January / February 2014 Newsletter
In This Edition
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
January Club Meeting - 1/3/13
Kick the New Year off right by joining us for a Club meeting on the 1st Friday of January. This month's topic will be a Winter-Time Jigging led by member Mike Ward. Come pick up (and share) a few tips & techniques that can help you with your winter-time fishing.
January Member-Guest Tournament - 1/11/14
Yes - we are kicking off the 2014 Tournament Series with a winter-time tournament, so put the coffee in the thermos, put on the long-johns, coat & gloves and get out there. The deadline for registration is Friday, January 3rd. Look for more details later in this newsletter on a few small tweaks to the tournament rules & regulations.
February Club Meeting - 2/7/14
Watch the Club Website and Facebook page for more information on topics to be covered during the February meeting.
All Club Meetings are held at the Moneta Community Center on Rucker Rd. unless otherwise noted above. You can always check the latest calendar of Club events on the Club Website.
Kick the New Year off right by joining us for a Club meeting on the 1st Friday of January. This month's topic will be a Winter-Time Jigging led by member Mike Ward. Come pick up (and share) a few tips & techniques that can help you with your winter-time fishing.
January Member-Guest Tournament - 1/11/14
Yes - we are kicking off the 2014 Tournament Series with a winter-time tournament, so put the coffee in the thermos, put on the long-johns, coat & gloves and get out there. The deadline for registration is Friday, January 3rd. Look for more details later in this newsletter on a few small tweaks to the tournament rules & regulations.
February Club Meeting - 2/7/14
Watch the Club Website and Facebook page for more information on topics to be covered during the February meeting.
All Club Meetings are held at the Moneta Community Center on Rucker Rd. unless otherwise noted above. You can always check the latest calendar of Club events on the Club Website.
Club Board Members
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Committee Chairs
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From the Editor
Where did 2013 go??? As I prepare the January / February edition of the Club Newsletter I have an opportunity to reflect back on this past year - and man did it seem to go quick. I spent some time earlier this week looking back at my fishing reports/logs from the year - I did not get near the amount of winter & spring fishing in that I wanted to as I was working on finishing off a basement at our townhouse at the lake, but I made up for that come summer and this Fall. Fortunately, I was able to slip out for a few quality trips during the spring with some buddies and overall I will say this past spring we saw some of the best fish we have in a few years - and this fall has not been bad - though I can't seem to crack the citation barrier in length or weight - but I'm still trying.
Reports / logs are a good way to capture details of your trips to refer back to in the future - the fishing patterns remain mostly consistent across the years, so knowing what worked where and when (and at what water temperature, etc) if useful if you have a set of information to refer back to. Sharing this info with other Club members through our discussion forum, and learning from their experiences and reports are also very helpful - if you are not yet, take a look at the Club web-site / discussion forum and start participating in dialogue.
I hope each of you and your families have a wonderful Holiday season and I look forward to seeing you at our Club events in 2014!
Fish On! & Happy New Year!
Mike Ward
Reports / logs are a good way to capture details of your trips to refer back to in the future - the fishing patterns remain mostly consistent across the years, so knowing what worked where and when (and at what water temperature, etc) if useful if you have a set of information to refer back to. Sharing this info with other Club members through our discussion forum, and learning from their experiences and reports are also very helpful - if you are not yet, take a look at the Club web-site / discussion forum and start participating in dialogue.
I hope each of you and your families have a wonderful Holiday season and I look forward to seeing you at our Club events in 2014!
Fish On! & Happy New Year!
Mike Ward
November Meeting Overview
November's meeting consisted of a "Chili Cook-off" and Board elections, along with some general discussion.
A number of our members brought a pot of chili for others to sample - it was a tasty and warm night for all - thanks to all that brought a pot - all were delicious!
We also held annual board elections - with one new member joining the Board - Walter Potucek. Welcome Walter!. We still have a number of board seats to fill, so please give some thought to joining the Club's board and help set the direction of our Club.
Joel also presented some information on trolling and how to determine the approximate depth of your lure by using math.... basically using a protractor to determine the angle of the line against the water, knowing the distance of the line from the rod tip to the lure and the distance of the rod above the water and then some geometry to calculate the depth.
Of course this assumes a perfectly straight line, and in general fishing line will have some form of arc due to resistance in the water, water density changes due to the thermocline, etc - but this will get you an approximate depth.
A number of our members brought a pot of chili for others to sample - it was a tasty and warm night for all - thanks to all that brought a pot - all were delicious!
We also held annual board elections - with one new member joining the Board - Walter Potucek. Welcome Walter!. We still have a number of board seats to fill, so please give some thought to joining the Club's board and help set the direction of our Club.
Joel also presented some information on trolling and how to determine the approximate depth of your lure by using math.... basically using a protractor to determine the angle of the line against the water, knowing the distance of the line from the rod tip to the lure and the distance of the rod above the water and then some geometry to calculate the depth.
- Set the line out the distance behind the boat that you plan to run it - this is "D"
- Use your protractor to measure the angle of the line relative to an imaginary vertical line coming up from the water - this is "A"
- Determine the distance the rod-top is from the water - this is "H"
- Pull out your trusty slide-rule or calculator and run the numbers...... Lure depth = (D * cosA) - H
Of course this assumes a perfectly straight line, and in general fishing line will have some form of arc due to resistance in the water, water density changes due to the thermocline, etc - but this will get you an approximate depth.
November Member/Guest & Overall Tournament Series Results
November provided some good weather for fishing, though the fish proved a little tough to find overall. The check-in for the November Member/Guest was held at Crazy Horse Marina on the Blackwater side of the lake.
We did not have any Youth participants turn in fish, and we only have one participant in the Artificial class check-in his catch. The competition was a little tighter in the Open class with only a few inches separating 1st and 3rd and only a quarter of an inch setting apart the Big Fish winner
Steve Nagle took 1st place in the Artificial Class with a 25.25" fish. The top-three placers in the Open Class were Mike Ward with 67.25", Ron Lorden with 65.5" and James Gray with 63.5". Mike Ward also took Big Fish with a 34.25" striped pictured above.
With the results turned in for the November tournament, the books also closed on our 2013 Tournament Series. Congratulations to the winners of the tournament series in each class.
We did not have any Youth participants turn in fish, and we only have one participant in the Artificial class check-in his catch. The competition was a little tighter in the Open class with only a few inches separating 1st and 3rd and only a quarter of an inch setting apart the Big Fish winner
Steve Nagle took 1st place in the Artificial Class with a 25.25" fish. The top-three placers in the Open Class were Mike Ward with 67.25", Ron Lorden with 65.5" and James Gray with 63.5". Mike Ward also took Big Fish with a 34.25" striped pictured above.
With the results turned in for the November tournament, the books also closed on our 2013 Tournament Series. Congratulations to the winners of the tournament series in each class.
Open Class
1st - Macky May - 283" 2nd - Mike Ward - 261" 3rd - Chris May - 241.75" |
Artificial-Only Class
1st - Steve Nagel - 193.5" 2nd - Don Hutchinson - 188.75" 3rd - Joel Janecek - 96.75" |
2014 Member/Guest Tournament Series Update
The Smith Mountain Striper Club is pleased to announce our second year for the SMSC Tournament Series. We will hold six Member/Guest tournaments continuing with the reduced entry fees structure used in 2013, and an overlying tournament series for those members wishing to engage in a year-long competition for ultimate bragging rights. This year's tournaments will continue to feature multiple "classes" - an Artificial-only class, an "Open" class (artificial or live bait), and a Youth class; and we are introducing a Catch-Photo-Release (CPR) model to be used in this year’s tournaments. As with last year we will not be having cash payouts for placing, but will compete for the fun of individual bragging rights and plaques will be awarded to the top three places in each category. Tournament fees will be $5 for members, $10 for guest and free for children under 18. A member may have one guest participate in the tournament with them as well as any number of children. Each individual may participate in only one class. A "big fish" pot will be offered as an optional component, with 100% payout to the big-fish winner of each individual tournament.
Each tournament will be scored from total length of a 2-fish catch. Members will submit digital photos of their catches with an appropriate measuring device that shows the fish's length, along with a Tournament "Token Card" that shows the "token" for that specific tournament. Under the CPR tournament model, anglers will be able to submit fish inside the slot limit even when the slot is in effect. Anglers have the option to harvest fish within then current regulations should they desire. Two tournaments (in July & September) will be designated as "harvest tournaments" in order to collect fish for a Club fish-fry.
Each tournament will be scored from total length of a 2-fish catch. Members will submit digital photos of their catches with an appropriate measuring device that shows the fish's length, along with a Tournament "Token Card" that shows the "token" for that specific tournament. Under the CPR tournament model, anglers will be able to submit fish inside the slot limit even when the slot is in effect. Anglers have the option to harvest fish within then current regulations should they desire. Two tournaments (in July & September) will be designated as "harvest tournaments" in order to collect fish for a Club fish-fry.
Changes for 2014
A few tweaks to the rules have been made this year to maximize the opportunity for our members to participate. This year, tournaments will run from 4:00 pm on Friday till 4:00p on Saturday - allowing participants the flexibility to fish afternoons, evenings or full nights in addition to the night/morning/day format in the past. In addition, members participating in different classes (Open & Artificial) may fish together on the same boat, and non-participants may also be present on the boat - they just may not assist in the catching or landing of the fish by the participants. Finally, for those participating in the Tournament Series, we will be holding six tournaments, but the series ranking will consist of your best 5 tournament results - allowing someone who may not be able to participate in one event or just has one of those tough days to still have fighting chance in the overall standings.
The deadline for registration for the January Member-Guest is Friday, January 3rd. Check-in for this tournament will be held at the docks behind Bridgewater Pointe Condos just inside the no-wake zone at Bridgewater. Additional details and the full Official Tournament Rules will be posted on the Club's website (http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/tournament-info.html) and the Club's Facebook page. Any questions can be directed to this year's tournament co-directors - Mark Melius ([email protected]; 540-597-8710) or Rick Boettcher ([email protected]; 540-761-3549).
Hope to see you out on the water for this year's tournaments.
2014 Member / Guest Tournament Dates
A few tweaks to the rules have been made this year to maximize the opportunity for our members to participate. This year, tournaments will run from 4:00 pm on Friday till 4:00p on Saturday - allowing participants the flexibility to fish afternoons, evenings or full nights in addition to the night/morning/day format in the past. In addition, members participating in different classes (Open & Artificial) may fish together on the same boat, and non-participants may also be present on the boat - they just may not assist in the catching or landing of the fish by the participants. Finally, for those participating in the Tournament Series, we will be holding six tournaments, but the series ranking will consist of your best 5 tournament results - allowing someone who may not be able to participate in one event or just has one of those tough days to still have fighting chance in the overall standings.
The deadline for registration for the January Member-Guest is Friday, January 3rd. Check-in for this tournament will be held at the docks behind Bridgewater Pointe Condos just inside the no-wake zone at Bridgewater. Additional details and the full Official Tournament Rules will be posted on the Club's website (http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/tournament-info.html) and the Club's Facebook page. Any questions can be directed to this year's tournament co-directors - Mark Melius ([email protected]; 540-597-8710) or Rick Boettcher ([email protected]; 540-761-3549).
Hope to see you out on the water for this year's tournaments.
2014 Member / Guest Tournament Dates
January 10/11
March 14/15 |
May 16/17
July 11/12 |
Sept 12/13
Oct 31/Nov 1 |
President's Corner
I
hope everyone had as good a time at our Christmas dinner as I had. Kudos to
Rick and his helpers. And thanks to everyone who brought deserts. Good friends,
good food and good times…
Now that 2013 has wound down and Spring is only a faint promise, it’s a good time to perform some routine maintenance on boats and tackle. Some of us still fish through the Winter but acceptable weather days are fewer in number so there’s always plenty of time to spare. Here are just a few things to look for. Boat: check all wiring and connectors for corrosion, check all the pumps for smooth operation and free from dirt and crud, check all the nuts and bolts for secure fitting, keep the gas tank full and use stabilizer, lubricate anything that moves. Trailer: lights, wiring and connectors, grease the wheel bearings, tire condition and inflation, winch cable, grease the winch parts/gears, all accessible nuts and bolts. Tackle checklist: line condition on all reels, rod guides, replace snaps, swivels and terminal hardware, retie all knots, lure hooks and split rings, condition and proper operation of all reels. It’s a good time to inspect all the stuff you may have on the boat. Is there anything you didn’t use last season? It’s a good time to clean house and get ready for the next swap night at the club. I’m sure there’s more that can be done but these ideas should get you started.
And don’t forget Winter safety. A dip in the water in July may be refreshing but it can be deadly in the next few months. Now that we are starting 2014, I appeal to your generous nature to give a little of your time as a committee member. The Club has many ways that you can contribute.
Thanks
Joel
Now that 2013 has wound down and Spring is only a faint promise, it’s a good time to perform some routine maintenance on boats and tackle. Some of us still fish through the Winter but acceptable weather days are fewer in number so there’s always plenty of time to spare. Here are just a few things to look for. Boat: check all wiring and connectors for corrosion, check all the pumps for smooth operation and free from dirt and crud, check all the nuts and bolts for secure fitting, keep the gas tank full and use stabilizer, lubricate anything that moves. Trailer: lights, wiring and connectors, grease the wheel bearings, tire condition and inflation, winch cable, grease the winch parts/gears, all accessible nuts and bolts. Tackle checklist: line condition on all reels, rod guides, replace snaps, swivels and terminal hardware, retie all knots, lure hooks and split rings, condition and proper operation of all reels. It’s a good time to inspect all the stuff you may have on the boat. Is there anything you didn’t use last season? It’s a good time to clean house and get ready for the next swap night at the club. I’m sure there’s more that can be done but these ideas should get you started.
And don’t forget Winter safety. A dip in the water in July may be refreshing but it can be deadly in the next few months. Now that we are starting 2014, I appeal to your generous nature to give a little of your time as a committee member. The Club has many ways that you can contribute.
Thanks
Joel
Club Christmas Party Recap
The Club kicked off the Holiday season with our annual Christmas Party & Recognition Dinner. A big thanks to Rick Boettcher, Macky May and all the others that helped make this event a great success. It is always nice to have a chance to fellowship with other Club members and their spouses outside the Club meetings.
It is also nice to have a chance to reflect on all the activities which the Club participated in during the past year and to recognize some of our members for their specific contributions above and beyond. This year recognition was given to Bob Rowe for his previous term as Club president, a special Letter of Appreciation from the 4H was presented to Macky May for his many years of coordinating and staffing the 4H Fishing events and Mark Melius was presented with Member of the Year. Awards were also presented to the Tournament Series winners and the lucky winner of the raffle for a fishing charter with Capt. Kathy Franceshini was no other than Andre' Peery.
The evening concluded with a massive door-prize give-away and a lot of full stomachs. Thanks to all that attended and helped us kick off the Season in a festive manner.
It is also nice to have a chance to reflect on all the activities which the Club participated in during the past year and to recognize some of our members for their specific contributions above and beyond. This year recognition was given to Bob Rowe for his previous term as Club president, a special Letter of Appreciation from the 4H was presented to Macky May for his many years of coordinating and staffing the 4H Fishing events and Mark Melius was presented with Member of the Year. Awards were also presented to the Tournament Series winners and the lucky winner of the raffle for a fishing charter with Capt. Kathy Franceshini was no other than Andre' Peery.
The evening concluded with a massive door-prize give-away and a lot of full stomachs. Thanks to all that attended and helped us kick off the Season in a festive manner.
Member Catches
Below are some pictures of Member Catches over the last few months. We all love pics, so please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to [email protected].
Water Temperature- 11/22/13
Below are the water temperatures on Friday, 11/22, before the Pre-Thanksgiving Artic Blast that arrived over the weekend. Look for surface temperatures to drop a fair bit by the next report..... reports of 52/53 were seen on the lower lake / Bulls Run area on the morning of 11/23 and it had not gotten cold yet at that point....
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Winter Time Jigging - Tyler Early
Jigging is an effective technique for stripers in both the winter and summer months when the fish form into large schools. Since we’re now approaching the winter season, I will discuss my winter jigging techniques. As the water temperatures cool into the lows 50 and upper 40 degree range in mid to late December, the fish will begin to form into large aggressive schools. It's the time of year to briefly set aside the live bait or trolling techniques you may use for the majority of the year and get "jiggy" with it! This is also the time of year when the birds will start giving away feeding schools of fish and enable you to cut down on your search time in finding these fish. When the water temperature reaches the mid to low 40 degree mark, the large schools of fish slow down even more and jigging will become even more effective.
Lures
There’s a million different lures you can choose to jig with, but I try to keep my fishing techniques as simple as possible, so I basically only use 3 main lures when jigging: a spoon, a jighead rigged with a Zoom Super fluke, or a bucktail with or without some form of plastic. Each one of these can catch fish while jigging as well as any other lure you can think of. As far as lure weight and size, less is usually better, but 1/2 oz to 1 oz is about right for most situations on SML. I usually go with either a 3/4 oz or 1 oz jig so that I can get the lure down fast to the fish below me. As the water cools even more into late January, I will often drop down to a 1/2 oz or even smaller to slow the lure presentation down. A stripers metabolism will slow way down when the water reaches the low 40 or even upper 30 degree water temperatures and a slightly slower presentation will often times be the difference in catching and not catching. When rigging your jig heads with a fluke, you can't go wrong with a pearl white or white ice color in most instances. Chartreuse has worked well for me in muddy and murky water situations. Last winter when we had the major flood in January, chartreuse was a particularly good color throughout the jigging season. For spoons, I like just a basic silver or gold spoon with no bucktail on the hook. Keep it simple. You want to create that silver flash that resembles dying bait falling in the water column. In years past with the major threadfin die-offs on the lake, we had had really good success jigging spoons on bottom feeding fish. The past couple years, we have not done quite as well on spoons; however, with the threadfin population making a small comeback this year, we may see some better results out of spoon fishing this winter. When vertical jigging any of these three lures, I use a split ring and swivel to attach it to my main line to prevent line twist.
Feel free to play with other lures and colors when jigging - there’s no right way to do it. Often times the lure you have the most confidence in fishing is the best choice for you. Stay relatively small though to match the forage these large schools are feeding on in the dead of winter.
Tackle
I like a 6.5-7ft medium to medium heavy graphite rod with 12-17lb mono or braid. I personally like braid better when jigging because I can feel through the line so much better than a mono or fluorocarbon line. A lot of fish will hit the lure on the drop, so if you're not paying attention, you'll miss it. This is where braid comes into play and helps you to feel even the slightest ticks or movements in your line. There are even times where you cannot even feel the bite on the drop, but only see it in your line's movement. If there is structure around, which is often the case on SML, I like a Medium-Heavy rod with at least 15lb test. Even a 12-14lb striper can easily take you into the trees when jigging. You need a rod with a decent backbone to get those bigger fish out of there quickly. And often times over the years, we've literally been jigging fish off the bottom and up through the trees, so 8lb test on a small bass rod won't work in those situations.
Techniques
There is no one or right way to jig any lure. Experimentation is the best way to figure out what jigging techniques work best for you and the lures you're using. Over the years, I've learned what generally works for me, but even to this day, I still experiment and change my jigging motion when needed. With spoons, I prefer a long jigging motion the best. A short erratic jigging motion can be effective also on stubborn fish, but I've always done best on the long motion that allows the spoon to "flutter" down. Basically, you are raising your rod 2-3ft in a quick motion and then letting the spoon fall with very little tension on the line so that it "flutters" back down and resembles a dying baitfish. If there's tension on the line, then the spoon loses that erratic flutter motion. You can test/play with your jigging motion near the surface to see how your lure reacts. For most spoons, the "flutter" is generally what draws the strike from fish below and the reason stripers will hit the spoon on the fall almost every time.
When jigging flukes and bucktails, I prefer a shorter more erratic jigging motion when on fish, which often triggers a reaction bite. However, there is no exact science to it and often times just dead sticking or holding the lure still will result in better catches than an actual jigging motion itself. I will play with my motion when I am on fish and let them tell me what they want. I was out on a snowy day last winter jigging flukes with a buddy - I figured out pretty quick that the fish wanted a very slow and short (rise and fall) jigging motion that day. Naturally I did not tell my friend right off, because as you will find or already may know, jigging with friends can be a competition! After I had about the fourth fish with birds diving everywhere, he stops and looks at what I'm doing. As soon as he stopped his jigging, BAM, he got a bite. His jig was literally just sitting still. He even ended up outfishing that day once he slowed it down. So, it just goes to show that small differences in your jigging motion can make big differences in your catch rate. It goes back to the old saying in sports, "Always change a losing game, never change a winning game!"
Outside of watching a striper blowup on a 12" gizzard shad or on a thunderstick right by my boat, jigging is my favorite way to catch these fish. Don't let the cold temperatures keep you off the water, there's plenty of great fishing all winter long. Grab a few of your best buddies and go have a jigging contest!
I'll conclude this article by giving credit to the individuals that taught me most of what I know about jigging. Those individuals would be Todd Keith, J.D. Abshire, and Travis Patsell, all of whom have probably been fishing SML for stripers since before I was even born. They have all taught me different, but very effective techniques for jigging year round.
Lures
There’s a million different lures you can choose to jig with, but I try to keep my fishing techniques as simple as possible, so I basically only use 3 main lures when jigging: a spoon, a jighead rigged with a Zoom Super fluke, or a bucktail with or without some form of plastic. Each one of these can catch fish while jigging as well as any other lure you can think of. As far as lure weight and size, less is usually better, but 1/2 oz to 1 oz is about right for most situations on SML. I usually go with either a 3/4 oz or 1 oz jig so that I can get the lure down fast to the fish below me. As the water cools even more into late January, I will often drop down to a 1/2 oz or even smaller to slow the lure presentation down. A stripers metabolism will slow way down when the water reaches the low 40 or even upper 30 degree water temperatures and a slightly slower presentation will often times be the difference in catching and not catching. When rigging your jig heads with a fluke, you can't go wrong with a pearl white or white ice color in most instances. Chartreuse has worked well for me in muddy and murky water situations. Last winter when we had the major flood in January, chartreuse was a particularly good color throughout the jigging season. For spoons, I like just a basic silver or gold spoon with no bucktail on the hook. Keep it simple. You want to create that silver flash that resembles dying bait falling in the water column. In years past with the major threadfin die-offs on the lake, we had had really good success jigging spoons on bottom feeding fish. The past couple years, we have not done quite as well on spoons; however, with the threadfin population making a small comeback this year, we may see some better results out of spoon fishing this winter. When vertical jigging any of these three lures, I use a split ring and swivel to attach it to my main line to prevent line twist.
Feel free to play with other lures and colors when jigging - there’s no right way to do it. Often times the lure you have the most confidence in fishing is the best choice for you. Stay relatively small though to match the forage these large schools are feeding on in the dead of winter.
Tackle
I like a 6.5-7ft medium to medium heavy graphite rod with 12-17lb mono or braid. I personally like braid better when jigging because I can feel through the line so much better than a mono or fluorocarbon line. A lot of fish will hit the lure on the drop, so if you're not paying attention, you'll miss it. This is where braid comes into play and helps you to feel even the slightest ticks or movements in your line. There are even times where you cannot even feel the bite on the drop, but only see it in your line's movement. If there is structure around, which is often the case on SML, I like a Medium-Heavy rod with at least 15lb test. Even a 12-14lb striper can easily take you into the trees when jigging. You need a rod with a decent backbone to get those bigger fish out of there quickly. And often times over the years, we've literally been jigging fish off the bottom and up through the trees, so 8lb test on a small bass rod won't work in those situations.
Techniques
There is no one or right way to jig any lure. Experimentation is the best way to figure out what jigging techniques work best for you and the lures you're using. Over the years, I've learned what generally works for me, but even to this day, I still experiment and change my jigging motion when needed. With spoons, I prefer a long jigging motion the best. A short erratic jigging motion can be effective also on stubborn fish, but I've always done best on the long motion that allows the spoon to "flutter" down. Basically, you are raising your rod 2-3ft in a quick motion and then letting the spoon fall with very little tension on the line so that it "flutters" back down and resembles a dying baitfish. If there's tension on the line, then the spoon loses that erratic flutter motion. You can test/play with your jigging motion near the surface to see how your lure reacts. For most spoons, the "flutter" is generally what draws the strike from fish below and the reason stripers will hit the spoon on the fall almost every time.
When jigging flukes and bucktails, I prefer a shorter more erratic jigging motion when on fish, which often triggers a reaction bite. However, there is no exact science to it and often times just dead sticking or holding the lure still will result in better catches than an actual jigging motion itself. I will play with my motion when I am on fish and let them tell me what they want. I was out on a snowy day last winter jigging flukes with a buddy - I figured out pretty quick that the fish wanted a very slow and short (rise and fall) jigging motion that day. Naturally I did not tell my friend right off, because as you will find or already may know, jigging with friends can be a competition! After I had about the fourth fish with birds diving everywhere, he stops and looks at what I'm doing. As soon as he stopped his jigging, BAM, he got a bite. His jig was literally just sitting still. He even ended up outfishing that day once he slowed it down. So, it just goes to show that small differences in your jigging motion can make big differences in your catch rate. It goes back to the old saying in sports, "Always change a losing game, never change a winning game!"
Outside of watching a striper blowup on a 12" gizzard shad or on a thunderstick right by my boat, jigging is my favorite way to catch these fish. Don't let the cold temperatures keep you off the water, there's plenty of great fishing all winter long. Grab a few of your best buddies and go have a jigging contest!
I'll conclude this article by giving credit to the individuals that taught me most of what I know about jigging. Those individuals would be Todd Keith, J.D. Abshire, and Travis Patsell, all of whom have probably been fishing SML for stripers since before I was even born. They have all taught me different, but very effective techniques for jigging year round.
Member Profile - Ron Aimonetti
I grew up in the Binghamton, New York area and started fishing as a young boy in a small lake outside of Binghamton. As a teen we took family vacations to the back woods of Canada fishing for Northern Pike and Lake trout. It was these family trips where I really developed my love of fishing. There is nothing like fishing from a canoe in the back woods and the shore dinners consisting of the mornings catch, beans, fried potatoes and black tea.
From upstate New York I moved on to Virginia to attend Va Tech. I met my wife Kathy, a Radford girl, while at Tech. Upon graduation with a degree in Mechanical Engineering we headed off to Long Island to work for Grumman Aircraft. This started a carrier in aerospace that would take us back to upstate New York to work for Link and later Singer Link developing training simulators for the military, airlines and space programs and then to Houston, Texas. While in upstate New York with our three boys we were afforded the pleasure of fishing not only a lake that was in our front yard, which was loaded with trout, but also the many trout streams in the area. As the boys grew we made many family trips to the St Lawrence River fishing the 1000 Islands area for Northern Pike. The topography of SML reminds me a lot of the sea way.
In 1983 we made the move to Houston to continue work for the Singer Link Co. which later became Raytheon, as the Program Manager for the F-16 Training System and later as Director of Programs. Many days were spent fishing Galveston Bay and jetties for Speckled Trout and Red Fish. Saltwater fishing presented many new challenges for both the use of live bait and artificial. Many of the things learned here would later be applied in Striper fishing. In the quest for more fish and bigger fish I was introduced to offshore fishing. This fast became the fishing of choice and many days were spent 30 to 40 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Again a whole new learning experience.
Retirement came in 2005 and moved from the coast to Kerrville, Texas in the Texas Hill County. This area is known for hunting and not fishing so I took to the woods. I do manage to do some fishing, taking groups of men from the both the VA and State Hospital bass fishing once a week. This was a very rewarding experience as I learned that the best part of fishing is the fellowship and seeing the smile on some ones face. That is really what fishing is all about, the joy that it can bring to a person that needs a little joy in their life.
From upstate New York I moved on to Virginia to attend Va Tech. I met my wife Kathy, a Radford girl, while at Tech. Upon graduation with a degree in Mechanical Engineering we headed off to Long Island to work for Grumman Aircraft. This started a carrier in aerospace that would take us back to upstate New York to work for Link and later Singer Link developing training simulators for the military, airlines and space programs and then to Houston, Texas. While in upstate New York with our three boys we were afforded the pleasure of fishing not only a lake that was in our front yard, which was loaded with trout, but also the many trout streams in the area. As the boys grew we made many family trips to the St Lawrence River fishing the 1000 Islands area for Northern Pike. The topography of SML reminds me a lot of the sea way.
In 1983 we made the move to Houston to continue work for the Singer Link Co. which later became Raytheon, as the Program Manager for the F-16 Training System and later as Director of Programs. Many days were spent fishing Galveston Bay and jetties for Speckled Trout and Red Fish. Saltwater fishing presented many new challenges for both the use of live bait and artificial. Many of the things learned here would later be applied in Striper fishing. In the quest for more fish and bigger fish I was introduced to offshore fishing. This fast became the fishing of choice and many days were spent 30 to 40 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. Again a whole new learning experience.
Retirement came in 2005 and moved from the coast to Kerrville, Texas in the Texas Hill County. This area is known for hunting and not fishing so I took to the woods. I do manage to do some fishing, taking groups of men from the both the VA and State Hospital bass fishing once a week. This was a very rewarding experience as I learned that the best part of fishing is the fellowship and seeing the smile on some ones face. That is really what fishing is all about, the joy that it can bring to a person that needs a little joy in their life.
In 2000 our youngest son Geoff and his wife moved from Houston to Roanoke. During our visits with the kids in Hardy, we were introduced to SML. With the addition of a grandson and the many college friends in the VA area it made us think that SML might be something to consider. Long story short, in the fall 2011 we bought a condo in the Waterfront, South Pointe, just down the cove from R25. The condo is perfect for us as we continue to live part of the year in Texas.
We selected a pontoon boat that is rigged for fishing. Our first summer on the lake in 2012 was yet another learning experience. Day after day was spent watching others catch fish and I could not get a bite. I followed several guides, watched what they were doing and tried to duplicate their technique. I like to fish with artificial bait but everyone was using live bait. I tried to net bait and did catch some, but just could not keep them alive long enough to get them on the hook. I ended up buying shiners, which survived in the live well. That summer I did manage to catch 3 or 4 stripers. As I headed back to Texas for the winter I knew I had to find a way to keep bait and I knew I needed to improve my electronics from an old Lowrance B&W fish finder.
Over the winter I spent many hours studying on how to keep bait alive. From what I found, the bait tank had to be round, the water had to be moving so as to purge the gills of the bait and the water needed to be filtered. Water temperature is also important. Many of the same things needed to keep shrimp alive. I found a fisherman on YouTube that had a design for a live well that used a plastic trash can with a thru the hull bilge pump and a water filter. This was easy enough to make and met all the criteria I was looking for. One other thing read and I do not remember where, is that the water must be spinning counter clockwise as the bait always swim clockwise and they need to be swimming into the current. Who knows!
Its back to SML the end of June 2013 armed with plans for a live well, a new Lowrance fish finder and hopes of bettering last year’s catch. The live well worked great, I was able to keep alewifes alive for as long as two or three days and the new fish finder was great. Being at mid-lake and with a pontoon boat limited fishing to the area from the bridge to the dam and up the Blackwater to Gills Creek. The first month back at the lake we had our grand-kids from New Mexico with us. Our 10 year old grandson Andrew is an avid fisherman and was able to land his first Striper while fishing up the Blackwater. He was thrilled as I was.
I joined the Smith Mountain Striper Club in July of 2013. As I read the first news letter I saw the profile of Bruce Bernholdt and looking at the pictures realized that Bruce lived in the same condo complex. I contacted Bruce and we attended the next Striper meeting together. In the coming months Bruce and I, joined at times by my son Geoff and other friends enjoyed many mornings fishing, telling stories, and laughing not to mention catching our share of fish.
Now my new challenge is to learn how to catch Stripers with artificials. My son and I have had some success using silver spoons, Alabama and umbrella rigs but we have a lot to learn. Next summer’s challenge.
When not spending time with family and friends, fishing or hunting I do volunteer work at the VA Hospital and State Hospital while in Texas and at the Agape Center in Moneta. As time permits, I also do woodcarvings of wildfowl.
We selected a pontoon boat that is rigged for fishing. Our first summer on the lake in 2012 was yet another learning experience. Day after day was spent watching others catch fish and I could not get a bite. I followed several guides, watched what they were doing and tried to duplicate their technique. I like to fish with artificial bait but everyone was using live bait. I tried to net bait and did catch some, but just could not keep them alive long enough to get them on the hook. I ended up buying shiners, which survived in the live well. That summer I did manage to catch 3 or 4 stripers. As I headed back to Texas for the winter I knew I had to find a way to keep bait and I knew I needed to improve my electronics from an old Lowrance B&W fish finder.
Over the winter I spent many hours studying on how to keep bait alive. From what I found, the bait tank had to be round, the water had to be moving so as to purge the gills of the bait and the water needed to be filtered. Water temperature is also important. Many of the same things needed to keep shrimp alive. I found a fisherman on YouTube that had a design for a live well that used a plastic trash can with a thru the hull bilge pump and a water filter. This was easy enough to make and met all the criteria I was looking for. One other thing read and I do not remember where, is that the water must be spinning counter clockwise as the bait always swim clockwise and they need to be swimming into the current. Who knows!
Its back to SML the end of June 2013 armed with plans for a live well, a new Lowrance fish finder and hopes of bettering last year’s catch. The live well worked great, I was able to keep alewifes alive for as long as two or three days and the new fish finder was great. Being at mid-lake and with a pontoon boat limited fishing to the area from the bridge to the dam and up the Blackwater to Gills Creek. The first month back at the lake we had our grand-kids from New Mexico with us. Our 10 year old grandson Andrew is an avid fisherman and was able to land his first Striper while fishing up the Blackwater. He was thrilled as I was.
I joined the Smith Mountain Striper Club in July of 2013. As I read the first news letter I saw the profile of Bruce Bernholdt and looking at the pictures realized that Bruce lived in the same condo complex. I contacted Bruce and we attended the next Striper meeting together. In the coming months Bruce and I, joined at times by my son Geoff and other friends enjoyed many mornings fishing, telling stories, and laughing not to mention catching our share of fish.
Now my new challenge is to learn how to catch Stripers with artificials. My son and I have had some success using silver spoons, Alabama and umbrella rigs but we have a lot to learn. Next summer’s challenge.
When not spending time with family and friends, fishing or hunting I do volunteer work at the VA Hospital and State Hospital while in Texas and at the Agape Center in Moneta. As time permits, I also do woodcarvings of wildfowl.
From the Water - 11/18 & 11/22 - Joel Janecek
(Below is the most current "From the Water" report at the time the newsletter went to print).
I was out twice last week. Monday the 18th I played a hunch and launched at the Hardy ramp. There was so much debris, leaves and such on the water that trolling was out of the question.
So I putted around looking for fish. There were several boats in the area from Hardy down to Moorman's but none were close together indicating fish. I saw no fish boated and no nets swinging. I moved around and when I saw at least two marks together I started jigging and casting. But nothing bit. All the marks I saw were hanging down near the bottom. I did see a few birds fluttering high above also looking for fish. No surface activity.
On Friday the 22nd I started at Hales Ford Bridge and ran up to Indian Creek. It was just before dawn. I cruised to the back looking but didn't see as much as I had recently. As I idled way back I saw a few fish and quickly cast a crank bait behind me. Wow. I got a 18". Then I didn't see any more fish. I cruised back out and even looked up Little Indian Creek but there was nothing there either.
So I ran back up the lake and started looking again at Moorman's. I was marking some scattered fish and the water was clean so I started trolling around. And trolling. And trolling. Nothing was biting. Again there were several boats in the area but no catching. I kept looking all the way up to the flats but no dice. Again a few birds were fluttering around but no surface activity. I started trolling again and trolled the stretch all the way to the Tennis Courts. Nothing. Then I zipped down to Lynville and cruised all the way into the back. Nada. Lots of bait but no fish.
So I headed back down lake and trolled from Grimes to Indian Creek but only marked a few scattered fish. No takers. After looking around Indian Creek again I headed down to Hales Creek. I saw a few small marks at Campers and spent time casting and jigging but nothing bit. That ended it. But it was a real nice weather day and maybe the last nice weather for a long time. Since I'm almost a fair weather fisherman I won't be out this week. I also have a Thursday dinner engagement. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Later - Joel
I was out twice last week. Monday the 18th I played a hunch and launched at the Hardy ramp. There was so much debris, leaves and such on the water that trolling was out of the question.
So I putted around looking for fish. There were several boats in the area from Hardy down to Moorman's but none were close together indicating fish. I saw no fish boated and no nets swinging. I moved around and when I saw at least two marks together I started jigging and casting. But nothing bit. All the marks I saw were hanging down near the bottom. I did see a few birds fluttering high above also looking for fish. No surface activity.
On Friday the 22nd I started at Hales Ford Bridge and ran up to Indian Creek. It was just before dawn. I cruised to the back looking but didn't see as much as I had recently. As I idled way back I saw a few fish and quickly cast a crank bait behind me. Wow. I got a 18". Then I didn't see any more fish. I cruised back out and even looked up Little Indian Creek but there was nothing there either.
So I ran back up the lake and started looking again at Moorman's. I was marking some scattered fish and the water was clean so I started trolling around. And trolling. And trolling. Nothing was biting. Again there were several boats in the area but no catching. I kept looking all the way up to the flats but no dice. Again a few birds were fluttering around but no surface activity. I started trolling again and trolled the stretch all the way to the Tennis Courts. Nothing. Then I zipped down to Lynville and cruised all the way into the back. Nada. Lots of bait but no fish.
So I headed back down lake and trolled from Grimes to Indian Creek but only marked a few scattered fish. No takers. After looking around Indian Creek again I headed down to Hales Creek. I saw a few small marks at Campers and spent time casting and jigging but nothing bit. That ended it. But it was a real nice weather day and maybe the last nice weather for a long time. Since I'm almost a fair weather fisherman I won't be out this week. I also have a Thursday dinner engagement. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Later - Joel
Tackle Tip For January - Spoon/Fluke Jigging Rig
One interesting variation for jigging is to mix a spoon and a lead-head jig / fluke. Using a spoon with a lot of "flash" - like a chrome Kastmaster spoon, coupled with a triangle lead jig head and fluke, gives you some added weight to get the rig down to the fish quicker, but also some added flash and flair to attract the fish to strike.
With this setup, you remove the hook from the Kastmaster spoon, attach a split-ring and then tie on a section of fluorocarbon leader (8"-10"). Be sure to use a split-ring and swivel on the rod-side of the spoon as well.
One additional tip - use a lower test fluorocarbon line between the spoon and the jig/fluke than your main line - that way when you hang the jig in the trees you can break off the jig but save the Kastmaster spoon - which have gotten a bit pricey over the years.
With this setup, you remove the hook from the Kastmaster spoon, attach a split-ring and then tie on a section of fluorocarbon leader (8"-10"). Be sure to use a split-ring and swivel on the rod-side of the spoon as well.
One additional tip - use a lower test fluorocarbon line between the spoon and the jig/fluke than your main line - that way when you hang the jig in the trees you can break off the jig but save the Kastmaster spoon - which have gotten a bit pricey over the years.
SMSC Discussion Forum Fishing Report from 12/6/13
Below is a copy of a fishing report filed by member Mike Ward on the SMSC Discussion Boards (smsc-forums.proboards.com) - lots of interesting reading here in a format in which is restricted to only our members - hope you will take advantage of this resource to participate and extend the Club meetings outside of our once a month events.
12/6/13 - December ????
Weather: upper 60's rising to low 70's , overcast, then sprinkling, then thunder / lightning / then a downpour, then some sun, then a whole lot of wind from the S/SW
Water: 54, visibility of 5'
Techniques: free-lined money makers, to big gizzards (and one mongo who met its maker way too soon ) behind boards. Alewives on down lines & light lines
12/6/13 - December ????
Weather: upper 60's rising to low 70's , overcast, then sprinkling, then thunder / lightning / then a downpour, then some sun, then a whole lot of wind from the S/SW
Water: 54, visibility of 5'
Techniques: free-lined money makers, to big gizzards (and one mongo who met its maker way too soon ) behind boards. Alewives on down lines & light lines
Tyler, my buddy Mark and I were supposed to be Bay Bound Wed night - Sunday, but the approaching weather made Thur the only reasonable fishing day so we decided it was too far to drag the boat to fish one day and maybe part of a 2nd - but the striped itch was there so my buddy Mark and I decided we'd fish SML on Friday while Tyler put in a decent day at the office - someone had to do it....
I came on up to the lake on Wed AM - pushing through whatever fever/bug I had - then slid out for a couple of hours on both Wed & Thur afternoon to catch some bait. I put about a dozen nice gizzards in the tank on Wed and then another 16 or so on Thur afternoon. Thur evening I hit a few lights and loaded up on some nice alewives as well in order to have options. Caught a "few" ales...
I came on up to the lake on Wed AM - pushing through whatever fever/bug I had - then slid out for a couple of hours on both Wed & Thur afternoon to catch some bait. I put about a dozen nice gizzards in the tank on Wed and then another 16 or so on Thur afternoon. Thur evening I hit a few lights and loaded up on some nice alewives as well in order to have options. Caught a "few" ales...
We got on the water and to our fishing spot in an upper Roanoke-side creek around 8 am. Put baits out and pulled to our 1st point and the blow-ups started. VERY quickly it was Fish On! and I set the hook and was working the fish to the boat. All of a sudden the board with the BIG bait got slammed hard - when Mark got to the rod there was nothing there..... that big, bold, beautiful bait was gone.... even though it had a 7/0 hook in its nose and a stinger treble in its anus.....
We had good consistent action for an hour or so . We caught several fish in the 27"-29" range and we had several missed hook-ups . The creek was paved with bait and we saw a lot of deep action of fish tearing through bait. Also found one area that looked like stacked fish on the bottom but they would not touch a downlined bait - ale or gizzard. The action really turned on as the thunder and lighting approached and light rain started. However, once the down-pour started and stopped the action turned off except for one last fish.....
We packed in in a little after 11 to head down load to grab some lunch and then pick up our buddy Keith. On the way we ran across another buddy jigging on some fish so we stopped for a few moments - marked some small pods and tried to jig but the wind was blowing strong and it was not worth the hassle.... Picked up Keith around 1 and we hit a mid-lake creek with suspicions the fish were there..... they were - unfortunately so was the wind. Had a number of chases and blow-ups but one hooked up on one fish right around 30". Moved to another near-by creek and things seemed dim except we were out of the wind and there was a lot of bait here as well. When we started our pull back out and along a creek bank it turned on - doubles and then multiple more fish on follow-on passes.
We had good consistent action for an hour or so . We caught several fish in the 27"-29" range and we had several missed hook-ups . The creek was paved with bait and we saw a lot of deep action of fish tearing through bait. Also found one area that looked like stacked fish on the bottom but they would not touch a downlined bait - ale or gizzard. The action really turned on as the thunder and lighting approached and light rain started. However, once the down-pour started and stopped the action turned off except for one last fish.....
We packed in in a little after 11 to head down load to grab some lunch and then pick up our buddy Keith. On the way we ran across another buddy jigging on some fish so we stopped for a few moments - marked some small pods and tried to jig but the wind was blowing strong and it was not worth the hassle.... Picked up Keith around 1 and we hit a mid-lake creek with suspicions the fish were there..... they were - unfortunately so was the wind. Had a number of chases and blow-ups but one hooked up on one fish right around 30". Moved to another near-by creek and things seemed dim except we were out of the wind and there was a lot of bait here as well. When we started our pull back out and along a creek bank it turned on - doubles and then multiple more fish on follow-on passes.
I think we picked up 4 or 5 more in here - in the 27"-30" range. Had a couple of misses as well equally shared across the boat.
We wrapped things up about 4:30 - certainly was not a day of hauling in 50 lbers at the Bay, but not a bad one.... 10 or 11 fish and chances at perhaps that many more.....
We wrapped things up about 4:30 - certainly was not a day of hauling in 50 lbers at the Bay, but not a bad one.... 10 or 11 fish and chances at perhaps that many more.....
Tackle Tip for February - Multi-Fluke Jigging Rig
Here is another variation of the jig/fluke rig that can produce during the winter time months. Basically this is a "drop-shot" where a J-hook is tied about a foot above the jig-head and a fluke attached, yielding two lures to attract the fish - and if you are lucky - two fish on the line at a time.
It is very important to use a split-ring and swivel on the lead-head jig, as well as a swivel to connect to your main line, to prevent twist to your main line, but also in order to provide a natural presentation of the lures to the fish.
Simply attach a J-hook about 12" above the lead-head jig, and then extend the leader another 6" to a swivel where the rig would be attached to your main line. The use of 50 lb braid is recommended for this rig due to the potential for hooking into multiple fish, as well as to provide a high level of sensitivity to any strikes. Unlike the Spoon/Fluke rig where you would strongly desire not to loose the spoon portion, using a heavier test leader than your main line is not as large a concern due to the lower cost components used in this rig - if the hang up and break off the swivel to your main line, then it is not a large loss.
It is very important to use a split-ring and swivel on the lead-head jig, as well as a swivel to connect to your main line, to prevent twist to your main line, but also in order to provide a natural presentation of the lures to the fish.
Simply attach a J-hook about 12" above the lead-head jig, and then extend the leader another 6" to a swivel where the rig would be attached to your main line. The use of 50 lb braid is recommended for this rig due to the potential for hooking into multiple fish, as well as to provide a high level of sensitivity to any strikes. Unlike the Spoon/Fluke rig where you would strongly desire not to loose the spoon portion, using a heavier test leader than your main line is not as large a concern due to the lower cost components used in this rig - if the hang up and break off the swivel to your main line, then it is not a large loss.
The Ship's Store is Stocked
The Ship's Store is stocked with a variety of colors & sizes of short & long-sleeve t-shirts and long-sleeve sun-blockers. It's cool-weather time and we have a good stock of long-sleeve T's available. Check out the Ship's Store table at the Club meeting for availability.
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Our Club Sponsors and Advertisers provide a valuable support to the Smith Mountain Striper Club and our membership. When in need of goods or services, please give our sponsors consideration and also let them know that you appreciate their support of the Club.