I just got back from visiting the inlaws in North Carolina and I snuck in a day of fishing for Stripers on Lake Nottely in northern Georgia. I have been dreaming of catching one of these fish for years, nothing huge but I thought I would share.
Tech Notes:
Water temps were 55-60
We fished with gizzard shad, rainbow trout and blueback herring on circle hooks.
Two rods with "down lines"- Just a 1-1/2 oz sinker rig like a sturgeon or catfish rig.
Two rods with 1/2 oz "tweener lines"- same rig with lighter sinker, further back on the drift.
Two balloon rigs or planer boards for fish up high and to keep the baits away from the boat.
The down and tweener lines were fished with light 6'-8' Flouro leaders.
I fished with Josh Garrison of Blairsville Ga. Great guy, awesome fishery. http://www.fishgarrison.com/fishgarrison/Home_Port.html
These fish are really tough. My best fish pulled 100' of 15# flourocarbon off of the line counter reel TWICE! We chased a few fish that were feeding on the surface but we didn't have the major surface bite going. I really wanted to catch one on topwater. Maybe next time. One smaller (6#) fish was bleeding a little so I kept it. I made fresh caught Striper fingers battered in a corn meal/starch crust. I was glad I did, they were a real hit.
