Striper Weekend

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
Took the boys to Lake Murray in Columbia, SC again this weekend. I'm exhausted, but we had fun and brought home twenty. That's five each counting my uncle the boat pilot. I just worked the down riggers and leaded lines. The boys did all the catching after my uncle and I got our five each... It's an interesting dilemma when you're only needing one more fish to limit out and three rods go off at once. Well it wasn't a true dilemma, we measured/weighed and everything else before tossing two of the three back. Took a long time to get them all worked up today, but it'll be worth it. Wound up with 14 quarts of fillets and striper are some of the best fish to eat in my opinion. Largest of the night was an 18.2 by my oldest son.







The good thing is we've got another good month of this. :)
 
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genesis27:3

Old Mossy Horns
I just filleted 14 from Lake Murray and actually having a fish fry with the family tomorrow. Going to be some good eat'n!

Congratulations to you and the crew. No doubt you guys are going to enjoy eating those fillets!
 
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gameland

Twelve Pointer
How many colors of lead line did y'all have out? Hoping to get down there before the end of summer. It's been years since I have fished lake Murray.
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
Usually 5 to 6 colors is on the money, but this time around we caught them all at 8 colors on leaded line and 40-50 feet on the downriggers. The sweet spot is usually 35 feet, all of this is down at the dam or heading towards Jake's Landing area.
 
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UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I just filleted 14 from Lake Murray and actually having a fish fry with the family tomorrow. Going to be some good eat'n!

Congratulations to you and the crew. No doubt you guys are going to enjoy eating those fillets!

Thanks much. How often do you head down there? We've got a place off Dreher Island, but it's easier to put in at the dam. I'm sure we've crossed paths a few times if you're there regularly. Uh if we've drug your lines before forgive us please. ;) We usually wait until the crowd has left before we start pulling the stacks.
 
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UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
do yall troll bucktails ?

We have pulled bucktails with good results before, but it has to be at the right time of year. Generally we pull 13" Grandma Lures. The colors vary greatly, but when you find one that's working you better put more out. Caught a limit in just under two hours on Thursday night. Took a little longer on Saturday night, but still limited out quickly. By the end of the night the boys were rubber armed after reeling in so many on 8 colors of leaded line. ;) That'll build your stamina.
 
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gameland

Twelve Pointer
When I used to go to Murray years ago we would troll buck tails during the day and sometimes tie one behind a big rapala and at night we would pull big rebel lures and rapalas
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I'm to old and fat to fish out there during the daylight hours. I can't take that heat. Columbia is miserably hot to me.
 

Huffy

Eight Pointer
we got ten down there the other day as well and had to work for them pretty had we fished during the day and you hit it on the money columbia is a hot place
 

Huffy

Eight Pointer
amen to that i love fishing in the rivers down there from mid february till end of apirl
 

luckybuck

Old Mossy Horns
We used to skin and filet them then steam them and eat them with lemon and butter like lobster tails...
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
Good thing about it is stripers are by far the easiest cleaning fish that swims. Perfect size and shape. 11....20min should get ya threw them.
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
Good thing about it is stripers are by far the easiest cleaning fish that swims. Perfect size and shape. 11....20min should get ya threw them.

If you have a SHARP/strong electric knife it's a zip for sure. If however it's one of those CRAP knives from Wal-Mart then it's like you're beating on an anvil.
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
Went on one last trip this weekend and took a young man that had never been striper fishing before. As I get older I prefer watching the kids catch the fish and this weekend was no exception. My uncle was the pilot and I was the leaded line/downrigger runner this weekend. Let Kyle catch all the fish and think he enjoyed himself. We didn't stay all that long, but long enough to catch 6 quarts of fillets. Biggest two of the night were a 11lb 8oz and a 10lb 2oz. Not bad for his first adventure. Lost five, but manged to put nine in the boat.





Now I've got so many bags of fish I couldn't hammer another bag in any of the three freezers we have. Need to have a few big fish fry events now.

Had to try a few times on getting that last picture. He couldn't hold them up long enough to get a really good picture. Got him home in time for him to go bow hunting this morning and he stuck a doe to boot. The kid had a good weekend. :)
 
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CountryboyNC

Guest
That is fun, I used to fish all summer down there , fish all night then drive home,lot of good memories. I dont fish like that now, I only fish for them in the winter time, during the day. I 'm a day time fisherman now. I'm catching more fish now than ever before.
 
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