March / April 2015 Newsletter
In This Edition
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Club Board Members
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Committee Chairs
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
March Club Meeting - 3/6/15
Annual Swap Meet / Hot Dog Support .& DGIF Night - bring your sporting goods items (please, no firearms or ammo), which need a new home We will also have Dan Wilson, DGIF Biologist, on-hand to present an update on the state of the Striper fishery at SML as well as Sgt. Karl Martin, Conservation Police Officer, will share with us their plans for 2015 related to conservation enforcement activities at Smith Mountain Lake.
April Club Meeting - 3/6/15
"Think like a Striper" - Marshall Harris will share some in-depth learnings on why, how and where stripers live & feed - along with many useful tips that will help you catch more fish.
May Club Meeting - 5/1/15
Hopefully by May, Spring will be in full swing - so we're going to spend a bit of our meeting outside with Cast Netting & Fish Filleting demonstrations and if we're lucky, we'll share a few recipes for preparing striper and perhaps even sample a few. We'll also spend some time talking fishing as we share reports as our members get fully back into the swing of things with Spring fishing.
Freedom Alliance Event - Early/Mid May
We will once again be hosting a group of recovering soliders with the Freedom Alliance to a few days of fishing & relaxation on Smith Mountain Lake. We are working to firm up the dates, but we will need 5-6 boats a day for two days - with captains & mates to accompany the group. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mike Ward (336-437-4114 or [email protected])
Annual Swap Meet / Hot Dog Support .& DGIF Night - bring your sporting goods items (please, no firearms or ammo), which need a new home We will also have Dan Wilson, DGIF Biologist, on-hand to present an update on the state of the Striper fishery at SML as well as Sgt. Karl Martin, Conservation Police Officer, will share with us their plans for 2015 related to conservation enforcement activities at Smith Mountain Lake.
April Club Meeting - 3/6/15
"Think like a Striper" - Marshall Harris will share some in-depth learnings on why, how and where stripers live & feed - along with many useful tips that will help you catch more fish.
May Club Meeting - 5/1/15
Hopefully by May, Spring will be in full swing - so we're going to spend a bit of our meeting outside with Cast Netting & Fish Filleting demonstrations and if we're lucky, we'll share a few recipes for preparing striper and perhaps even sample a few. We'll also spend some time talking fishing as we share reports as our members get fully back into the swing of things with Spring fishing.
Freedom Alliance Event - Early/Mid May
We will once again be hosting a group of recovering soliders with the Freedom Alliance to a few days of fishing & relaxation on Smith Mountain Lake. We are working to firm up the dates, but we will need 5-6 boats a day for two days - with captains & mates to accompany the group. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mike Ward (336-437-4114 or [email protected])
President's Corner
Will someone please tell Spring to hurry up and get here? This past month has been tough and I am going through major fishing withdrawals - I've only been out once this month the 1st weekend of February, but the weather has prevented it since - could not even drop my boat to run the motor this past weekend due to the couple of inches of ice below it.
This time of year makes one yearn even more for the days when the water starts to warm and the fish begin to feed more aggressively. Hopefully with the lengthening days we will not be far away. However, lack of time on the water has given me a chance to do spend some time on other things. Recently taking on the President role in the Club, I have felt it important to reach out to some of our long-time members and get their perspectives on the Club today, but also get a better understanding of the Club's history and the challenges we've faced together in the past. I look forward to continuing these discussions and welcome input and feedback from all our members - new and old. I'd like to specifically thank Mike Snead for providing me with his insights, but more so for helping to connect me with an important person in the SMSC's history - Rex Smith. Thanks to Mike, I had the opportunity a few weeks back to enjoy lunch with Mike & Rex (thanks again for picking up the tab Mike!) and get a crash course on a lot of the history of the Club. Some of this I already knew - a lot I did not. What proved even more valuable was Rex loaning me 20+ years of SMSC Newsletters - talk about an incredible resource and snapshot into the Club's history! I've had a chance to work my way through a lot of those old newsletters - and there is a treasure trove of information buried in there - years of fishing tips / articles - but more importantly it captures the reasons why the Club was originally founded and the challenges we faced along the way as it focused on our core values of preservation & care of the striper fishery.
It also reminded me that, as they say, "It's a small world" - I ran across pictures & contributed articles from someone which I have come to know & respect from y interactions on a striper-related discussion forum - Ezell Cox - an accomplished striper fisherman & guide on TN. Seeing his contributions and reading of the cooperation which the SMSC & TSBA had on common issues facing our respective fisheries was refreshing - and reminds me that while we focus on SML, we have friends and supporters outside our waters - and hopefully they have supporters in us as well.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter and at our Club meetings, a primary focus from the Board and myself in 2015 is surrounding membership - and working to ensure that the Club is something that has value for our existing and potential members. Your feedback is critical to this effort. In order to help gather feedback, we are going to be distributing a survey touching on a variety of areas of the Club, and I ask that you take a few minutes to provide your valuable input. Feel free to add any additional thoughts or concerns which you desire - this survey will be anonymous so make your thoughts and concerns heard - the Club's leadership cannot address issues or concerns if we are not aware of them. Let's work together to continue to build the best Club possible to ensure we remain a relevant voice when it comes to the protection of our fishery.
Fish On! - Mike Ward
This time of year makes one yearn even more for the days when the water starts to warm and the fish begin to feed more aggressively. Hopefully with the lengthening days we will not be far away. However, lack of time on the water has given me a chance to do spend some time on other things. Recently taking on the President role in the Club, I have felt it important to reach out to some of our long-time members and get their perspectives on the Club today, but also get a better understanding of the Club's history and the challenges we've faced together in the past. I look forward to continuing these discussions and welcome input and feedback from all our members - new and old. I'd like to specifically thank Mike Snead for providing me with his insights, but more so for helping to connect me with an important person in the SMSC's history - Rex Smith. Thanks to Mike, I had the opportunity a few weeks back to enjoy lunch with Mike & Rex (thanks again for picking up the tab Mike!) and get a crash course on a lot of the history of the Club. Some of this I already knew - a lot I did not. What proved even more valuable was Rex loaning me 20+ years of SMSC Newsletters - talk about an incredible resource and snapshot into the Club's history! I've had a chance to work my way through a lot of those old newsletters - and there is a treasure trove of information buried in there - years of fishing tips / articles - but more importantly it captures the reasons why the Club was originally founded and the challenges we faced along the way as it focused on our core values of preservation & care of the striper fishery.
It also reminded me that, as they say, "It's a small world" - I ran across pictures & contributed articles from someone which I have come to know & respect from y interactions on a striper-related discussion forum - Ezell Cox - an accomplished striper fisherman & guide on TN. Seeing his contributions and reading of the cooperation which the SMSC & TSBA had on common issues facing our respective fisheries was refreshing - and reminds me that while we focus on SML, we have friends and supporters outside our waters - and hopefully they have supporters in us as well.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter and at our Club meetings, a primary focus from the Board and myself in 2015 is surrounding membership - and working to ensure that the Club is something that has value for our existing and potential members. Your feedback is critical to this effort. In order to help gather feedback, we are going to be distributing a survey touching on a variety of areas of the Club, and I ask that you take a few minutes to provide your valuable input. Feel free to add any additional thoughts or concerns which you desire - this survey will be anonymous so make your thoughts and concerns heard - the Club's leadership cannot address issues or concerns if we are not aware of them. Let's work together to continue to build the best Club possible to ensure we remain a relevant voice when it comes to the protection of our fishery.
Fish On! - Mike Ward
Water Temperature - February
Well, depending on the day, and what part of the lake you are on, the question is not what temperature the water is, but what forum it is taking - and lately too much has been taking the form of a solid.
On February 7th, the water temperature in the mid-lake area on the Roanoke (around the Hales Ford Bridge) was 41-43 degrees. Certainly has dropped some in the recent few weeks.
Let's hope for a warming trend to occur......
On February 7th, the water temperature in the mid-lake area on the Roanoke (around the Hales Ford Bridge) was 41-43 degrees. Certainly has dropped some in the recent few weeks.
Let's hope for a warming trend to occur......
January & February Meeting Overviews
Jerry Hale speaks to the Club
In January, Jerry Hale to share with us the events being planned for the 50th Anniversary of Smith Mountain Lake which occurs in 2016, and talk about how we can get involved. There are a lot of events being planned from various groups - all tied to the theme of the 50th Anniversary - things like art classes to be held down near the Mountain, Wake-board contest, writing contests, paddle-board "Poker Run", as well as special editions of the Wine Festival, Pirate Days, etc. We will be thinking about ways that the Striper Club might want to get involved.
We also discussed the direction for 2015 for the Club, kicked off some "old is new again" things like the fish ladder & recognizing members with citation catches (Joe Esposito & Mike Ward), and talked about how we can all get more directly involved in Club events & meetings.
In February, we focused on making & customizing artificial lures. We setup three stations and small groups rotated through each station to get a close up look and ability to ask lots of questions. Greg & Stephen Barnett demonstrated how to tie bucktails & flies to target stripers, Steve Nagel showed off the equipment for pouring jig heads, and Mike Snead showed a few top-secret tricks for tweaking & modifying store-bought lures to improve their action. Thanks to the guys for showing off their talents.
As with most of our recent Club meetings - both meetings were recorded and you will be able to view the meeting in its entirety once we have a chance to process and upload the material by going to the Meeting Videos & Notes section on the Club Website - http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/meeting-videos--notes.html.
We also discussed the direction for 2015 for the Club, kicked off some "old is new again" things like the fish ladder & recognizing members with citation catches (Joe Esposito & Mike Ward), and talked about how we can all get more directly involved in Club events & meetings.
In February, we focused on making & customizing artificial lures. We setup three stations and small groups rotated through each station to get a close up look and ability to ask lots of questions. Greg & Stephen Barnett demonstrated how to tie bucktails & flies to target stripers, Steve Nagel showed off the equipment for pouring jig heads, and Mike Snead showed a few top-secret tricks for tweaking & modifying store-bought lures to improve their action. Thanks to the guys for showing off their talents.
As with most of our recent Club meetings - both meetings were recorded and you will be able to view the meeting in its entirety once we have a chance to process and upload the material by going to the Meeting Videos & Notes section on the Club Website - http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/meeting-videos--notes.html.
Reminder: Slot Size Regulation Change Effective January 1, 2015
No fish 30"-40" may be kept for November 1 to May 30.
Member Catches
Just because winter is here does not mean Club members are still not out fishing. As always, we love to feature member catches - please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to [email protected].
Which Net is Best For You?
This article is reprinted courtesy of Fitec Cast Nets (www.castnets.com) - a SMSC business sponsor. Fitec graciously offers SMSC Members a 50% discount off their current list prices. See more information in the Sponsor's section of this newsletter.
In your choice of Fitec Cast Nets you must consider the size bait or fish you are going after, the depth of water, the weather conditions, and your own cast net throwing abilities. Below we will break out these different conditions and try to help you decide which net will be best for you.
In your choice of Fitec Cast Nets you must consider the size bait or fish you are going after, the depth of water, the weather conditions, and your own cast net throwing abilities. Below we will break out these different conditions and try to help you decide which net will be best for you.
MESH SIZE / BAIT, SHRIMP or FISH SIZE
Usually you will start by selecting a cast net with the mesh size you want. This selection will be based on the size bait and/or fish you are trying to net. Always remember that the smaller the mesh the more you will likely catch. But go too small and you may catch sizes you don't want. You will also want to make sure that the mesh size you pick is small enough so not to gill the bait or fish you are after. Always double check local regulations on net sizes.
SIZE (RADIUS OF NET)
Choosing the size of your net is one of the hardest decisions you will make. The general rule is that you want to have the largest net that you can comfortably throw. This will give you the best results per throw. Beginners should start out between a 3 ft and 5 ft radius net unless local regulations prohibit these sizes. We always suggest that yo know your local regulations.
Usually you will start by selecting a cast net with the mesh size you want. This selection will be based on the size bait and/or fish you are trying to net. Always remember that the smaller the mesh the more you will likely catch. But go too small and you may catch sizes you don't want. You will also want to make sure that the mesh size you pick is small enough so not to gill the bait or fish you are after. Always double check local regulations on net sizes.
SIZE (RADIUS OF NET)
Choosing the size of your net is one of the hardest decisions you will make. The general rule is that you want to have the largest net that you can comfortably throw. This will give you the best results per throw. Beginners should start out between a 3 ft and 5 ft radius net unless local regulations prohibit these sizes. We always suggest that yo know your local regulations.
WEIGHT OF NET
Cast nets are generally offered with different amount of weights per radius foot. Typically they are offered in 3/4 lb, 1 lb and 1.5 lb per radius foot. Remember this is the amount of weights added to the perimeter of the net. The weight you choose will depend on the depth of water, the type of bait and your ability to throw a cast net. Heavier nets are harder to throw but generally will catch more bait. But in shallow water the heavier nets may not product that much more and will take more energy.
Cast nets are generally offered with different amount of weights per radius foot. Typically they are offered in 3/4 lb, 1 lb and 1.5 lb per radius foot. Remember this is the amount of weights added to the perimeter of the net. The weight you choose will depend on the depth of water, the type of bait and your ability to throw a cast net. Heavier nets are harder to throw but generally will catch more bait. But in shallow water the heavier nets may not product that much more and will take more energy.
ARE YOU A BEGINNER?
If you are a beginner and do not have anyone to teach you how to throw a cast net let us suggest that you try one of our EZ THROW™ series cast nets. These nets are especially made and patented. They have a ring sewn in that allows for the beginner to throw a perfect circle with limited practice. Each net comes with a instructional DVD video. Within 15 minutes you will be throwing like a pro.
Thinking of Our SMSC Family
The thoughts & prayers from those of us at the Smith Mountain Striper Club go out to a number of our members over the recent weeks....
If you are aware of Club members or their families who have suffered a loss, or are experiencing health issues, please let a member of the Board know so that we can offer the Club's best wishes and offer any assistance we might be able to provide.
- Andre' Peery in the passing of his sister, Wanda Elaine Peery Alston in January as well as his aunt Eulah Peery and uncle Lewis W Peery in the second half of 2014.
- Joel Janeck in the passing of his sister-in-law, Karen Janeck in November
- Lee Brown & his wife Caryln as she recovers from Thyroid cancer
- Bob & Lynn Rowe as Lynn recovers from a recent out-patient heart procedure
If you are aware of Club members or their families who have suffered a loss, or are experiencing health issues, please let a member of the Board know so that we can offer the Club's best wishes and offer any assistance we might be able to provide.
2015 Fish Ladder
The fish ladder is back for 2015. This will be a fun, year-long competition that has no cost to enter. Just submit a picture of a striper caught during 2015 in Smith Mountain or Leesville Lake against a measuring device which clearly shows the length of the fish to secure a rung on the ladder. You can submit multiple fish throughout the year - but you can hold only one "rung" - so as you improve on your year's personal best you can improve your chances. Pictures can be submitted via e-mail to the Club's e-mail address ([email protected]), post to the the Club's Facebook page, or bring a copy to a meeting.
We already have a good entry on the ladder - youth member Stephen Bartnett, son of Greg Bartnett, submitted a 34.5" striper which he caught off his dock in early January. It is a bit lonely on the ladder for him at the moment, but with Spring just around the corner I expect we'll be seeing the ladder fill quickly.
We already have a good entry on the ladder - youth member Stephen Bartnett, son of Greg Bartnett, submitted a 34.5" striper which he caught off his dock in early January. It is a bit lonely on the ladder for him at the moment, but with Spring just around the corner I expect we'll be seeing the ladder fill quickly.
Welcome New Members
We'd like to take a moment to welcome our new Members thus far in 2015!
Dennis Gould - Vinton, VA
C.D. Holbrook - Angier, NC
Giff Swayne - Monta, VA
We always welcome new members to the Club and ask all our existing members to make a point of inviting a Guest to a meeting so that they too can see what the Club is about and learn & share with us.
Dennis Gould - Vinton, VA
C.D. Holbrook - Angier, NC
Giff Swayne - Monta, VA
We always welcome new members to the Club and ask all our existing members to make a point of inviting a Guest to a meeting so that they too can see what the Club is about and learn & share with us.
Website Password Changing in March
We will be changing the password to the Member's Only section of the Club Website in the latter part of March. If you've not already renewed for 2015, please make sure you do so prompty to ensure that you receive notification of the new password when changed.
Note that this password is independent of your Discussion Forum User ID / Password - you set those on your own. We will however deactivate account for users which are not active members.
Note that this password is independent of your Discussion Forum User ID / Password - you set those on your own. We will however deactivate account for users which are not active members.
Fishing Outlook for March & April
March & April mean Spring-time fishing - and often it can offer some exciting fishing and a chance at a some nice fish. March brings warming waters - and typically it is the shallow creeks or flats that will warm first in the mid to upper arms of the lake. These can be a good place to look for bait, and if you find the bait, the fish are usually near by. Pulling big bait behind planers can yield some nice fish - but alewifes on light lines or boards will also yield fish. Casting bucktails and swimbaits can be productive.
As the calendar turns to April and water continues to warm the fish will begin to feed more aggressively as they prepare for the "spawn". The fish will start to move down the lake throughout the month of April, and with the water temps right in their most favorable range they can be throughput the water column and moving with ease throughout the creeks & main channel. Creeks will still produce but targeting main lake channel points. When fishing live bait, try a mix of bait sizes on free & light-lines. Swimbaits and top-water artificials are also a good go-to choice this time of year.
As the calendar turns to April and water continues to warm the fish will begin to feed more aggressively as they prepare for the "spawn". The fish will start to move down the lake throughout the month of April, and with the water temps right in their most favorable range they can be throughput the water column and moving with ease throughout the creeks & main channel. Creeks will still produce but targeting main lake channel points. When fishing live bait, try a mix of bait sizes on free & light-lines. Swimbaits and top-water artificials are also a good go-to choice this time of year.
Fishing Report - 1/18/15 - Sleeping In
The report below initially appeared on the SMSC Discussion Forum from Mike Ward - a web-based discussion board for Club Members. If you are not participating in this forum you are missing out..... http://smsc-forums.proboards.com
Weather: Upper 30's and quickly into the 40's and moving towards 50; Calm until 2pm when the wind turned on big-time from the NW; partly cloudy skies most of the day
Water: 42, visibility of 5'
Techniques: money-maker to big gizzards on free-line planers (3) and money-maker gizzards on downlines (2)
Nathan and I were trying to decide if we were going to fish on Sunday - but neither could convince the other that we should - between the poor bite on Saturday and the weatherman calling for a lot of wind on Sunday we both bailed - I slept in till around 9, and woke to cloudy skies and totally still winds.... I had to hit the water anyway to drop off some stuff with a couple of guys on the lake, so since I was out...... and there was bait in the tank......
I hung out near some birds talking to one of our buddies for a little while and jigged a few minutes - then moved back down the lake a tad and put out bait and pulled a bank, several points, a big flat and the mouth of a creek. Had one board get slammed as I was letting out line on another rod after checking the bait and by the time I could get the one rod out of my hand to pick up the other the fish had stolen his meal and avoided the big hook and the stinger
Only had the bait get nervous a few times in 2 or almost 3 hours of pulling - and was marking very few fish - a couple of scattered fish here and there. Finally decided it was time to move and try another creek - it was dead other than hanging up and popping my board loose, that was the only action I got. So, I moved to another spot in the creek and sure enough found a few fish Missed the 1st one, but on a 2nd pass I had a money-maker gizzard on a downline get eaten.
I had stopped the boat as I was fighting & netting that fish, and as I was getting that fish into the boat one of the planers got buried - I reached over and reeled it a few times but had to let it sit while I got the fish in the boat - and then I brought that 2nd fish to the boat. As that one came into the boat, a 2nd planer disappeared - almost had that fish to the boat when he spit the hook within 5' of the boat... just as well - I got the fun from it and had 2 fish to get back into the water...
These went 9-10 lbs and were 29" & 29.5" - the one that got away was right in that same size class.....
Weather: Upper 30's and quickly into the 40's and moving towards 50; Calm until 2pm when the wind turned on big-time from the NW; partly cloudy skies most of the day
Water: 42, visibility of 5'
Techniques: money-maker to big gizzards on free-line planers (3) and money-maker gizzards on downlines (2)
Nathan and I were trying to decide if we were going to fish on Sunday - but neither could convince the other that we should - between the poor bite on Saturday and the weatherman calling for a lot of wind on Sunday we both bailed - I slept in till around 9, and woke to cloudy skies and totally still winds.... I had to hit the water anyway to drop off some stuff with a couple of guys on the lake, so since I was out...... and there was bait in the tank......
I hung out near some birds talking to one of our buddies for a little while and jigged a few minutes - then moved back down the lake a tad and put out bait and pulled a bank, several points, a big flat and the mouth of a creek. Had one board get slammed as I was letting out line on another rod after checking the bait and by the time I could get the one rod out of my hand to pick up the other the fish had stolen his meal and avoided the big hook and the stinger
Only had the bait get nervous a few times in 2 or almost 3 hours of pulling - and was marking very few fish - a couple of scattered fish here and there. Finally decided it was time to move and try another creek - it was dead other than hanging up and popping my board loose, that was the only action I got. So, I moved to another spot in the creek and sure enough found a few fish Missed the 1st one, but on a 2nd pass I had a money-maker gizzard on a downline get eaten.
I had stopped the boat as I was fighting & netting that fish, and as I was getting that fish into the boat one of the planers got buried - I reached over and reeled it a few times but had to let it sit while I got the fish in the boat - and then I brought that 2nd fish to the boat. As that one came into the boat, a 2nd planer disappeared - almost had that fish to the boat when he spit the hook within 5' of the boat... just as well - I got the fun from it and had 2 fish to get back into the water...
These went 9-10 lbs and were 29" & 29.5" - the one that got away was right in that same size class.....
On a third pass I got another on a board - this one smaller - probably 26-27" but didn't measure it as the hook must have knicked a gill and I wanted to get it back into the water asap since it was bleeding some.
Called it a day after that - 4 to the boat in a fun, short flurry of action.... the winds picked up just after that - the pressure had been high the day before, falling throughout the day and it had bottomed out just about the time the action picked up fast & furious - and just before the wind.... coincidence?
Called it a day after that - 4 to the boat in a fun, short flurry of action.... the winds picked up just after that - the pressure had been high the day before, falling throughout the day and it had bottomed out just about the time the action picked up fast & furious - and just before the wind.... coincidence?
Tackle Tip for March - Stinger Hooks
We'll start by saying that stinger hooks are not recommended or required year-round, but they have a place and a time. A "stinger hook" is a 2nd hook - usually a treble - connected to your main hook and attached near the rear of a bait for an extra chance to land a point in the fish's jaw.
Stinger hooks are particularly useful when stripers are short-striking at baits as they often do in the early spring and early winter when water temperatures are low. They are also beneficial when pulling very large baits (12"+ gizzard shad). Once the water temperature warms and the fish become more aggressive, generally the short-striking is not a problem and stingers are not required. The use of stingers can increase the chance of gut hooking a fish intending to release the fish you should use them only when conditions warrant.
The stinger rig is as simple as tying leader to the treble and then to the bend of the main hook. If snelling your main hooks, try using the Kite-Fisher snell, and run the tag end extra long, using the tag to tie to the treble. The distance from the main hook and treble will be dependent on the size of your bait and where you plan to hook the treble. You need a bit of slack to allow for the bait to move naturally, but not so much so as to allow the gizzard to get itself twisted.
One good place to attach the stinger in the bait is just behind the anal vent - but hook as "shallow" into the bait as possible.
Stinger hooks are particularly useful when stripers are short-striking at baits as they often do in the early spring and early winter when water temperatures are low. They are also beneficial when pulling very large baits (12"+ gizzard shad). Once the water temperature warms and the fish become more aggressive, generally the short-striking is not a problem and stingers are not required. The use of stingers can increase the chance of gut hooking a fish intending to release the fish you should use them only when conditions warrant.
The stinger rig is as simple as tying leader to the treble and then to the bend of the main hook. If snelling your main hooks, try using the Kite-Fisher snell, and run the tag end extra long, using the tag to tie to the treble. The distance from the main hook and treble will be dependent on the size of your bait and where you plan to hook the treble. You need a bit of slack to allow for the bait to move naturally, but not so much so as to allow the gizzard to get itself twisted.
One good place to attach the stinger in the bait is just behind the anal vent - but hook as "shallow" into the bait as possible.
Club Survey Coming
We want to hear from you! It is important that we hear the input of our membership regarding what you want to see in terms of the future & direction of the Club, the activities we are involved in, the meeting & newsletter content, and how we as a Club can best serve you. Be on the lookout on the very near future for a Club Survey which will be distributed. We ask you to take a bit of your time and spend providing valuable feedback so that we can guide the Club forward in a manner which is reflective of the membership as a whole. Thanks in advance!
Tackle Tip for April - Redi-Rig Floats
With fish spread throughout the water column in April, float lines can be a good technique to get a few additional baits across varying depths. Redi-Rig floats combine the best of a fixed float/bobber and a balloon in that they are reusable like a bobber but will release when a fish strikes.
Redi-Rig floats can be fished with freelines (no weight), light-lines or even downlines. They are very versitle in that you can adjust how much line you have behind the float and when a fish strikes the line is pulled from the release clip and the float slides down the line, like an in-line planer. As such, you want to rig your line with a bead above the swivel before your flurocarbon leader.
Redi-Rig floats can be fished with freelines (no weight), light-lines or even downlines. They are very versitle in that you can adjust how much line you have behind the float and when a fish strikes the line is pulled from the release clip and the float slides down the line, like an in-line planer. As such, you want to rig your line with a bead above the swivel before your flurocarbon leader.
2015 Membership is Now Due
All existing members should have received an mailing with a renewal form - if you did not, then we apparently do not have a valid mailing address for you, so please reach out to us so that we can correct our records. If you did not receive a form, please complete and mail in the form below (and overlook the 2014 date in the form title below - missed updating that before publication here).
We hope that you will continue your membership in the Smith Mountain Striper Club - supporting the initiatives that the Club focuses on in and around the Smith Mountain Lake community - and serving as a focused voice for the striped bass fishery to VDGIF and other organizations. Even if you are not able to attend Club meetings on a regular basis, we hope that you find value in membership with the Club through this newsletter, our Club Website (which includes member-only resources such as video recordings of Club meetings), the Club Discussion Forum - and not the least, being a part of an organization which cares about and acts for the preservation and conservation of the striped bass fishery. We thank you and look forward to your continued membership with the Club.
We hope that you will continue your membership in the Smith Mountain Striper Club - supporting the initiatives that the Club focuses on in and around the Smith Mountain Lake community - and serving as a focused voice for the striped bass fishery to VDGIF and other organizations. Even if you are not able to attend Club meetings on a regular basis, we hope that you find value in membership with the Club through this newsletter, our Club Website (which includes member-only resources such as video recordings of Club meetings), the Club Discussion Forum - and not the least, being a part of an organization which cares about and acts for the preservation and conservation of the striped bass fishery. We thank you and look forward to your continued membership with the Club.
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.