July / August 2014 Newsletter
In This Edition
|
|
|
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Special Meeting on Club Membership - 7/11/14 - 5:00 pm - All Members are invited to participate in an open discussion session regarding Club Membership - what the Membership is looking for in a Club, how we raise awareness and promote the Club as well as how to increase participation and overall membership in the Club. Please come join us for this important meeting.
July Club Meeting - 7/11/14 - (note the change in our usual date due to the July 4th Holiday)
Reels - Learn about all you ever wanted to know about reels from our own "The Reel Guy", Joel Janecek. Joel will talk about different reel technologies and how to maintain them to ensure they last.
July Member/Guest Tournament - 7/11/14 - 7/12/14
Registration dead-line is Friday, July 4th. This is one of our two designated harvest tournaments and check-in will be held at Captain's Quarters - submissions will still be via photo & length, but due to lower release probability in the warm summer waters we will be harvesting and collecting fish for a fish-fry at our August meeting.
August Club Meeting - 8/1/14
Fish Fry & Guest Speaker - Capt. Dale Wilson will visit the Club and talk about using artificials to catch striper and the techniques & tactics us uses at different times of the year.
September Club meeting - 9/5/14
Topics TBD - Let us know what you'd like to hear (or what you'd like to help present for the group!) Watch the Club's Facebook page & website for more details.
September Member/Guest Tournament - 9/12/14 - 9/13/14
Registration dead-line is Friday, September 5th. This is our second of our two designated harvest tournaments and check-in will be held at Captain's Quarters - submissions will still be via photo & length, but due to lower release probability in the warm summer waters we will be harvesting and collecting fish for a fish-fry at our October meeting.
All Club Meetings are held at 7pm 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.
July Club Meeting - 7/11/14 - (note the change in our usual date due to the July 4th Holiday)
Reels - Learn about all you ever wanted to know about reels from our own "The Reel Guy", Joel Janecek. Joel will talk about different reel technologies and how to maintain them to ensure they last.
July Member/Guest Tournament - 7/11/14 - 7/12/14
Registration dead-line is Friday, July 4th. This is one of our two designated harvest tournaments and check-in will be held at Captain's Quarters - submissions will still be via photo & length, but due to lower release probability in the warm summer waters we will be harvesting and collecting fish for a fish-fry at our August meeting.
August Club Meeting - 8/1/14
Fish Fry & Guest Speaker - Capt. Dale Wilson will visit the Club and talk about using artificials to catch striper and the techniques & tactics us uses at different times of the year.
September Club meeting - 9/5/14
Topics TBD - Let us know what you'd like to hear (or what you'd like to help present for the group!) Watch the Club's Facebook page & website for more details.
September Member/Guest Tournament - 9/12/14 - 9/13/14
Registration dead-line is Friday, September 5th. This is our second of our two designated harvest tournaments and check-in will be held at Captain's Quarters - submissions will still be via photo & length, but due to lower release probability in the warm summer waters we will be harvesting and collecting fish for a fish-fry at our October meeting.
All Club Meetings are held at 7pm 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
|
Committee Chairs
|
From the Editor
Well, due to the delayed publication of our May/June Newsletter, and an upcoming vacation in mid-July that will have me away, I wanted to make sure we got the July/August newsletter out the door on track. I expected that the content might be a little light this time due to the abbreviated time-frame, but the Club has had a lot of activities going on in June. If you've participate in one or more of those activities -Thank You! If you didn't - well - then you don't know what you are missing out on. It is always fun to get together with fellow Club members - even if not out on the water. Make sure you take the opportunity to do so next time you get a chance.
The content this month was also helped by having a great article authored by Bruce Brendholdt on using Google Maps Engine to plot fish catches. Bruce has put a lot of work into this effort so far and I believe it can be an excellent resource for the Club if others help participate. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to him.
I'll continue on my soap-box regarding information for the newsletter. It would be VERY helpful if others in the Club would be willing to help come up with content - this can be as complete as a whole article or as little as an idea for something you'd like to see covered. I was fortunate to have contributions of various forms this month and it makes the work much easier. Also, send us your pics from trips on the water - fish or no fish - let's see you out there representing the Smith Mountain Striper Club.
Finally, before stepping off my soap-box - Summer is here - the water is getting hot and stripers do not release well in the warm temperatures - please keep this in mind when fishing this Summer. Check out the article on Summer Catch & Release Awareness later in the newsletter, as well as the article by guest author Dirk Dial on the factors which lead to death of striper caught from deep water - and please feel free to share a copy of this issue with your friends - it is important that we help to educate other anglers on these issues.
Fish On! - Mike Ward
The content this month was also helped by having a great article authored by Bruce Brendholdt on using Google Maps Engine to plot fish catches. Bruce has put a lot of work into this effort so far and I believe it can be an excellent resource for the Club if others help participate. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to him.
I'll continue on my soap-box regarding information for the newsletter. It would be VERY helpful if others in the Club would be willing to help come up with content - this can be as complete as a whole article or as little as an idea for something you'd like to see covered. I was fortunate to have contributions of various forms this month and it makes the work much easier. Also, send us your pics from trips on the water - fish or no fish - let's see you out there representing the Smith Mountain Striper Club.
Finally, before stepping off my soap-box - Summer is here - the water is getting hot and stripers do not release well in the warm temperatures - please keep this in mind when fishing this Summer. Check out the article on Summer Catch & Release Awareness later in the newsletter, as well as the article by guest author Dirk Dial on the factors which lead to death of striper caught from deep water - and please feel free to share a copy of this issue with your friends - it is important that we help to educate other anglers on these issues.
Fish On! - Mike Ward
June Meeting Overview
Bruce Brenholdt and Rick Boettcher led a discussion on "Where Are the Fish" - asking members to talk about where they had caught fish in the last month - and then plotted this information with push-pins on a map of SML. This info will be collected during future meetings and then used in future discussion. Members reporting catching fish on the Roanoke side around the Coast Guard Station, near Jumping Run, Indian Creek and Strawberry Banks; and on the Blackwater side around the Three Islands and on up towards the upper end of the Blackwater.
Bruce also provided an overview of is mapping project using Google Maps (see the article later in this newsletter) which identifies many of the lake "landmarks" as well as provides members the ability to plot their catches and share information with other members on where they also are catching fish.
Bruce also provided an overview of is mapping project using Google Maps (see the article later in this newsletter) which identifies many of the lake "landmarks" as well as provides members the ability to plot their catches and share information with other members on where they also are catching fish.
President's Corner
The Heat is ON!!! But I don’t mean the fishing. I’ve been out a few times and times are tough. The fish are sparse where they should be. I’ve been around Betty’s and Becky’s and only boated a couple small fish. I mark them but can’t get them to bite. I even tried bait if you can believe that. Kathy F had some good hauls down by the dam but that is about over now. I didn’t run down there yet because of the questionable weather. But I keep trying and that’s a lot of the fun.What is hot is the weather. And that sparks reminders of hot weather safety. You should take the time to get familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It’s very important to stay hydrated too.
This past month I had the pleasure of presenting a $100 donation, on behalf of the Club, to Bob Phipps from the Friends of the State Park for the Aspiring Anglers Youth Fishing Tournament. Andre' Peery and I also had the chance to participate in a Youth Fishing Workshop hosted by Chris Dunnavant from DGIF and a group of members and their spouses assisted with the Bedford Youth Fishing Clinic. These are all important ways that the Club works to educate and involve our youth in the sport of fishing - and to hopefully instill a long-lived love of the outdoors in these young children.
Finally, I want to close by bringing to your attention the special meeting regarding Membership which will be held at 5pm on Friday, July 11th - before our normal Club meeting at 7pm. This special session is being dedicated to discuss the issue of declining Club membership and to solicit and explore ideas on how we can recruit and encourage new members into the Club, as well as what the existing membership is looking to see from the Club to ensure their on-going and active participation. This is an important discussion regarding the future of the Club and we hope that you can join us.
Until then... See you out on the water!
Joel
This past month I had the pleasure of presenting a $100 donation, on behalf of the Club, to Bob Phipps from the Friends of the State Park for the Aspiring Anglers Youth Fishing Tournament. Andre' Peery and I also had the chance to participate in a Youth Fishing Workshop hosted by Chris Dunnavant from DGIF and a group of members and their spouses assisted with the Bedford Youth Fishing Clinic. These are all important ways that the Club works to educate and involve our youth in the sport of fishing - and to hopefully instill a long-lived love of the outdoors in these young children.
Finally, I want to close by bringing to your attention the special meeting regarding Membership which will be held at 5pm on Friday, July 11th - before our normal Club meeting at 7pm. This special session is being dedicated to discuss the issue of declining Club membership and to solicit and explore ideas on how we can recruit and encourage new members into the Club, as well as what the existing membership is looking to see from the Club to ensure their on-going and active participation. This is an important discussion regarding the future of the Club and we hope that you can join us.
Until then... See you out on the water!
Joel
Member's Putting Friends & Family on Fish
We are going to mix it up a little bit this month - in order to give you a break from some of our same ol' ugly mugs, this month we will feature pictures of friends & family with their catches while fishing with SMSC members. Now, let's get some pics from all of you - either you or your firends/family - so that we can all share & enjoy. Please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to [email protected].
Water Temperature- 6/23/14
Nothing special to say about the temperatures this week other than the fact that the top 20' of water are warming up as usual - and the cold-water retreat is below. Stripers will not release well after being exposed to a fight in temps in the high 70's and above, so especially when trolling u-rigs or other artificial and you end up fighting the fish in those upper layers for an extended distance - keep that in mind before releasing fish this year - keep your limit and quit.
|
Bedford Youth Fishing Clinic
Members of the Club and their spouses assisted once again at the Bedford Youth Fishing Clinic by helping to cook & prepare lunch for a large group of hungry anglers. Thanks to those members for coming out and supporting this event that gets gets "Hooked" on fishing.
Check out more pics of the event on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-bedford-youth-day.html
Check out more pics of the event on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-bedford-youth-day.html
DGIF Youth Striper Workshop
This month Chris Dunnavant from DGIF once again held an on-the-water striper fishing clinic with a group of Boy Scouts and leaders from Troop 773, and Joel Janecek & Andre' Peery assisted the group in the location, catching & landing of a few striper - 20" and 22" fish were landed. The group departed for a mid-day trip - perhaps not the ideal timeframe, but they succeeded in locating a few fish near Becky's & Betty's and the boys had a fun and educational day on the water.
Check out more pictures from the day on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-dgif-striper-workshop.html
Check out more pictures from the day on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-dgif-striper-workshop.html
Striper In-Water Boat Show
For the 3rd year, the Club put on an In-Water Striper Boat Show at Bridgewater Marina. A number of members brought boats of all types to share with the public as well as to trade setup and rigging techniques with each other. This year the weather was almost perfect and it was a good time for all involved - the members that came learned a few things and we have a number of the public stop by to talk with us about fishing, boat rigging and even about how to join the Club. Thanks also to Sea Tow and the USCG-AUX to participated with us.
You can check out more photos of the event on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-in-water-striper-boat-show.html
You can check out more photos of the event on the Club Website: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-in-water-striper-boat-show.html
Summer Catch & Release Awareness
It is that time of year again and the "Dog Days of Summer" are approaching. Water temperatures are rising - here at the end of June as I draft this July/August newsletter we have already seen late afternoon surface temps around 86 degrees, and in mid-June you had to get down to 20' in order to find water at or under 70 degrees.
Multiple studies have been conducted that show an increased mortality rate on release striped bass as the water temperature increases. Now, these studies may have variables that could result in one arguing their applicability on Smith Mountain Lake, but there is sufficient data to clearly indicate mortality rate increases as temperature increases.
Certainly factors such as the size of the fish, the depth caught, the duration of the fight, and others come in to play. Smaller fish (4-5 lbs or less) will release better than larger fish. Fish caught in 20-30' of water, brought up with little fight and released straight back into the deeper, cooler water will have a better change of survival than fish caught and then fought for an extended duration in the hotter, upper surface waters, or fish caught trolling with artificial plugs or umbrella rigs. Likewise, fish caught from "deep" (let's define deep as >40' for purposes of this discussion), will be less likely to survive release due to the expansion of their air bladders during the rapid ascent to the surface and their inability to retreat upon release to the deeper, cooler water (and in general, air bladder deflating tools are NOT recommended for use on striped bass).
So as we enter the summer season, please keep the above factors in mind when targeting striped bass with elevated temperatures - it could be that you good intentions of releasing all your fish are having more of an impact on the fishery then you realize. During this time of year it is recommended you catch your limit, harvesting only that which you, family or friends could consume in a reasonable period of time; switch fishing for a species more tolerant of warm water release; or stop for the day, enjoying other water activities that the lake has to offer.
However, if you do plan to catch & release, then it is important that you adjust your fishing methods to minimize the impact - use sufficiently heavy tackle so as to minimize the fight and the associated stress on the fish; downsize your bait or suspend the use of larger shad to reduce the potential of that large striper attempting to make a meal on that large bait; identify and target schools of smaller fish that will more readily survive a release; use proper release techniques to rapidly get the fish back down to that cooler water (do not try and "revive them" on the surface - rather "torpedo" them by by pointing them head first and propelling down downwards with a rapid motion); and consider suspending trolling that results in the fish being subjected to the hot, upper layers of water for extended durations due to the fish being pulled to the boat across a distance of the upper water layer over 100 or more feet.
As long as you are fishing within the regulations that exist, this ultimately comes down to what you as an angler feel is ethical and right. But it is important that you are informed as to the factors that come into play to help you make that decision. Hopefully, this helps in that education and we ask that you pass this along to other fellow anglers so that we all can be the best stewards of our fishery as possible.
Multiple studies have been conducted that show an increased mortality rate on release striped bass as the water temperature increases. Now, these studies may have variables that could result in one arguing their applicability on Smith Mountain Lake, but there is sufficient data to clearly indicate mortality rate increases as temperature increases.
Certainly factors such as the size of the fish, the depth caught, the duration of the fight, and others come in to play. Smaller fish (4-5 lbs or less) will release better than larger fish. Fish caught in 20-30' of water, brought up with little fight and released straight back into the deeper, cooler water will have a better change of survival than fish caught and then fought for an extended duration in the hotter, upper surface waters, or fish caught trolling with artificial plugs or umbrella rigs. Likewise, fish caught from "deep" (let's define deep as >40' for purposes of this discussion), will be less likely to survive release due to the expansion of their air bladders during the rapid ascent to the surface and their inability to retreat upon release to the deeper, cooler water (and in general, air bladder deflating tools are NOT recommended for use on striped bass).
So as we enter the summer season, please keep the above factors in mind when targeting striped bass with elevated temperatures - it could be that you good intentions of releasing all your fish are having more of an impact on the fishery then you realize. During this time of year it is recommended you catch your limit, harvesting only that which you, family or friends could consume in a reasonable period of time; switch fishing for a species more tolerant of warm water release; or stop for the day, enjoying other water activities that the lake has to offer.
However, if you do plan to catch & release, then it is important that you adjust your fishing methods to minimize the impact - use sufficiently heavy tackle so as to minimize the fight and the associated stress on the fish; downsize your bait or suspend the use of larger shad to reduce the potential of that large striper attempting to make a meal on that large bait; identify and target schools of smaller fish that will more readily survive a release; use proper release techniques to rapidly get the fish back down to that cooler water (do not try and "revive them" on the surface - rather "torpedo" them by by pointing them head first and propelling down downwards with a rapid motion); and consider suspending trolling that results in the fish being subjected to the hot, upper layers of water for extended durations due to the fish being pulled to the boat across a distance of the upper water layer over 100 or more feet.
As long as you are fishing within the regulations that exist, this ultimately comes down to what you as an angler feel is ethical and right. But it is important that you are informed as to the factors that come into play to help you make that decision. Hopefully, this helps in that education and we ask that you pass this along to other fellow anglers so that we all can be the best stewards of our fishery as possible.
2014 Stocking Summary
The "Class of 2014" has arrived, with around 312K striper fingerlings being stocked during May. These little fish have the odds stacked against them to reach "trophy" status - it is estimated that on an average year, only 30% of these fingerlings will survive to see their 1st birthday. Their chances are much better in Year 2 as they have reached a size with few natural predators in the lake, but still small enough that they are unlikely to be targeted by anglers - once they reach Year 3 they will begin to be found on the ends of angler's lines, with an approximate 70% survival rate year on year from that point, depending on the level of angler impact and other nature events.
DGIF stocks the striper at multiple locations across the lake to help maximize their initial survival chances. This requires additional effort to accomplish - securing stocking sites, additional time, gas and such to travel to these sites - but doing so helps ensure the best possible return of the investment into our lake through the stocking of these fish. This is an example of an area where DGIF and the Smith Mountain Striper Club collaborated some years ago to help improve the fishery - previously the stocking was done at one location, and the Year 1 survival rates were historically very poor - after this collaboration the survival rates increased significantly.
Thanks to Ken Ulrich who headed up our Operations Committee again this year as well as other Club volunteers who "held vigil" over the stockings at the various sights, working with DGIF to ensure the water temperatures were equalized and other factors to ensure the most successful stocking possible.
DGIF stocks the striper at multiple locations across the lake to help maximize their initial survival chances. This requires additional effort to accomplish - securing stocking sites, additional time, gas and such to travel to these sites - but doing so helps ensure the best possible return of the investment into our lake through the stocking of these fish. This is an example of an area where DGIF and the Smith Mountain Striper Club collaborated some years ago to help improve the fishery - previously the stocking was done at one location, and the Year 1 survival rates were historically very poor - after this collaboration the survival rates increased significantly.
Thanks to Ken Ulrich who headed up our Operations Committee again this year as well as other Club volunteers who "held vigil" over the stockings at the various sights, working with DGIF to ensure the water temperatures were equalized and other factors to ensure the most successful stocking possible.
The breakdown of the 2014 stocking is:
Blackwater arm: 173K
Roanoke arm: 147K
More pictures of this year's stocking can be found on the Website - http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-stocking.html
Blackwater arm: 173K
- distributed between Anthony Ford, Penhook, Cedar Ridge (Standiford Creek) & Rt 566 (B43)
Roanoke arm: 147K
- 30K at each of Halesford & Indian and 35K at each of Moormans & Pleasure Point and 8.5K at SML State Park
More pictures of this year's stocking can be found on the Website - http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/2014-stocking.html
Mapping Where You Catch Stripers - Bruce Brenholdt
As a follow-up to my comments at the June Striper Club meeting regarding the SML Google maps I've created, I will attempt to provide a "how to" for those of you who want to view the sample map, or better yet, begin entering your own data regarding where you have caught stripers in June (and subsequent months). Remember, this information is FOR CLUB MEMBERS ONLY. Please do not share any of this data with non-club members or we will be giving away a potential asset for recruiting new members and helping club members increase their striper knowledge base.
To get these maps now, you must have a computer with Internet access, an active email address (your email can be Google gmail, but does NOT have to be Google gmail), and you must have a free Google account (see step 2 below if you don’t currently have a Google account). If your computer is still running on an older Windows operating system (like XP or Vista), I don't believe you will be able to view the maps. Your computer operating system needs to be Windows 7 or higher. If you are using an Apple computer, then your operating system needs to be a fairly recent Apple operating system (version 10.6 or higher / Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks).
To get these maps now, you must have a computer with Internet access, an active email address (your email can be Google gmail, but does NOT have to be Google gmail), and you must have a free Google account (see step 2 below if you don’t currently have a Google account). If your computer is still running on an older Windows operating system (like XP or Vista), I don't believe you will be able to view the maps. Your computer operating system needs to be Windows 7 or higher. If you are using an Apple computer, then your operating system needs to be a fairly recent Apple operating system (version 10.6 or higher / Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks).
To get started, please do the following steps in sequence:
1) Send your email address to me (if you have not already done so); my email address is [email protected]
2) If you don't have an email address and want to get one free, see steps 3 a-d below
3) On your computer
a) Go onto the Internet to Google.com
b) click on "sign in" in the upper right section of the screen; if you already have a Google account, go ahead and enter your email and password at this time
c) If you don't already have an account with Google, click on "create an account" at the bottom of the sign in screen (a Google account is free, but you will have to give Google your name and create a user ID and password for your account and agree to their terms of service); Google gives you the choice of creating a gmail account, or using your existing non-Google email address if you have one; be sure to write down your Google account user ID and password.
d) If you are opening a new Google account, Google will send you an email asking you verify your email address and activate your new Google account; click the link in the email from Google to verify your address and activate your account
e) at this point, close Google; you will then get several emails from me in the next day or two, enabling you to become a striper mapper
4) The first email I will send you has one of the building blocks for the actual maps that we'll get to later in this article. The first email will have a "pdf" file attached to the email, which opens with Adobe Reader (a free program that almost all computers already have on them. If your computer does not have Adobe Reader, go to Adobe.com and download the free Adobe Reader).
The name of the pdf file that I will attach to the first email is "SML Place Names and Nearest Buoy Markers as of 6-6-14.pdf". It is a spreadsheet, not a map. The spreadsheet is 14 pages long and lists various "place names" on the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers (separately), first in alpha-numeric order by buoy number, then in alpha order by place name. You are welcome to save this file on your computer and to print out as much or as little of this file as you wish, but DO NOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH NON-CLUB MEMBERS.
I've already had a few club members review this list to look for my errors and omissions, so it should be fairly complete and accurate, but if you see any important place name omissions that are pertinent to striper fishing (like the name of a key landmark) which you think needs to be corrected or added, please send me an email with your suggestions.
5) The second email I will send you is an "invitation" to view a Google map called "Striper Club Map with Buoys & Place Names". This map does not have any stripers on it, only buoys and place names. When you get this email, click on the map name to open it. When the map first appears on your computer screen, be sure to zoom in (click the + sign on the screen several times) to see more detail. Then begin "navigating" around the map to practice how to go from one part of the map to another, zoom in and zoom out, and find specific places around the lake with which you are already familiar. As the map's "creator", I'm giving you viewing rights only to this map, so you will not be able to change anything. However, if you see something that you think needs to be changed, please send me an email with your suggestion(s).
Please note that the buoy markers have been placed on the map at the precise longitudes and latitudes given to me by the buoy authorities, so I presume the right buoy is in the right place. If I learn of corrections or updates to place names that need to be made to this map, I will make them and resave the map with a new date, and send it back out to those of you who have given me your email address.
6) The third email I will send you is an "invitation" to view and edit a Google map called "MAY 2014 Stripers Caught by Location SAMPLE". This map shows the actual locations that I caught stripers during the month of May, 2014 (yes, it was a pretty paltry bunch of stripers that I landed in May). The first thing to do with this map is to change its name. Changing the name makes the map uniquely yours instead of mine, so that you can use it to practice your map making skills. The procedure for changing the map name is simply to click on the map name at the top left side and add your name after SAMPLE (or give it any name you want other than what I've named it).
On the SAMPLE map I included two striper icons (a big turquoise colored fish). Zoom in on the map and see if you can find both of the striper icons (HINT: one is on the Roanoke side and one is on the Blackwater side). Because I will be giving you "editing rights" to this map instead of just viewing rights, you can practice making additions or changes to the map specific to where the striper icons are placed, and what information, if any, you want to record for a given striper icon (e.g., number of stripers caught at that location on that date, the date caught, size, type of bait, depth, time caught, etc.).
Your objective with this map is to teach yourself how to make striper icon additions onto the map at the precise place you want the icon to be, and practice entering data that you want to record (if any) about the "imaginary" stripers you've caught (since this is just practice, you can pretend to catch as many stripers of whatever sizes you may dream of !).
To add a fish icon to this practice map, you must do the following in this order:
a) click on the fish icon "layer" on the left side of the screen so that a colored bar appears beside the fish icon section
b) go to the menu bar at the top center of the map and click on the black "balloon" shaped icon in the menu bar
c) zoom in on the map and go to the location where you want to add the fish icon and click again; a turquoise fish icon should appear on the map where you clicked
d) a box will pop up on your computer screen, giving you the opportunity to add data regarding that fish or location or how you caught it or even a picture, or no data
e) if you later want to go back and change the location of a particular fish icon that you already entered, or change or add some data about a particular fish icon, click on that fish icon to “open it”; then click on the pencil shaped object in the lower right corner of the box; you can then change the location of that icon or change or add data associated with that icon.
If you have trouble adding a fish icon or entering or changing data, which is a little tricky when you first start, you can go to the help screen for Google Maps Engine Lite, or ask your kids or grandkids for help, or you can call me on my cell phone (336-340-6181) and I will try to walk you through the procedure.
When you are done entering new fish icons and data and changing the map name to make it yours, closing the map automatically saves it, but your map name won't show up until you completely close out of Google Maps. To test this:
7) The fourth email I will send you is an "invitation" to view and edit a Google map called "SML Map with Buoys - Add Stripers Caught Locations". This is the REAL THING - - - it is the base map and template on which you can begin to add the actual locations at which YOU have caught stripers during June 2014, and any associated data you want to record about the stripers you caught, if any. As you did with the last practice map, the first thing to do with this map is to change the name so it becomes uniquely your map. I would suggest a name like "SML Map with Buoys and Stripers Caught Locations in June 2014” + YOUR last name.
Five Important Procedural Notes to Remember:
1) Google Maps Engine Lite allows only 3 "layers" on a map, one of which is the Roanoke buoy markers, the second is the Blackwater buoy markers, and the third layer will be the turquoise fish icons you add to represent the location of stripers you have caught in a given month. Because of the 3 layer limit by Google Lite, I had to remove the green star "place name" icons from the previous map to make room for the new striper icons.
2) If you are so fortunate as to catch multiple stripers at one location on the same day (e.g., 3 stripers at one location), do NOT put 3 striper icons on the map, but one striper icon and a (3). Google Lite allows a maximum of 100 icons per "layer", so to avoid unnecessary clutter and avoid hitting the 100 maximum, it would be best to use one fish icon to represent however many stripers you caught at a given location on a given day, rather than one icon for each striper you caught at that location on that day. However, if you caught stripers in more than one area on a given day, put a fish icon at each location.
3) If you caught a fish other than a striper, please do not put that data on this map.
4) If you hooked up with a striper, but did not land it, do not put an icon on the map for “getting a strike but no home run”.
5) Your map will automatically save itself with your icon and data additions, and the new name you've given your map, each time you close Google.
6) For each subsequent month, go to my fourth email (described in point #7 above) and open up the attachment to that email (called "SML Map with Buoys - Add Fish Caught Locations 6-6-14"). Then rename that map using a new month and your last name in the map name. Then start adding fish icons and data for the stripers you caught in that month. Do the same procedure for each subsequent month.
I am hoping all of you will be willing to share your monthly maps with me on a confidential basis. I will then put everyone’s individual results (without names) onto one map for each month, which will then be available to all participating Club Members . If you elect to make your own map, but do not share it back with me so I can put your catch results for each month on the aggregated map, then you will NOT have access to the aggregated monthly map.
Again, if you encounter problems that you can't solve with Google Help or any of your computer assistants in your family, you are welcome to send me an email or call me on my cell. I am not an expert with Google Maps Engine Lite (I taught myself how to use it), but I am happy to help you get started and up to speed.
Happy Mapping !
Bruce
1) Send your email address to me (if you have not already done so); my email address is [email protected]
2) If you don't have an email address and want to get one free, see steps 3 a-d below
3) On your computer
a) Go onto the Internet to Google.com
b) click on "sign in" in the upper right section of the screen; if you already have a Google account, go ahead and enter your email and password at this time
c) If you don't already have an account with Google, click on "create an account" at the bottom of the sign in screen (a Google account is free, but you will have to give Google your name and create a user ID and password for your account and agree to their terms of service); Google gives you the choice of creating a gmail account, or using your existing non-Google email address if you have one; be sure to write down your Google account user ID and password.
d) If you are opening a new Google account, Google will send you an email asking you verify your email address and activate your new Google account; click the link in the email from Google to verify your address and activate your account
e) at this point, close Google; you will then get several emails from me in the next day or two, enabling you to become a striper mapper
4) The first email I will send you has one of the building blocks for the actual maps that we'll get to later in this article. The first email will have a "pdf" file attached to the email, which opens with Adobe Reader (a free program that almost all computers already have on them. If your computer does not have Adobe Reader, go to Adobe.com and download the free Adobe Reader).
The name of the pdf file that I will attach to the first email is "SML Place Names and Nearest Buoy Markers as of 6-6-14.pdf". It is a spreadsheet, not a map. The spreadsheet is 14 pages long and lists various "place names" on the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers (separately), first in alpha-numeric order by buoy number, then in alpha order by place name. You are welcome to save this file on your computer and to print out as much or as little of this file as you wish, but DO NOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH NON-CLUB MEMBERS.
I've already had a few club members review this list to look for my errors and omissions, so it should be fairly complete and accurate, but if you see any important place name omissions that are pertinent to striper fishing (like the name of a key landmark) which you think needs to be corrected or added, please send me an email with your suggestions.
5) The second email I will send you is an "invitation" to view a Google map called "Striper Club Map with Buoys & Place Names". This map does not have any stripers on it, only buoys and place names. When you get this email, click on the map name to open it. When the map first appears on your computer screen, be sure to zoom in (click the + sign on the screen several times) to see more detail. Then begin "navigating" around the map to practice how to go from one part of the map to another, zoom in and zoom out, and find specific places around the lake with which you are already familiar. As the map's "creator", I'm giving you viewing rights only to this map, so you will not be able to change anything. However, if you see something that you think needs to be changed, please send me an email with your suggestion(s).
Please note that the buoy markers have been placed on the map at the precise longitudes and latitudes given to me by the buoy authorities, so I presume the right buoy is in the right place. If I learn of corrections or updates to place names that need to be made to this map, I will make them and resave the map with a new date, and send it back out to those of you who have given me your email address.
6) The third email I will send you is an "invitation" to view and edit a Google map called "MAY 2014 Stripers Caught by Location SAMPLE". This map shows the actual locations that I caught stripers during the month of May, 2014 (yes, it was a pretty paltry bunch of stripers that I landed in May). The first thing to do with this map is to change its name. Changing the name makes the map uniquely yours instead of mine, so that you can use it to practice your map making skills. The procedure for changing the map name is simply to click on the map name at the top left side and add your name after SAMPLE (or give it any name you want other than what I've named it).
On the SAMPLE map I included two striper icons (a big turquoise colored fish). Zoom in on the map and see if you can find both of the striper icons (HINT: one is on the Roanoke side and one is on the Blackwater side). Because I will be giving you "editing rights" to this map instead of just viewing rights, you can practice making additions or changes to the map specific to where the striper icons are placed, and what information, if any, you want to record for a given striper icon (e.g., number of stripers caught at that location on that date, the date caught, size, type of bait, depth, time caught, etc.).
Your objective with this map is to teach yourself how to make striper icon additions onto the map at the precise place you want the icon to be, and practice entering data that you want to record (if any) about the "imaginary" stripers you've caught (since this is just practice, you can pretend to catch as many stripers of whatever sizes you may dream of !).
To add a fish icon to this practice map, you must do the following in this order:
a) click on the fish icon "layer" on the left side of the screen so that a colored bar appears beside the fish icon section
b) go to the menu bar at the top center of the map and click on the black "balloon" shaped icon in the menu bar
c) zoom in on the map and go to the location where you want to add the fish icon and click again; a turquoise fish icon should appear on the map where you clicked
d) a box will pop up on your computer screen, giving you the opportunity to add data regarding that fish or location or how you caught it or even a picture, or no data
e) if you later want to go back and change the location of a particular fish icon that you already entered, or change or add some data about a particular fish icon, click on that fish icon to “open it”; then click on the pencil shaped object in the lower right corner of the box; you can then change the location of that icon or change or add data associated with that icon.
If you have trouble adding a fish icon or entering or changing data, which is a little tricky when you first start, you can go to the help screen for Google Maps Engine Lite, or ask your kids or grandkids for help, or you can call me on my cell phone (336-340-6181) and I will try to walk you through the procedure.
When you are done entering new fish icons and data and changing the map name to make it yours, closing the map automatically saves it, but your map name won't show up until you completely close out of Google Maps. To test this:
- Reopen the Internet on your computer and sign in to Google, or sign in directly to Google Maps
- Click on Google Maps and look on the left side of the screen for the name you gave your map
- Click on your map’s name and when it opens, check to see if the fish icons and any data you added during your practice session appear in the places you put them
- If the fish icons and data you added are on the newly opened map, then give yourself an "A" for this practice session and close Google Maps
- During this practice session or later, Google might ask you if you would like to upgrade from free Google Maps Engine Lite to Google Maps Engine Pro (for a fee); although "Lite" has some annoying limitations, the cost of Google Pro is way too high in my opinion, so I'd suggest you say "no thanks" and stick with Google Maps Engine Lite.
7) The fourth email I will send you is an "invitation" to view and edit a Google map called "SML Map with Buoys - Add Stripers Caught Locations". This is the REAL THING - - - it is the base map and template on which you can begin to add the actual locations at which YOU have caught stripers during June 2014, and any associated data you want to record about the stripers you caught, if any. As you did with the last practice map, the first thing to do with this map is to change the name so it becomes uniquely your map. I would suggest a name like "SML Map with Buoys and Stripers Caught Locations in June 2014” + YOUR last name.
Five Important Procedural Notes to Remember:
1) Google Maps Engine Lite allows only 3 "layers" on a map, one of which is the Roanoke buoy markers, the second is the Blackwater buoy markers, and the third layer will be the turquoise fish icons you add to represent the location of stripers you have caught in a given month. Because of the 3 layer limit by Google Lite, I had to remove the green star "place name" icons from the previous map to make room for the new striper icons.
2) If you are so fortunate as to catch multiple stripers at one location on the same day (e.g., 3 stripers at one location), do NOT put 3 striper icons on the map, but one striper icon and a (3). Google Lite allows a maximum of 100 icons per "layer", so to avoid unnecessary clutter and avoid hitting the 100 maximum, it would be best to use one fish icon to represent however many stripers you caught at a given location on a given day, rather than one icon for each striper you caught at that location on that day. However, if you caught stripers in more than one area on a given day, put a fish icon at each location.
3) If you caught a fish other than a striper, please do not put that data on this map.
4) If you hooked up with a striper, but did not land it, do not put an icon on the map for “getting a strike but no home run”.
5) Your map will automatically save itself with your icon and data additions, and the new name you've given your map, each time you close Google.
6) For each subsequent month, go to my fourth email (described in point #7 above) and open up the attachment to that email (called "SML Map with Buoys - Add Fish Caught Locations 6-6-14"). Then rename that map using a new month and your last name in the map name. Then start adding fish icons and data for the stripers you caught in that month. Do the same procedure for each subsequent month.
I am hoping all of you will be willing to share your monthly maps with me on a confidential basis. I will then put everyone’s individual results (without names) onto one map for each month, which will then be available to all participating Club Members . If you elect to make your own map, but do not share it back with me so I can put your catch results for each month on the aggregated map, then you will NOT have access to the aggregated monthly map.
Again, if you encounter problems that you can't solve with Google Help or any of your computer assistants in your family, you are welcome to send me an email or call me on my cell. I am not an expert with Google Maps Engine Lite (I taught myself how to use it), but I am happy to help you get started and up to speed.
Happy Mapping !
Bruce
Why Stripers Caught in Deep Water Die - Dirk Dial
Editors Note: The below article is a re-publish of a piece written during the Summer of 2013 by Dirk Dial. Dirk is an experienced striper fisherman from Georgia with many years pursuing trophy stripers in the lakes and river systems in Georgia and East Tennessee. The article below stems from Dirk's personal research into the issues of striper mortality when catching them in deep water, and he endeavors to share this information in layman's terms so that fellow striper fishermen & women are better educated to the issues involved.
There are 3 main issues that often lead to the death of a fish when pulled up from deep water in the heat of the summer:
1) Swim Bladder Expansion - The swim bladder of most fish (including Stripers) is filled with OXYGEN, not air but oxygen. The way it gets there is the hemoglobin in the fishes blood releases O2 into the swim bladder. The deeper the fish goes the more Oxygen it has to put in the swim bladder to maintain neutral buoyancy due to the fact that the pressure increases (fish swims deeper). When a fish is pulled up from the deep the Oxygen expands as the pressure decreases (fish gets closer to surface). Often the swim bladder expands so much, and so rapidly, that it rips loose the organs inside the fish and can even cause the stomach to be pushed out the throat into the fishes mouth. Some fishermen use the butt of a fishing rod to force the stomach back down the throat. Unfortunately once the stomach is dislodged to a point it comes out the mouth then many of the glands that help the stomach digest, blood vessels, etc. are also dislodged or damaged and the chances that the stomach will work properly again are slim. Imagine if something inside your body expanded so much that your stomach came out your mouth and your buddy just crammed it back down your throat. Would you be OK, and would your stomach still work properly???
2) Lack Of Oxygen In The Blood/Body (Lactic Acid build-up) - The way that a fish gets Oxygen to survive, and releases CO2, is the similar to humans in that they have red blood just like us (though they use gills, not lungs). The blood contains hemoglobin which carries the Oxygen from the gills to all the cells in the fishes body and then carries the Carbon Dioxide to the gills to be released. When a fish is hooked and it fights really hard, the Oxygen in its blood is rapidly used up and needs to be replenished. Also during a hard fight the fishes blood also becomes more acidic, because the cells in the fish are burning glucose faster than it can absorb new oxygen, so instead of producing lots of energy with CO2 and Water as waste, as the fight goes on for a long time the fishes muscle and other cells instead begin to burn glucose but with not enough Oxygen they produces only a little bit of energy and Lactic Acid as waste. The more Acidic/lower PH the blood becomes the less Oxygen the hemoglobin in the blood can carry, therefore to live the fish needs the water it is in to have even more Oxygen than normally required (because it is using more and it is not getting it as efficiently). Unfortunately for fish caught in the summer, the shallower they get the warmer the water gets, and the warmer the water gets the less dissolved Oxygen it can hold. Bottom line is that when you catch a Striped Bass in the summer and much of the fight occurs in water that has low oxygen levels the fishes cells are literally starving for Oxygen before you even lift it out of the water. The longer it goes until it is back into high dissolved O2 water, the more Lactic acid is produced, and the more damage is done to the fishes organs, muscles, and other cells which may or may not be able to recover.
3) Thermal Stress - It has been proven on MANY studies that Stripers are more likely to die the warmer the water is, especially once it gets over 70 degrees. Length of the fight (shorter fight=less time in warm water=better chance fish lives) and the condition of the fish before hooked (a fish already struggling to survive due to warm water and/or low Oxygen levels, is WAYYY more likely to die than a healthy fish) are important factors on whether the fish can take being caught in warm water. Also the size of the fish is extremely important on how it will do when caught in warm water. In my opinion small Stripers <5 lbs often are fine in water up to low 80 degrees, medium Stripers 5 lbs - 20 lbs can take water temps up to 78 degrees, and large Stripers 20 lbs+ will suffer and often die in waters warmer than 72 degrees. These numbers are averages based on my experiences catching Stripers in different water temperatures and articles and studies I have read about striped bass mortality due to thermal stress. Also extreme temperature changes from cold to hot can cause fish to die very quickly as most of us "bait netters" know. A shad can easily tolerate water 90+ degrees, but not if you take it out of a 65 degree bait tank and drop it in 90 degree water and it will die very quickly from the shock of the temperature change. Therefore I believe it it reasonable to assume that if a Striped bass is pulled out of 50-60 degree deep cold water up to 80+ degree water during a fight, it is likely to go into thermal shock and likely die.
One other thing worth thinking about is "fizzing". The swim bladder must be a SEALED container to be able to hold in the Oxygen and not allow in water even deep where the pressure is extreme (can easily blow your eardrums out just swimming down to 40 feet). Punching a hole in a fishes swim bladder will make it go to the bottom for sure so if you just want it out of sight, it will accomplish that. The fish will have to keep trying to swim up or it will keep sinking to the bottom, because it can't get any floatation because it has a hole in the organ that allows it to be buoyant.!.!.! Punching a hole in the swim bladder is a death sentence to any fish in my opinion.
"Torpedoing" the fish down might get them down to 8 or 10 feet and if the fish is in decent shape might help it get on track to keep swimming back to the depth it was at. This is assuming though that the fish is in good shape and still wiggling and kicking hard when you torpedo it. If the fish is not moving then torpedoing it down might make it disappear temporarily but it will be dead soon and back on top (unless you fizzed it) very soon IF you caught it at 60+ feet deep.
There are probably other factors as well but these are 3 biggies that Striper fishermen that practice Catch & Release should be aware of when fishing for Stripers deep in the lakes during the summer. Very few Striper fishermen fish deep in the cooler months, because normally the Stripers are not down there as most the baitfish are usually shallower and temp/oxygen is not an issue. If they were they would still have to deal with # 1 above, but #2 and #3 would not be an issue. I think that it is the combination of 2, or all 3, of the problems listed above that makes the chance of survival almost non-existant when you hook one in the summer at 60+ feet. I have done a reasonable amount of research and testing myself on this and I believe that Catch & Release not a viable option on most lakes (with mid 80's or higher surface temps) in July-August IF you are catching fish down at 60+ feet deep. If the fish is hanging out near the Thermocline which is often in the 30 foot deep range in June/July I think you do away with #1 above, as well as help a little with #3 as far as extreme temp change thermal stress. The fish still might die from #2, but its chances are significantly better to survive...
There are 3 main issues that often lead to the death of a fish when pulled up from deep water in the heat of the summer:
1) Swim Bladder Expansion - The swim bladder of most fish (including Stripers) is filled with OXYGEN, not air but oxygen. The way it gets there is the hemoglobin in the fishes blood releases O2 into the swim bladder. The deeper the fish goes the more Oxygen it has to put in the swim bladder to maintain neutral buoyancy due to the fact that the pressure increases (fish swims deeper). When a fish is pulled up from the deep the Oxygen expands as the pressure decreases (fish gets closer to surface). Often the swim bladder expands so much, and so rapidly, that it rips loose the organs inside the fish and can even cause the stomach to be pushed out the throat into the fishes mouth. Some fishermen use the butt of a fishing rod to force the stomach back down the throat. Unfortunately once the stomach is dislodged to a point it comes out the mouth then many of the glands that help the stomach digest, blood vessels, etc. are also dislodged or damaged and the chances that the stomach will work properly again are slim. Imagine if something inside your body expanded so much that your stomach came out your mouth and your buddy just crammed it back down your throat. Would you be OK, and would your stomach still work properly???
2) Lack Of Oxygen In The Blood/Body (Lactic Acid build-up) - The way that a fish gets Oxygen to survive, and releases CO2, is the similar to humans in that they have red blood just like us (though they use gills, not lungs). The blood contains hemoglobin which carries the Oxygen from the gills to all the cells in the fishes body and then carries the Carbon Dioxide to the gills to be released. When a fish is hooked and it fights really hard, the Oxygen in its blood is rapidly used up and needs to be replenished. Also during a hard fight the fishes blood also becomes more acidic, because the cells in the fish are burning glucose faster than it can absorb new oxygen, so instead of producing lots of energy with CO2 and Water as waste, as the fight goes on for a long time the fishes muscle and other cells instead begin to burn glucose but with not enough Oxygen they produces only a little bit of energy and Lactic Acid as waste. The more Acidic/lower PH the blood becomes the less Oxygen the hemoglobin in the blood can carry, therefore to live the fish needs the water it is in to have even more Oxygen than normally required (because it is using more and it is not getting it as efficiently). Unfortunately for fish caught in the summer, the shallower they get the warmer the water gets, and the warmer the water gets the less dissolved Oxygen it can hold. Bottom line is that when you catch a Striped Bass in the summer and much of the fight occurs in water that has low oxygen levels the fishes cells are literally starving for Oxygen before you even lift it out of the water. The longer it goes until it is back into high dissolved O2 water, the more Lactic acid is produced, and the more damage is done to the fishes organs, muscles, and other cells which may or may not be able to recover.
3) Thermal Stress - It has been proven on MANY studies that Stripers are more likely to die the warmer the water is, especially once it gets over 70 degrees. Length of the fight (shorter fight=less time in warm water=better chance fish lives) and the condition of the fish before hooked (a fish already struggling to survive due to warm water and/or low Oxygen levels, is WAYYY more likely to die than a healthy fish) are important factors on whether the fish can take being caught in warm water. Also the size of the fish is extremely important on how it will do when caught in warm water. In my opinion small Stripers <5 lbs often are fine in water up to low 80 degrees, medium Stripers 5 lbs - 20 lbs can take water temps up to 78 degrees, and large Stripers 20 lbs+ will suffer and often die in waters warmer than 72 degrees. These numbers are averages based on my experiences catching Stripers in different water temperatures and articles and studies I have read about striped bass mortality due to thermal stress. Also extreme temperature changes from cold to hot can cause fish to die very quickly as most of us "bait netters" know. A shad can easily tolerate water 90+ degrees, but not if you take it out of a 65 degree bait tank and drop it in 90 degree water and it will die very quickly from the shock of the temperature change. Therefore I believe it it reasonable to assume that if a Striped bass is pulled out of 50-60 degree deep cold water up to 80+ degree water during a fight, it is likely to go into thermal shock and likely die.
One other thing worth thinking about is "fizzing". The swim bladder must be a SEALED container to be able to hold in the Oxygen and not allow in water even deep where the pressure is extreme (can easily blow your eardrums out just swimming down to 40 feet). Punching a hole in a fishes swim bladder will make it go to the bottom for sure so if you just want it out of sight, it will accomplish that. The fish will have to keep trying to swim up or it will keep sinking to the bottom, because it can't get any floatation because it has a hole in the organ that allows it to be buoyant.!.!.! Punching a hole in the swim bladder is a death sentence to any fish in my opinion.
"Torpedoing" the fish down might get them down to 8 or 10 feet and if the fish is in decent shape might help it get on track to keep swimming back to the depth it was at. This is assuming though that the fish is in good shape and still wiggling and kicking hard when you torpedo it. If the fish is not moving then torpedoing it down might make it disappear temporarily but it will be dead soon and back on top (unless you fizzed it) very soon IF you caught it at 60+ feet deep.
There are probably other factors as well but these are 3 biggies that Striper fishermen that practice Catch & Release should be aware of when fishing for Stripers deep in the lakes during the summer. Very few Striper fishermen fish deep in the cooler months, because normally the Stripers are not down there as most the baitfish are usually shallower and temp/oxygen is not an issue. If they were they would still have to deal with # 1 above, but #2 and #3 would not be an issue. I think that it is the combination of 2, or all 3, of the problems listed above that makes the chance of survival almost non-existant when you hook one in the summer at 60+ feet. I have done a reasonable amount of research and testing myself on this and I believe that Catch & Release not a viable option on most lakes (with mid 80's or higher surface temps) in July-August IF you are catching fish down at 60+ feet deep. If the fish is hanging out near the Thermocline which is often in the 30 foot deep range in June/July I think you do away with #1 above, as well as help a little with #3 as far as extreme temp change thermal stress. The fish still might die from #2, but its chances are significantly better to survive...
Tackle Tip for July- Circle Hooks
With Summer here, and water temperatures rising, the striper will start to head to deeper levels in search of warmer water. This means it is time to break out the down-lines to entice those deeper fish. When fishing downlines, the use of circle hooks can help increase your hook-up ratio. "A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely used among anglers in recent years because the hook generally catches more fish and is rarely swallowed." (1). The design of a circle hook results generally results in self-hooking - as the fish takes the bait and pulls away, the hook will lever around and the majority of the time will be hooked in the corner of the jaw or top of the lip. The use of circle hooks is required when fishing certain tournaments / species due to the reduced likelihood of a "gut-hooked" fish.
The key to using circle hooks is to let the hook & rod do the work for you. It is important not to "set" the hook like you would with a traditional "J" hook or when fishing an artifical bait. Leave the rod in the rod holder until it is doubled over, touching the water, and then, while STILL leaving the rod in the holder, crank the reel a few times to help ensure the hook has found home, and only then pick up the rod and begin to fight the fish. If you attempt to set the hook you will pull the hook right from the fish's mouth before it can do its job.
There remains debate on the effectiveness of circle hooks with light-lines or planer-board lines - some anglers say their hook-up rate remains the same, while others will argue that the angle of the line lowers the effectiveness of the circle hook. Perhaps this has more to do with the bait used and how the fish takes the bait than the angle of the line, but it is best to experiment on your own.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_hook
The key to using circle hooks is to let the hook & rod do the work for you. It is important not to "set" the hook like you would with a traditional "J" hook or when fishing an artifical bait. Leave the rod in the rod holder until it is doubled over, touching the water, and then, while STILL leaving the rod in the holder, crank the reel a few times to help ensure the hook has found home, and only then pick up the rod and begin to fight the fish. If you attempt to set the hook you will pull the hook right from the fish's mouth before it can do its job.
There remains debate on the effectiveness of circle hooks with light-lines or planer-board lines - some anglers say their hook-up rate remains the same, while others will argue that the angle of the line lowers the effectiveness of the circle hook. Perhaps this has more to do with the bait used and how the fish takes the bait than the angle of the line, but it is best to experiment on your own.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_hook
From the Water - 6/23/14 & 6/26/14 - Joel Janecek
I started out earlier than normal both days since I planned to run down to the dam area. Monday as I rounded R1 I marked a sizeable school of fish. Too late to troll, I started casting to them. 20 minutes later with no bites and no more fish showing I moved on. I set out lines and trolled to the far side and up the bank. I would only mark a few loners here and there. I turned into the Black Hole and soon got a bite without ever marking fish. Just an ordinary 22". Nothing else showed there so I moved on to Witcher's. Again I only marked loners and one pod of six fish but no bites. On Thursday I went right to Elmo's and trolled around several laps only seeing a few fish here and there but no groups.
Neither day saw any top water action. Both days I then headed over to the mountain and trolled/cruised looking for fish but not finding any. Went all the way to R3 then quit that. Both days I then headed back to Becky's. Monday I started seeing enough fish at the Condos that I started trolling and headed into the creek. I didn't see anything until I was opposite the gazebo point and got a 21". I was marking plenty of fish in small pods so I made several more trolling passes with crack baits but got no more. So I switched over to U-rigs and boated 2 more fish, a 23" and a 27". Nice. That was at around 10am+.
Thursday I got back to Becky's and 3 boats were working the same area. I again trolled around but didn't see any fish. I don't know what those other guys were working on. Both days I then headed to Betty's for a look. On Monday I saw nothing. On Thursday I saw plenty of fish at the mouth of Betty's to start trolling. Cranks got nothing so I went to the U-rigs and still got nothing. The fish were there but not biting what I had. Both days I quit by noon since the heat was really coming on. Yup, its summertime.
BTW, the water temp near the dam was about 3 degrees cooler than the bridge. I'll be out again twice next week hopefully and weather permitting
Later Joel
Neither day saw any top water action. Both days I then headed over to the mountain and trolled/cruised looking for fish but not finding any. Went all the way to R3 then quit that. Both days I then headed back to Becky's. Monday I started seeing enough fish at the Condos that I started trolling and headed into the creek. I didn't see anything until I was opposite the gazebo point and got a 21". I was marking plenty of fish in small pods so I made several more trolling passes with crack baits but got no more. So I switched over to U-rigs and boated 2 more fish, a 23" and a 27". Nice. That was at around 10am+.
Thursday I got back to Becky's and 3 boats were working the same area. I again trolled around but didn't see any fish. I don't know what those other guys were working on. Both days I then headed to Betty's for a look. On Monday I saw nothing. On Thursday I saw plenty of fish at the mouth of Betty's to start trolling. Cranks got nothing so I went to the U-rigs and still got nothing. The fish were there but not biting what I had. Both days I quit by noon since the heat was really coming on. Yup, its summertime.
BTW, the water temp near the dam was about 3 degrees cooler than the bridge. I'll be out again twice next week hopefully and weather permitting
Later Joel
Tackle Tip for August - Line Counter Reels
With summer-time here and the fish retreating to cooler depths, down-lines become the primary technique for catching stripers with live-bait. The fishing is simple enough - a "Carolina Rig" setup - hook, section of flourocarbon leader, swivel, and then a 1 oz to 3 oz egg sinker on the main line above the swivel, then drop your baits down at or just above where the fish are marking on your graph. It is important to remember that stripers will generally "feed up" and not down - that is due to the position of their eyes on their head, they are looking above them, and not below, for prey - so you want to run your baits a little above where the fish are.
But, is your line counter accurate? Do you know? As you break off line, or cut off some of the older, sun-exposed line at the top end of your reel, your line counter will loose accuracy. When respooling, it is always a good idea to over spool, and then measure off the line, ideally checking it around 30' to 50' to confirm the accuracy of the line counter. If the reading is off, cut off some of the line to compensate and "dial it in" - its a good ideal to leave a little extra line, knowing it will be off a foot or two - as it will not be long with downline fishing over the timber in SML that you will break some off and reduce the amount of line on the reel.
To make your life easier next time, zero out your line counter before spooling, and then note the amount of line spooled on, and how much you then removed to dial it in - write down the amount of line needed to get the reel "right" and then you can just spool that much on next time and skip double-checking it later.
This also goes if you spool too much line on your reel. It is very easy for your line counter to be 5', 10' or ever more off from its reading. And, of course this information applies to those of you that troll plugs and umbrella rigs with line-counters - it is perhaps even more important for you in order to keep your lures out of the trees.
But, is your line counter accurate? Do you know? As you break off line, or cut off some of the older, sun-exposed line at the top end of your reel, your line counter will loose accuracy. When respooling, it is always a good idea to over spool, and then measure off the line, ideally checking it around 30' to 50' to confirm the accuracy of the line counter. If the reading is off, cut off some of the line to compensate and "dial it in" - its a good ideal to leave a little extra line, knowing it will be off a foot or two - as it will not be long with downline fishing over the timber in SML that you will break some off and reduce the amount of line on the reel.
To make your life easier next time, zero out your line counter before spooling, and then note the amount of line spooled on, and how much you then removed to dial it in - write down the amount of line needed to get the reel "right" and then you can just spool that much on next time and skip double-checking it later.
This also goes if you spool too much line on your reel. It is very easy for your line counter to be 5', 10' or ever more off from its reading. And, of course this information applies to those of you that troll plugs and umbrella rigs with line-counters - it is perhaps even more important for you in order to keep your lures out of the trees.
Please Support our Club Sponsors & Advertisers
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.