Fishing set up for Stripers?

Started by TNDiver, June 17, 2020, 02:18:58 PM

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TNDiver

A buddy of mine was fishing the Cumberland here in Nashville and catching some good size Stripers.  What would I need for a rod and reel to fish them?  I am guessing my normal bass set up will be too light, considering he is catching 30+ lbers. 
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bigjim5589

#1
QuoteA buddy of mine was fishing the Cumberland here in Nashville and catching some good size Stripers.  What would I need for a rod and reel to fish them?  I am guessing my normal bass set up will be too light, considering he is catching 30+ lbers.

Are you wanting spinning gear or casting? Is he using lures and if so what type, or is he fishing baits?

IMO, a lot depends on how he's fishing, what gear will be a good choice.

I've caught many on bass gear, but nothing that big. 30" would be more like it. Biggest one I ever caught was while trolling lures and it was up around 40", but I have no idea how much it weighed. That was done with trolling gear, 7' heavy rods & conventional reels.

I've also caught them tossing some big lures, mostly when they're close to the surface. Some of the lures were topwaters, and some would dive but rarely did we fish that way if they were more than about 5 or 6 feet below the surface. When they were deeper, tossing bucktails or casting spoons, and vertical jigging with lead type jigging spoons, or what we called Trout Bombs is how we would target them.

We also would live line some various smaller fish, such as Spot or small White Perch. In other places they'll use Herring or Shad baits, Shiners, or whatever else might be available. The gear used can vary here too.

There's plenty of gear in both spinning and casting types to cover any method used for Stripers.
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Fun4me

#2
DO you have a large swim bait setup? That would work IMO. An 8 foot heavy Dobyns Fury with a cardiff would be a budget way to catch fish. You could always go Shimano Tranx and a higher end rod etc. I would give a heavy punching bass rig a try, if I had nothing else, although I would get something extra heavy etc. if I was going to do it regularly.

apiazza

A 30 lbs river striper? Sounds like a bit of a fish tale to me lo That's pretty big for a migrating ocean striper, but it's possible.

I've seen most guys catching them on their swimbait rods. light tackle just makes it more fun.

Pferox

I never caught a big striper, but have caught my share of 30lb +  saltwater species.

And it always happens when I'm out fishing with lighter gear, which is usually 20 lb mono, or 20 to 40 lb braid, a bass sized reel, and a 7 to 9 foot Medium fishing rod, go figure.

I also use glass rods which seem to be a little more forgiving when fighting the big uns.
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito" - African Proverb.  Jim

TNDiver

Maybe he meant 30 inches.  They were certainly big fish in the pictures. He said the biggest was over 30 lbs, but who knows, maybe he was "estimating"
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bigjim5589

Quote from: TNDiver on June 18, 2020, 01:17:39 PM
Maybe he meant 30 inches.  They were certainly big fish in the pictures. He said the biggest was over 30 lbs, but who knows, maybe he was "estimating"

It's certainly possible he could be catching them 30 lbs and over. When they get up into the 40" + range they can be in that weight range, and it's often the females, and often pre-spawn.

I've seen photo's of some very large Stripers caught here in Lake Marion that have been that big. The current SC state record was caught in Lake Russell in 2009, and was 63 lbs. The current MD State record caught in the Chesapeake Bay, is 67 1/2 pounds, caught back in '95, so they can get very large even in lakes.

The current world record is 81 lbs. 14 ounces, caught at Long Island NY, in 2011,  but there is a record of one caught in 1891 that weighed 125 along the NC coast. It was a female.

The average age of a 30" Striper is around 7 years old, but the average age of a 30 lb Striper is double, at around 13 years old, and it may be 40" to 43" in length. So once they start getting up into that weight range, they've been around awhile.
Fanatical Fly Tyer & Tackle Maker!  It's An OBSESSION!!  J. Hester Fly & Tackle Co. LLC.

Polaris425

Lots of $1 bills works but $5 bills are better. Throw a $20 out there and they'll be schooling all around you.


OH WAIT... Stripers...  ~cf

Sorry I read it wrong  ;D  lo

I've never TRIED to catch them, but I always seem to catch one or two when throwing a spoon trying to catch spotted bass.
Fishin' Alabama
Building Rods, & Snatchin' Lips.

TNDiver

Quote from: Polaris425 on June 19, 2020, 07:56:19 AM
Lots of $1 bills works but $5 bills are better. Throw a $20 out there and they'll be schooling all around you.

Actually, the first time I typed it, I did put Strippers!  I figured it would get moved if I left it  ~roflmao  But yes, $10's and $20's do work better!
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bigjim5589

TNDiver, yep, and fishing for Stripers will get you into less trouble all around than fishing for Strippers!  ~shade lo


So, how is your buddy fishing for the Stripers?
Fanatical Fly Tyer & Tackle Maker!  It's An OBSESSION!!  J. Hester Fly & Tackle Co. LLC.

TNDiver

He had a friend from work take him.  He was telling me about it.  We might head out one day
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bigjim5589

Quote from: TNDiver on June 20, 2020, 01:09:09 PM
He had a friend from work take him.  He was telling me about it.  We might head out one day

Well, if you're still looking for a setup, and as I mentioned, there's different methods and gear used for targeting Stripers. If you want a setup that's not costly, I think I would look at some of the rods in the Ugly Stik line. They have Striper rods, but I would look at the Catfish rods too. They also have both casting & spinning, and trolling types of rods. Then you'll need to choose a reel to fit whichever rod you like.

I have several Daiwa Beefstick rods, bought for various uses, mostly spinning, and much less priced than even the Ugly Stiks. They're fiberglass, practically unbreakable, and great for some of the big lures I've used when chasing Stripers. The Ugly Stiks may be a bit nicer rods, with better fit, but for the limited amount of use I've had with the Beefsticks they're done what I've needed. For the most part, I have them paired with Daiwa Emcast Plus spinning reels in various sizes. I would look at the Daiwa Black & Gold too. The one casting Beefstick rod I have I use an ABU, 6600 Brute reel on it.
Fanatical Fly Tyer & Tackle Maker!  It's An OBSESSION!!  J. Hester Fly & Tackle Co. LLC.

TNDiver

Why a spinning reel?  I was thinking we would be tossing some weight that a bait caster might excel at, but I am still learning. 
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bigjim5589

Quote from: TNDiver on June 21, 2020, 10:27:46 AM
Why a spinning reel?  I was thinking we would be tossing some weight that a bait caster might excel at, but I am still learning.

Just a personal choice IMO. I prefer the casting gear, but have the spinning gear, which as I mentioned I also use for surf fishing, and family used them too, and spinning gear is easier for a lot of folks to use. If you prefer not to use spinning gear, that's your choice. I was just trying to offer some suggestions that I thought might fit your situation & not require you to take out a new mortgage.  ~shade

I've known a lot of folks back in MD who used both spinning & casting gear for targeting Stripers for any method except heavy trolling. Just their preferences which they used.

Both are available that can handle any lure or bait weight, and in a range of prices.   
Fanatical Fly Tyer & Tackle Maker!  It's An OBSESSION!!  J. Hester Fly & Tackle Co. LLC.

TNDiver

OK, just checking to see if there was an advantage of spinning over casting.  Something to think about, thanks!
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