are known to live in small shallow pockets, on lake points and humps, and in open water. Maintaining proper trolling depths and making the proper rig presentation will result in success!

Start out by just choosing a couple of methods until you determine which works best for you considering equipment costs, where you plan to fish, time of day, weather patterns, and so on. Don’t try to use as many methods as you have rods because it would be very difficult to combine some of these methods like using Lead Core and Downlines at the same time; or using Planer Boards and Top Water at the same time.