Striper Fishing

[ledsled]

Does Anyone On This Board Troll For Stripers? If So,let Me Know,don't Get Me Wrong I Also Troll For Crappie.just Like To Find Out Info On The Stripers.

[Olereb]

ledsled,
I troll for stripers on the Chowan river and various waters in northeast NC. In the early winter through late winter when the water is cold we pull jigs with 4" or 6" grubs or soft plastic storm baits. Vary troll speeds and jig heads to locate the fish and because the water is cold we slow troll. As the water warms we speed up and in the spring till the close of the season (that was the end of April this year) we switch to Bomber long A's, Smithwick rattlin rouges. Berkley baits, Cotton Cordel 'Red Fins' etc. Follow the usual matchings of color to condition..bright = light & dark sky = dark bait and pick your speed up. In cold water we trolled on the trolling motor 1.5 - 2.5 mph. We ended the season on the main motor somtimes 6 - 7 mph. We start fishing in early spring at about 18' and as the season progresses we shallow up till at the end we will troll the shoreline in 4 or 5'. This year the last week fish could be caught using deep dive baits while others were casting shore in the same areas. I guess the fish were pretty thick. We fish stained water and the rattling baits produced best with blue back orange belly being the best overall bait but at times a black back with brown or chrome sides did the trick. Like anything else you must experiment a little til you find the best combo. Hope it helps out and let me know how you do.

[ledsled]

Thanks olereb.I'll start trolling now on norman ,badin,murray etc.I'll pull rebels,redfins,roadrunners.Then as the water gets hot i'll goto using downriggers and leadline to get down to the dept of the fish are. Where is the chowan river and how far is that from lake norman?Can you put a big boat in there?Dothe stripers bite in the summer months?I really get serious about striper fishing in july,august,sept. Happy pulling.

[Olereb]

Ledsled,
The Chowan is in NE NC just below Sufolk Va. Its about 50 mi SSW of Norfolk Va. The striper come up the river to spawn and then the adult fish return to the ocean. We are on the upper end of the Albermarle sound and like the Roanoke river or season is limited to the fall and spring season. Our season usually ends early april but because of the poor showing caused by the hurricane our season was extended to the end of april. I fish for stripers at lake Gaston during the summer and it is fun to snag them when night fishing for crappie on an ultra light rig. Good luck with your trolling.