Scout'nStripers
Senior Member
I really didn't get out much this week, maybe a couple hours of scouting on Wednesday morning and from dawn till 11am yesterday. The topwater pattern is strong and it's just about back to "all the stripers you can catch" after that last cold front came through. Water temps are back into the mid 70's and the winds are pretty calm in the mornings. The biggest ticket item for us right now is the topwater bite. You need to get on the water early, like right before dawn and start watching the surface around places like points, shallow reef markers and main lake humps. If the bluebacks and fish are there, they'll show themselves within a few minutes. Then it's just a matter of going to the areas of surfacing fish and start casting topwater baits. This year is a little different than last year. For you guys that follow my videos, if you look at this time last year you'll see we were killing them with the bone Vixen but this year is a little different. It seems the fish prefer a more silent bait than the big clunky ball bearing in the vixen. Silent baits or baits with smaller bearings or bb's have worked best for us this year. The bone color or pearl colored topwater baits have been working best for us, the most popular being a Sammy knock-off that I make, a real Sammy or a Spook type bait.
Really, there is a variety of topwater baits that can work right now, the ones I mentioned are some of the ones were having good success on. I am still catching stripers on the Emerald Popper but it's only working in low light conditions right now. The striper I'm holding up in the picture below was caught on the popper yesterday morning.
Once the topwater bite slows around 9am or so (if it's overcast it lasts longer), then it's been junk fishing for suspended fish in the same areas as the topwater action or over brush piles with baits like a chrome rattle trap, a Shadow Rap jerkbait in a blueback herring pattern (thanks for the tip Jocko), flukes, swimbaits and under-spins. We came off the water yesterday at 11am or so and right before we came off the water I could see the fish starting to load up on the brush piles in 20-30 feet of water and the last keeper bass I caught was on a drop shot rig around brush. That got me excited for dropping so I'm headed out later today to do a little more of that.
Basically the game plan for us is to hit them early on the surface, after that dies down hit them suspended over brush and in the same areas of surface activity with the moving baits and after then sun gets up, hit them with the drop shot.
Here's a few pics from yesterday with my friend Mark. Mark wanted to check out a little topwater action from my perspective. We had a good time and it didn't take long for Mark to get his topwater on.
Be safe this weekend and good luck with the fishing!!
Really, there is a variety of topwater baits that can work right now, the ones I mentioned are some of the ones were having good success on. I am still catching stripers on the Emerald Popper but it's only working in low light conditions right now. The striper I'm holding up in the picture below was caught on the popper yesterday morning.
Once the topwater bite slows around 9am or so (if it's overcast it lasts longer), then it's been junk fishing for suspended fish in the same areas as the topwater action or over brush piles with baits like a chrome rattle trap, a Shadow Rap jerkbait in a blueback herring pattern (thanks for the tip Jocko), flukes, swimbaits and under-spins. We came off the water yesterday at 11am or so and right before we came off the water I could see the fish starting to load up on the brush piles in 20-30 feet of water and the last keeper bass I caught was on a drop shot rig around brush. That got me excited for dropping so I'm headed out later today to do a little more of that.
Basically the game plan for us is to hit them early on the surface, after that dies down hit them suspended over brush and in the same areas of surface activity with the moving baits and after then sun gets up, hit them with the drop shot.
Here's a few pics from yesterday with my friend Mark. Mark wanted to check out a little topwater action from my perspective. We had a good time and it didn't take long for Mark to get his topwater on.
Be safe this weekend and good luck with the fishing!!
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