Stripers
- This topic has 14 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated Mar 1, 2007 at 5:01 am by
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Anyone here have experience fishing for stripers below tailwaters? I would be very appreciative for any techniques, fly reccomendations, etc. relating to this question (sorry for such a broad subject). I seriously have the itch to catch some of these in my local river (Arkansas-Little Rock).
Steven
Carter,
We definately need to setup a time to hit the water. I have caught stripers in the past below the hydroelectric dams (admittedly not fly-fishing), but am eager to take some of these using my fly rod. As for my weekly schedule, I’m typically free everyday after 3:30-4pm and live and work only minutes from the Murray Dam. Just let me know when you are free. What do you normally use in the way of flies?
Steven
Here’s a site I use for some patterns. http://www.saltwaterflies.com/theflies.html
Forget about the surface blitz cause it rarely happens in freshwater. Do as Carter suggest and get good with a shooting head. I basically beat the banks in the spring on Rivers and troll weighted flies under a floating or intermediate line in slow moving rivers and lakes. I’ve had a 9wt St Croix Legend get snapped into 12” from the grip while trolling flies so be sure to hang on to your rod when doing this. I mostly use live boat and target Trophy fish so I’m no expert on Striper on the fly, but I have done it with some success. It is not an easy thing to do especially if you’re not real familiar with the habits of the Striper in the first place. Spring runs are a good time to start trying since the fish will be schooled up.
At other times of the year learning the Bait and what they are doing is perhaps as important as anything. When I go out on a lake or slow river I use my eyes as much as my graph. The bait will lead you to the fish. A nervous school of Shad almost always means there’s Striper or Hybrid nearby. In a tailwater concentrate around the islands if there are any. Fish hard in front of and behind the islands, these are prime hangouts for Stripers in ambush mode. I also look for any kind of cut in a bank that creates a current break. These tailwater Striper seek out the current breaks when there is flow and at times you can almost call out where a hit will come from. Also, deep pools with shallow sand or gravel bars in front of or behind them or both. These are underwater current breaks that aren’t as easy to read but they still exist and they hold massive numbers of fish sometimes.
The boils directly below the Dam are another great place to cast a fly blind during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Lots of baitfish stack up there and the Stripers aren’t usually far away. Here in TN you’ll catch Skipjack Herring till you get sick of it while fly fishing in the boils and there’s still that chance at getting a Striper to eat it too.
Cold water is another thing that attracts large numbers of fish. We have one warm water tailrace known as a trophy Striper fishery. Just a few miles down from that Dam a cold water river enters the main river. That cold water river gets stacked with Striper in the heat of summer with fish trying to find the cooler temps.
Once surface temps get over 80 it is best to leave the Stripers alone. They just don’t do well after being released at these temps. The Hybrids are a little tougher.
Hope that helped. My only reason for success is the many hours I spend on the river. I’ve learned that just when you think you know what those fish will do,,, they won’t!
Hey guys,
Are there any particular times of day that are better for going after these fish? My understanding
is that the hours just before and after dawn and dusk are best.Carter,
I don’t use shooting heads very often, as I mainly fish the smaller rivers around this area (Saline, Little Maumelle). I have played around with them using an 8wt on the Arkansas near my house, but other than that (and brief sessions on some of the local lakes) my experience is somewhat limited. I am able to throw them fairly efficiently though.
Mike,
I really appreciate all of the information. All of this is very informative, being that it is somewhat different than my approach so far. Thanks.
Steven
Daylight till dark is when I have my most success. ;D
The best time changes dramatically depending on the time of year and the place you’re fishing. So many factors influence the fish’s behavior like bait, current, light, water temps, flows, angler pressure, clarity, etc, etc.
On one of the tailwaters I fish here I prefer a rainy day. If it’s raining and not blowing 30 mph I usually get excited about fishing this place. Not that I haven’t caught them on a sunny day but my success rates are much higher on low light cloudy days.
A lake I fish in May, June, July, doesn’t seem to get started till 11 am? That’s when the bait start to show up on the surface and the schools of Hybrids on the graph. The high blue sky days don’t matter at all. A lot of the reading I’ve done would have suggested I go home at this time but it is the best time I’ve found to be at this particular place….
Another lake I fish, the action is slow until just before dark, then all hell breaks lose in a surface feeding frenzy. This is where my rod got broken.
Each place I fish seems to
Carter,
When fishing for striper, the majority of my time has been spent on the northern shoreline (especially below the hydroelectric dam). Since the opening of the pedestrian bridge, I have been walking across and fishing from the shore (I live about 2 miles from the bridge). Most of the advice I have received up until now has been to simply cast into schooling shad below the dam in hopes that striper are just below the surface (a very low success rate thus far). My striper fishing experience on the Arkansas River is very minimal. All of my previous outings were of the more typical approach; on lakes trolling with baitcasting gear. For all other species, I have fished almost exclusively from the southern shore.
Steven
cool, with the talk about murray park i just wanted to make sure you were still fishing on the cooks landing side.
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