Surface temp for top water stripers?

[ProAngler]

Anyone know what this typical is year to year?

 

[Boatman Bill]

It usually starts first of September when surface temperature is 77 or lower. Because of the warm summer this year it is starting late. With temperature in low 70's it should start soon.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

That would depend on water quality at the surface and the presence of the bait near the surface but as Boatman Bill said, the low 70's typically. In the spring, they typically get going on the surface somewhere between 55 and 65 degrees and in the fall there's usually a pretty decent morning and evening top water bite by the time it hits 65. I haven't seen much yet but maybe this weather will bring a change in the top water scene??

 

[Deleted member 35556]

We saw several explosions on Sunday. No hookups, but I'd say at least one of them was a striper. Water Temps were 74.

 

[marleymoo]

We saw lots of bait on the surface this afternoon as the sun was going down. Shad spawning during this full moon. It was everywhere from young deer to the Horseshoe. Did manage to catch a few stripes on spoons biggest was 15lb.

 

[fishingga]

I learned something new. Did not know shad spawned this time of year.

 

[Klag]

I fished tonight from 8pm - 12am and the shad on the surface was so thick you could walk on them everywhere I went (near East Bank).

Never seen anything like that - didn't realize they were spawning.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

We fished off the dock yesterday evening and for about an hour or two before dark several bait pods out in our bay were under attack by a few little buck bass on the surface. It was like the water show at Bellagio's in Vegas. The whole bait pod would skitter across the surface in a wave to elude the bass attack. The bass would come from different directions and send the bait across the surface in a shimmering wave of panic. Some of the bigger bait pods were 10-20 feet across so when they moved it was a pretty big display. We watched this happen over and over again last night with several bait pods and I gotta tell ya, as a fisherman watching that scene never gets old. Next time it happens we'll have the yaks ready to go.
I threw the net on one of the pods last week and the bait pods were mainly threadfins of various sizes.

 

[Dustin Pate]

I learned something new. Did not know shad spawned this time of year.

I'd bet it was just massive schools of young threadfins up top not spawning shad. Spawning shad will usually be next to some hard cover.

 

[fishingga]

That was what i was thinking. Did not think shad spawn this time of year but i could be wrong.

 

[ProAngler]

Thanks for all the input. Anyone get a recent temp reading?

 

[Klag]

Temps went up from 74 Monday to 75 Tuesday at 8pm.