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David Lee
01-13-2005, 06:41 PM
Hello all !
Let's get this board jumpin' . What do you use as your main Striper outfit ?I mostly use a 7 wt. Sage RPLX and a Teton 7LA reel , Shorter leaders than most (6 to 9 feet) , and light tippets (8 and 10 lb. fluro) . For backup (or when I get spanked by a PIG) , the same rod in 10 wt. , and 9-11 reel w/ 15 lb. Maxima . The first hookup of 2004 was the most violent slugfest I've ever had ... wound up losing a large Stripe when the EC413 hook opened up after 10 minutes :shock: !! What are your favorite toys (tools ...) ???

Darian
01-13-2005, 11:29 PM
Hello again David,..... I've been using a 9', 9wt Sage rplx (older) with a Redington AL 9/10 reel; Lined with LC13 or T14 and 30# mono running line or rio floating running line. My leaders are 7 1/2' tapered down to about 17# or 18# with a Flouro tippet of 15# to 17#. Flies are clousers or half & Half's in chartreuse/white. I carry others in different colors but don't use 'em much.

I'm thinking about developing a pattern that would imitate Lamprey in the American. Found descriptions of stages in one of the Audubon Societies field guides on north American fish. Looks like this one could be 8" to 10" in length...... Got the idea from one of the owners of the now defunct Bob's Fly Shop in Yuba City. He had a pattern that one of his relatives used in the lower Yuba. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Bill Kiene
01-14-2005, 12:18 AM
I see most using 9' #7, 8 and 9 weight rods for stripers in Nor Cal.

The late Dave Howard (local striper expert) used a 6 weight at times.

I know Andy Guibord was using a 10 weight for a while till his body started to complain.

Lots are using the new Airflo XT intermediate running line and 26-30 feet of Cortland LC-13 lead core line. It cuts through the wind and sinks real fast.

Many use one of the "Teeny Type" sinktips that come in a 24'-30' extra fast sinking tip/head section.

Lots are using FC tippet in the clear water in rivers like Lower American and some reservoirs. A longer leader might be good there too.

Be sure to pinch down the barbs on those big flies. :oops:

I do see that the Chartruse & white Clouser minnow is the top pick but many flies will work.

Adam Grace
01-14-2005, 12:20 AM
I use my TFO TICR 9' 8wt rod with a Waterwoks ULA Force 3X reel and many different lines. I like the TICR for an inexpencive powerful rod. I would have purchased a new SAGE XI2 9' 8wt but my gimpy defective wrist can feel pretty lousy after a day full of casting large streamers with heavy heads for those stripers.

I like many different lines for striper fishing; Streamer Express from Scientific Anglers-very slick intermediate sinking running line and a 30' high density fast sinking head, Rio striper line - int running line and a fast 26' head, NEW Airflo 40+ cold water striper line - low stretch int. run line and super fast sinking head. I also really like the new Airflo intermediate polyshoot XT running line. Bye far the nicest running line that I have used. The Polyshoot XT is super slick like all Airflo llines, it sinks and vary rarely coils or tangles.

I also try to bring a boga grip with me. It keeps me and my fishing buddies honest! :lol:

p.s. I like these funny like Emoticons

andy guibord
01-14-2005, 12:34 AM
I sugest using a hard hat and tiger balm for stripers. Last summer I drove a costumer to the hospital for the removal of a clouser stuck in his neck. Once I did have a 3/0 hook straightened out by an American River striper.

Bill Kiene semi-retired
01-16-2005, 06:43 PM
Like I always recomend, pinch down or grind off those barbs.

It can be very dangerous.

Randy
01-17-2005, 01:29 PM
I sugest using a hard hat and tiger balm for stripers. Last summer I drove a costumer to the hospital for the removal of a clouser stuck in his neck. Once I did have a 3/0 hook straightened out by an American River striper.---------Andy why didnt you keep your backcast up?-------- :lol:

Randy
01-18-2005, 08:46 PM
I sugest using a hard hat and tiger balm for stripers. Last summer I drove a costumer to the hospital for the removal of a clouser stuck in his neck. Once I did have a 3/0 hook straightened out by an American River striper.---------Andy why didnt you keep your backcast up?-------- :lol: Just kidding Andy I did'nt really think you did it.

Wednesday Caster
02-12-2005, 04:53 PM
Gents,
I am setting up a rod for my first attempt at stripers this spring. I've gotten an 8/9wt set up with w WF9F/S Rocket taper (10ft type-6 and 30 yds running). I understand that stripers often give you the opportunity to visit the backing on your reels (something I've yet to experience :x ). So with nearly 100 yrds of fly line/leader, do I need anymore than the 100 yds-20lbs of dacron? Dang optomistic aren't I :wink: ?
Wed. Caster

David Lee
02-12-2005, 05:29 PM
Hey there , WC .... If you hook anything that runs 100 yards without stopping , I sure would like to be there !!
I've taken a mid-40 , a low 30 , and a few over 20 lbs. - they fight like mad , but don't go very far .
Now that I've told ya this , your first one is going to run to Rio Vista :oops: . Don't worry , you'll do fine . David PS- Mind your knots !!

Darian
02-13-2005, 12:23 AM
Hi WC,..... You didn't say, but what type of reel are you using :?: :?: Does it have a decent drag :?: :?: It's not imperative, but drag does help to put "the hurt" on a fish early, land/release 'im. (....or whatever :twisted: )

Adam Grace
02-13-2005, 01:00 AM
WC, David is right. Stripers fight hard but rarely go into your backing, unless you are on a river a they use the current. I've had a couple stripers take me into my backing on the American. They did not take me very far though.

Good luck out there :!:

David Lee
02-13-2005, 01:08 AM
Strange thing .... Out of all the Stripes I've hooked in the A. , none have made runs longer than around 30 yards ... However , ALL the Stripes I've hooked in lakes have run waaaay out there , sometimes well over the 50 yard mark . You would think it would be the other way around , but no ... I have no idea why the lake fish are such screamers .
Those crazy 'ol fishes :!: . David

Adam Grace
02-13-2005, 01:12 AM
David, the furthest run occurred in the last chance riffle below Paradise beach. A five pounder striper got into that current and peeled of some line on my 7wt. Granted if I was fishing a 9wt I could have applied more preasure.

Andy Guibord was there guiding me around with Bill that night.

David Lee
02-13-2005, 01:19 AM
Hey Adam , have you ever Spey-ed Last chance ?? I've bounced a few Steelies there and think a Spey rod would be ideal for covering that run . At 1200 cfs it's a fun wade :roll: . David

Wednesday Caster
02-13-2005, 10:17 AM
David Darian Adam:
Thanks for your input. A surprise about the stripes not running far though. Would have expected them to take off like a jet away from the source of the tension.

The reel is a Pfleuger Purist 1595 and it does have a drag. I'm so use to the 8-12" wild-bows I normally fish for that I forget there are fly reels that have mechanical drags. I'll add on extra backing just to build up the spool then.

Ooohhh, can't wait to use that drag! Man that sounds nasty. :wink:

Darian
02-14-2005, 12:33 AM
Hey everyone,..... Just a follow-up for WedCast and drags/reels for Stripers. Has anyone noticed the reel that David Lee used to land his Striper (see Avatar) :?: :?: Does tend to show that just about anything will work.... 8) 8) 8) Also, shows that David knows what to do with it... 8) 8)

Hairstacker
02-14-2005, 08:56 AM
Hi Darian! I'm not sure it would be good to use David Lee as an example, as it's been my impression for some time now that David doesn't actually NEED a reel -- he can probably just take the fly line out of the box, shove a pencil threw the hole in the middle, and just use that to catch bigger fish than most. :lol: David's the kind of fisherman that leaves high-end reel manufacturers ... confused. I'll say it again, that striper he caught (his avatar photo) was a MONSTER! I believe he caught it on a Pflueger 1495. :shock:

David Lee
02-14-2005, 08:57 AM
Darian , I'm glad you brought that up .

We worry about T6061 alloy , cork vs. Delrin , LA vs. Regular arbor , all this crap . And unless you're in bluewater chasin' Marlin , Tuna , or Wahoo , it IS all crap !!
Don't get me wrong - using nice , well engineered , expensive reels (or rods ....) for Trout , Stripes , Bass , whatever is effective and a safe choice .
It's also not necessary .
Think about all of the record fish taken 30 or 40 years ago ... before CNC-machined , bar-stock , disk-drag reels .... Were fish just weaker back then ?? If you pay attention to knots , learn the "limits" of your gear , and have a plan you should take down ANYTHING you hook on whatever gear you choose .

Once again , you all know the drill - send hate mail to my PM or Email .... David

Hairstacker
02-14-2005, 08:59 AM
Oh, hi David! I guess I was posting when you were. :)

David Lee
02-14-2005, 09:26 AM
Hi Mike , thanks for the pat BUT I'm not that good ... I just think most don't know the "limits" of their gear . If you take a look at the guys that used to catch 150 or so BIG Steelhead (fish that tax a reel pretty well) a year on the Russian in the 1950s .... They used Medalists and Hardys( both no-drag , stamped reels) , caught the hell out of the fish , and never knew the difference . There is NOTHING WRONG with using , say , an Abel reel - fine , trouble-free piece of gear . I just can't get over the propaganda that says you NEED a $400. reel to catch a fish !! I think EVERYONE should try fly fishing , but most that haven't likely have seen the price of fly gear and thought "no way ..." .

Use what you have and learn - David

Darian
02-14-2005, 02:36 PM
David,.... Is that Bill I hear going, "Sshhhh" in the background :?: :?: :P :P :P

Wednesday Caster
02-14-2005, 02:36 PM
Gents,
David's philosophy rings true with me ("I think EVERYONE should try fly fishing , but most that haven't likely have seen the price of fly gear and thought "no way ..." ).

I'm on the lower end of the wage scale for the LA area (upper scale for the rest of the country :shock: ) and pricing would have been restricting for my fly fishing if not for the great deals I've found on older/used gear ie. the nearly "new" Pfleuger Purist and 1595 (both for $37 :D ) for my spring striper set up.
My partner and I find joy in bringing gear back to life and fishing with it and best of all I don't have to baby the gear or cry when something breaks like the 8" tip that recently broke when I raised the window on the passenger side without checking if the tip was clear. Oh well, it served its life by bringing to hand at least 250 fish and treked on 5 rivers throughout CA and NV in the past 2 years and there are still 3 other $14 graphite rods ready to be its replacement.

The joy imho is the fishing and fellowship with friends (and strangers) when on the water.

So, I would highly recommend those of you looking for new gear go to Bill Kiene's Shop to buy your gear 'cause I've been in his shop. He is a great guy (met him once- very knowledgeable and willing to share the knowledge) and his gear selection is superb. But when you are ready to upgrade, please call me because I know of a buyer-personally :wink: .

David Lee
02-14-2005, 03:16 PM
Darian , Bill is watching these conversations and thinking "What a cool board I have now" - I'd put money on it .

When I started (around 1994-95) , I had been spinfishing since I was three - I knew what I was doing as far as light tackle work . In the early 90s , I saw a catalog from the fly shop in Redding( I like to look at the pictures :P ) , and in it I saw the price of the new Sage rods .....

And I thought that you'd have to be rich or be a dumb-ass to drop three bills on a rod .

Simple fact of life , spin guys spend too little on stuff and fly guys spend too much . I just remember being SHOCKED by the prices ! Now , I've fished the top AND the bottom of the line and I can see the difference . Those old Fenwick glass rods and clunky , beat-up Medalist reels will STILL beat the snot out of ANYTHING w/ fins here in freshwater . Look at it this way - take a weekender handy man and a master woodworker , give 'em both the same tools and materials and let them build ....

You know where this is going .... David
PS- Lest anyone think I aspire to or put myself in the "Master Woodworker" class or am something special , you are wrong . I just fish a hell of a lot and have had plenty of time to sort this subject out .... fishing 100-150 days a year will do wonders for your perspective and opinions . Go get 'em !

Hairstacker
02-14-2005, 04:01 PM
Yeah, David's philosophy rings pretty true for me too. I fondly remember my first fly rod I bought around 1981 or so -- a 8 1/2 foot 7wt. Garcia fiberglass. Don't remember where I bought it but I got the Pflueger Medalist 1494 reel and a DT7F fly line for it at Longs Drugstore. Taught myself how to cast with it and had a BLAST catching trout and bass with it at Berryessa. Don't recall every feeling like I needed something better, although I remember thinking the rod was a little slow for tossing bass bugs.... I treasured that outfit, being real careful with it, as if it were worth a fortune. Still have it, and it's still in excellent condition.

Since then, I've upgraded my bass fishing to an Okuma Sierra 5/6 reel, ha, although I do have a few Orvis/Teton reels laying around here. That Okuma is more than sufficient, though, and I never worried too much about banging it on something, although I never could get used to its silent retrieve. That's one thing I like about my Orvis Battenkill -- it clicks on the retrieve and screams when line is taken. :D

I haven't had any luck finding $14 graphite rods -- I've had to spend at least $26 for mine, ha. Got to admit, though, those high-end rods sure are pretty. Lately, I've been thinking I need to save up for one of those Redington CPS rods I've been reading rave reviews about. Maybe a 9 or 10' 7wt. Not exactly high-end for most but it would be for me. :)

Wednesday Caster
02-14-2005, 10:29 PM
I probably had 80 FF days last year but still too new (2years) to this sport to truly know the differnce between a $400 and a $15.98 rod or reel.

Actually, I found 3 graphite rods (8.5' 5-6# at $5 each :) ) at a sporting goods store dropping their FF line and 2 rods (9' 6-7# at $15.98 each not $14 as previously mentioned) at another store.


Can't give out the store names or else BK might ban me from his sight :wink: . They're all gone by now anyway.

David Lee
02-14-2005, 11:16 PM
Hi guys , also consider different tools for different jobs . My Sage RPLX 7 wt. gets the nod in a long-throw/sinking line situation , my Fenwick Eagle 7 wt. is better close in .... Of course working on becoming a GREAT caster will change choices you make . I don't think many people cast on the level they would like to - I know I don't . In fact , I think I will work harder on becoming a better caster this season .

What was the subject again ?? :roll: :roll: :oops: :oops: :twisted: :!:

David