Summer Stripers on Leadcore, Spoons and Bait (pics)

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
I finally was able to get out on Lanier for a little striper fishing today with my buddy Rick. We started about mid morning and finished up around 5. We boated a bunch of stripers on live bait, leadcore with some of my swimbaits and my new favorite striper bait, the big Ben Parker spoon. I had a blast with that thing today and caught a lot of fish. I finally broke one off on a beast after catching quite a few smaller fish. We had a great time today and I gotta give a big thanks to Rick for inviting me out with him. My boat is still in the shop so I'm boatless and going through fishing withdrawls.....daily. Today was a great fix! Here's a few pics from today. Awesome times!
 

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Worley

Senior Member
Fish

Those are some fine fish men, congrats on a great day!
 

lcookie

Senior Member
Nice Quality
 

Wheeler2

Senior Member
That spoon is no joke. Nothing like having that rod almost jerked out of your hands. If you dont mind; what was your focus? Humps, timber, ..... How deep?
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Thanks guys. Dropping that big ole spoon for stripers after spending the last month drop shotting pretty little 4 inch worms for bass is a pretty big change of scenery. Gotta love Lanier!
That spoon is no joke. Nothing like having that rod almost jerked out of your hands. If you dont mind; what was your focus? Humps, timber, ..... How deep?
We mainly focused on deep areas 80-100 feet.
It really depended on the fish and the area. In some areas I caught them from 80 to 100 feet with a clean bottom and in other areas they were suspended at 30-35 over timber. When we marked fish down in 80-100 feet over a clean bottom I just dropped it down to the bottom and started steady winding it and maybe stop and jig it a few times but mostly just a steady retrieve till they hammered it. We found some fish suspended at 35 over timber and I would just drop it down to just above the timber and just below the fish then bring it back through the fish with a steady retrieve. A few would hit it right away and other times they would chase it up to 10-20 feet below the boat and then hit it.
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Thanks for the 411. Ive been having boat trouble. Hopefully the info can help get me back in the game.
No problem Wheeler. I've been suffering through boat troubles myself so I'm trying to bum rides through my "Hook a brother up" program.

I'll tell you guys, I'd never used that spoon before and it took me just a couple minutes to get the hang of it. If you can drop it close to your transducer, you can watch it on your sonar and kinda see it drop. That's very helpful when fishing above timber. I used my St Croix heavy Mojo Bass rod with a Revo bait casting reel, so basically I just used my big bass a-rig/swimbait gear. Fishing clean bottom wasn't bad but when we found the fish over timber, you really have to be careful because the bigger stripers are generally headed to the timber as soon as they get hooked. That little summer striper refresher lesson cost me a spoon. I've found that in late summer and early fall when the striper group up like they are now, vertically fishing these stripers with artificials can be just as good as live bait.

A big ole 6-7 inch Shadalicious type plastic swimbait on a 2 ounce Capt. Mack bucktail can be a very effective way to get a few vertical stripers in late summer too. It's worked for us several times and even won us a tournament or two in late summer.
 

Rick_Shoup

Senior Member
Jim,
Had a great time with you buddy!
Your insight made the day great!
Man you were killing em on that big ole spoon!!!
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Jim,
Had a great time with you buddy!
Your insight made the day great!
Man you were killing em on that big ole spoon!!!
Rick, I don't think I coulda got em all to the boat without those delicious ham sandwiches you brought.lol
Thanks again for taking me out fishing Rick. I hadn't been striper fishing since Lake Texoma in the spring and really really needed a striper trip. I enjoyed the company and the fishing.:cheers:
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Screen shots

Here's a few screen shots we took while jigging the spoon. In the first pic you can see me jigging the suspended stripers with no luck and then dropping down deep and hooking up with a bottom dweller.
 

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jocko755

Senior Member
Great screen shots and report. What a friend, a boat to fish and Ham Sandwiches! Sounds great.

Jim, if you don't mind me asking, what size line did you use on the spoon and tell us alittle more on how you worked it. Are you letting it flutter down to the fish level and then speed reeling it back? I read where you said, "I just dropped it down to the bottom and started steady winding it and maybe stop and jig it a few times but mostly just a steady retrieve till they hammered it." Steady reeling to me - is not speed reeling. So is your Revo 7:1 and is it somewhat fast or a steady cadence? Can you feel the spoon thump on retrieve? Thanks. Just want to lower the learning curve. Also - are you fishing the spoon on lead core? Or is the lead core just for trolling the jighead/swimbaits?

Whole lot of Ben Parker spoon reports lately - I've got to get one!
 

33788

Senior Member
Great report and details as always. I just got my (6) Ben Parker 8" from TW. Looking forward to go use them Labor Day weekend. At worst you can still catch some green fishes with them also
 
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Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Great screen shots and report. What a friend, a boat to fish and Ham Sandwiches! Sounds great.

Jim, if you don't mind me asking, what size line did you use on the spoon and tell us alittle more on how you worked it. Are you letting it flutter down to the fish level and then speed reeling it back? I read where you said, "I just dropped it down to the bottom and started steady winding it and maybe stop and jig it a few times but mostly just a steady retrieve till they hammered it." Steady reeling to me - is not speed reeling. So is your Revo 7:1 and is it somewhat fast or a steady cadence? Can you feel the spoon thump on retrieve? Thanks. Just want to lower the learning curve. Also - are you fishing the spoon on lead core? Or is the lead core just for trolling the jighead/swimbaits?

Whole lot of Ben Parker spoon reports lately - I've got to get one!
Jocko, I'm pretty sure it was 15lb FC Sniper flouro but that's going to change. I really needed something heavier for the spoon, especially if you hook a bigger fish like I did. I tried to thumb him to keep him out of the trees and he smoked my thumb before the line broke. Not sure on the gear ratio on the Revo, but I probably purchased a 7:1. Your right, steady reeling is not speed reeling. Just a slow steady crank is all it took. Basically I just let it free fall to the bottom and started a slow steady retrieve. Nothing fast. I will say this, not every fish hammers the spoon and goes down. Some fish swim up and hit it and then they just keep swimming up so the gear ratio on the Revo will help you keep up with the fish if he's swimming up with the spoon. Sometimes stripers will hit a bait from below and just keep swimming to the surface with it. You've got to keep up with that and keep pressure on the hook. If you're a striper fisherman and want to have a little fun while dropping bluebacks, try dropping one of the spoons. I can't believe I waited this long to try one.

As far as leadcore is concerned, we were just trolling some 7 inch swimbaits with 2 ounce Shad head jigs that I make in my shop.
 

StriperrHunterr

Senior Member
Jocko, I'm pretty sure it was 15lb FC Sniper flouro but that's going to change. I really needed something heavier for the spoon, especially if you hook a bigger fish like I did. I tried to thumb him to keep him out of the trees and he smoked my thumb before the line broke. Not sure on the gear ratio on the Revo, but I probably purchased a 7:1. Your right, steady reeling is not speed reeling. Just a slow steady crank is all it took. Basically I just let it free fall to the bottom and started a slow steady retrieve. Nothing fast. I will say this, not every fish hammers the spoon and goes down. Some fish swim up and hit it and then they just keep swimming up so the gear ratio on the Revo will help you keep up with the fish if he's swimming up with the spoon. Sometimes stripers will hit a bait from below and just keep swimming to the surface with it. You've got to keep up with that and keep pressure on the hook. If you're a striper fisherman and want to have a little fun while dropping bluebacks, try dropping one of the spoons. I can't believe I waited this long to try one.

As far as leadcore is concerned, we were just trolling some 7 inch swimbaits with 2 ounce Shad head jigs that I make in my shop.

I'm doing this on Saturday. I have a pack of those swimbaits that I've been dying to break in.

Looks like you guys had a ball.

What happened to the boat?
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
I'm doing this on Saturday. I have a pack of those swimbaits that I've been dying to break in.

Looks like you guys had a ball.

What happened to the boat?
Mike, I dropped off about a dozen packs of trolling swimbaits at the little tackle store last Friday if you need more.

The boat has turned into a nightmare. Looks like I may have to eat the cost of a lower unit due to a sweet little genius adjustor from Progressive. There was damage to the prop and the shaft was sheered and snapped but the adjustor seems to think that the shaft was overheated when it was manufactured and that caused the damage, disregarding the prop damage. The adjustor told our mechanic with 30 years experience that he needed to go to Goggle and do a search for some kind of metal fatigue breakdown from overheating when manufacturing the shaft.

Basically, we've been loyal customers of USAA and Progressive for the last 20+ years and never ever filed a claim for anything. The claim itself that Progressive wrote up is a real piece of work. The claim says my boat is a motorcycle and they are off on the filing date on the claim by four days. It's been 11 days since I filed the claim and they still can't tell me for sure whether can cover it or not. I'm not very impressed with Progressive and their claim process. I believe we're going to switch insurers very soon.
 
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StriperrHunterr

Senior Member
Mike, I dropped off about a dozen packs of trolling swimbaits at the little tackle store last Friday if you need more.

The boat has turned into a nightmare. Looks like I may have to eat the cost of a lower unit due to a sweet little genius adjustor from Progressive. There was damage to the prop and the shaft was sheered and snapped but the adjustor seems to think that the shaft was overheated when it was manufactured and that caused the damage, disregarding the prop damage. The adjustor told our mechanic with 30 years experience that he needed to go to Goggle and do a search for some kind of metal fatigue breakdown from overheating when manufacturing the shaft.

Basically, we've been loyal customers of USAA and Progressive for the last 20+ years and never ever filed a claim for anything. The claim itself that Progressive wrote up is a real piece of work. The claim says my boat is a motorcycle and they are off on the filing date on the claim by four days. I'm not very impressed with Progressive and their claim process. I believe we're going to switch insurers very soon.

No doubt. I'd look at other places as well.

I'd also ask that adjuster for information on where he obtained his mechanical engineering degree that somehow enables him to see into the metal like that.

I'm good on the baits, that material you use is super stout and holds up really well.
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
No doubt. I'd look at other places as well.

I'd also ask that adjuster for information on where he obtained his mechanical engineering degree that somehow enables him to see into the metal like that.
Mike, I feel like coming at him like a spider monkey on bath salts right now. My mechanic said he was a real piece of work and he felt like smacking him around.
 

jocko755

Senior Member
Thanks Jim for the instruction and tips. I will likely use stronger line. 8 incher's right? Not the 6? I ordered two today and can't wait to try them out!

Sorry to hear about your boat and the insurance mess. I have progressive too. Hope I don't have to use them. Actually, I will probably drop it once the boat is paid off. They have no problem taking your money - always seems like claims are a fight.
 
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