Tony Buzolich
08-07-2008, 10:34 PM
After dinner tonight I decided to go check out a few reports of stripers being taken in good numbers close to home. I loaded the boat, called a good friend, and off we went getting on the water about 7:00PM. Being optimistic I even packed a small camera (just in case :P ).
We headed downstream a ways with a fairly gusty wind blowing making it hard to control the boat. For a while it was almost a full time job when only one of us could cast and the other controlled the electric motor keeping us in position.
Some of the normally good spots were unproductive partly because of the wind and partly for lack of fish.
Nearing a sharp bend in the river I finally hook up. Yahoo, it's about time and this is a solid fish that doesn't even budge . Two, three, four, big head shakes and all this fish wants to do is go deep. Usually most of the bigger stripers we hook head sideways for the middle of the river and deeper water. This one just gave a few more shakes and came undone :( .
We move farther down to another good spot and as if on queue I get another hook-up. My partner also hooks-up and together we both come undone. Before I can get my fly to the boat I get a second grab and another solid hookup. This one screams off burning line through my fingers but stays tight. A few minutes later a nice 15 lber comes to the net. :D
We take a few pictures and as we're removing the fly we notice a fairly large tail of another fish in this striper mouth. The head and body were already deep in the stomach of the striper but obviously he couldn't quite fit all of it in. The tail of this already eaten fish appeared to be a full grown shad of several pounds :?
Even with a full stomach this striper decided my fly had to be desert.
After releasing this nice fish we keep dropping downstream picking up several more as we go before getting too dark to cast.
We're off the water a little after 9:00PM and heading home anxiously wanting to see the pics we took earlier. Sadly, operator error with camera failed to produce anything. My wife was quick to remind me that I needed to hold the button half way down before fully clicking. :oops:
So, it was a good night, even without pictures, and I can't wait to get back out there for some more striper action.
TONY
We headed downstream a ways with a fairly gusty wind blowing making it hard to control the boat. For a while it was almost a full time job when only one of us could cast and the other controlled the electric motor keeping us in position.
Some of the normally good spots were unproductive partly because of the wind and partly for lack of fish.
Nearing a sharp bend in the river I finally hook up. Yahoo, it's about time and this is a solid fish that doesn't even budge . Two, three, four, big head shakes and all this fish wants to do is go deep. Usually most of the bigger stripers we hook head sideways for the middle of the river and deeper water. This one just gave a few more shakes and came undone :( .
We move farther down to another good spot and as if on queue I get another hook-up. My partner also hooks-up and together we both come undone. Before I can get my fly to the boat I get a second grab and another solid hookup. This one screams off burning line through my fingers but stays tight. A few minutes later a nice 15 lber comes to the net. :D
We take a few pictures and as we're removing the fly we notice a fairly large tail of another fish in this striper mouth. The head and body were already deep in the stomach of the striper but obviously he couldn't quite fit all of it in. The tail of this already eaten fish appeared to be a full grown shad of several pounds :?
Even with a full stomach this striper decided my fly had to be desert.
After releasing this nice fish we keep dropping downstream picking up several more as we go before getting too dark to cast.
We're off the water a little after 9:00PM and heading home anxiously wanting to see the pics we took earlier. Sadly, operator error with camera failed to produce anything. My wife was quick to remind me that I needed to hold the button half way down before fully clicking. :oops:
So, it was a good night, even without pictures, and I can't wait to get back out there for some more striper action.
TONY