March / April 2017 Newsletter
In This Edition
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Club Board Members
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Committee Chairs
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Lake Clean-up
Cindy Turlington Club Photographer Bob Rowe Joe's Coffee Joe Wolf Christmas Party Rick Boettcher Tournaments Steve Nagel |
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Unless otherwise noted, Club meetings are held at 7 pm, the 1st Friday of each month at the Moneta Community Center - in the back-side, lower-level of the Pharmacy building on Rucker Rd, just off VA-122. Visitors and New Members are always welcome.
March Club Meeting - 3/3 - Dan Wilson, Biologist from VA-DGIF will be on-hand to provided an update on the striper fishery at SML.
Striper Mafia March Madness Tournament - 3/18 - The Club is a proud sponsor of the Striper Mafia Tournament Series - come out and support these events or help the Club in their activities around the tournament - more details at www.SMLStriperMafia.com
April Club Meeting - 4/7 - Swap Meet & Hot Dog Supper
Striper Mafia Spring Fling Tournament - 4/22 - The Club is a proud sponsor of the Striper Mafia Tournament Series - come out and support these events or help the Club in their activities around the tournament - more details at www.SMLStriperMafia.com
May Club Meeting - 5/5 - Topic TBD
March Club Meeting - 3/3 - Dan Wilson, Biologist from VA-DGIF will be on-hand to provided an update on the striper fishery at SML.
Striper Mafia March Madness Tournament - 3/18 - The Club is a proud sponsor of the Striper Mafia Tournament Series - come out and support these events or help the Club in their activities around the tournament - more details at www.SMLStriperMafia.com
April Club Meeting - 4/7 - Swap Meet & Hot Dog Supper
Striper Mafia Spring Fling Tournament - 4/22 - The Club is a proud sponsor of the Striper Mafia Tournament Series - come out and support these events or help the Club in their activities around the tournament - more details at www.SMLStriperMafia.com
May Club Meeting - 5/5 - Topic TBD
President's Corner
I'm writing this one the 1st day of March - but it seems like we are well into Spring already! This unusually warm February with Spring-like conditions has made for some great fishing - I hope you've been out there taking advantage of it. A number of our members have as proven by the entries into the 2017 Fish Ladder - we have some nice fish that are already on the ladder - but there is plenty of time to bump someone around on the ladder with a nice fish of your own - let's keep it going - would love to see a ladder full of citations by the end of this year.
I hope you are able to attend our March meeting and get a chance to hear Dan Wilson's update. This is always an informative and useful meeting - we're lucky to have positive working relationship we have with VA-DGIF and specifically Dan and I thank him for taking his time on a Friday evening to come out and spend a few hours with us.
We'll be ramping up Spring related activities here - but we need your input on what you'd like to see the Club involved in - and also what you'd like to see covered in the meetings and newsletters - as I always say - this is YOUR Club and we need to hear YOUR voice.....
Fish On! - Mike Ward
I hope you are able to attend our March meeting and get a chance to hear Dan Wilson's update. This is always an informative and useful meeting - we're lucky to have positive working relationship we have with VA-DGIF and specifically Dan and I thank him for taking his time on a Friday evening to come out and spend a few hours with us.
We'll be ramping up Spring related activities here - but we need your input on what you'd like to see the Club involved in - and also what you'd like to see covered in the meetings and newsletters - as I always say - this is YOUR Club and we need to hear YOUR voice.....
Fish On! - Mike Ward
January / February Meeting Summary
In January we did our "Annual Report" to the Club that had to be rescheduled from November. We covered the financial & membership status and Mike Ward provided the Presidents Report on the achievements in 2016 and thoughts for 2017.
In February we had multiple demo stations setup on several topics - members Mike Rettemnier, Steve Nagel & Khris Bradley setup stations to demo various topics - Mike showed how to tie the famous "FG Knot" for joining braid to mono or fluorocarbon leader, Steve demoed hand-tying jigs and showed the equipment he uses to pour his own jigheads, and Khris showed off various types of planer boards and talked about their use. Thanks to these guys for helping out with this part of the meeting - these type of sessions take a little work from others but are always interesting and informative.
In February we had multiple demo stations setup on several topics - members Mike Rettemnier, Steve Nagel & Khris Bradley setup stations to demo various topics - Mike showed how to tie the famous "FG Knot" for joining braid to mono or fluorocarbon leader, Steve demoed hand-tying jigs and showed the equipment he uses to pour his own jigheads, and Khris showed off various types of planer boards and talked about their use. Thanks to these guys for helping out with this part of the meeting - these type of sessions take a little work from others but are always interesting and informative.
Condolences
It's with sadness that we pass along word that member John Hall passed away after a battle with cancer on 2/25. Our thoughts and prayers go out to John's wife and grandson which they were raising together, and the rest of his family in this difficult time.
Member Catches
SMSC Members have been getting it done this Spring! It's great to be able to share and enjoy these images of others catching fish - please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to [email protected].
Striper Mafia Tournaments - 3/18 & 4/22
The second half of the 2016/17 Striper Mafia Tournament Series picks back up in a few weeks with the "March Madness" tournament on 3/18. The Club is a Gold sponsor and partnering with the tournament series again this year. This is a Catch-Photo-Release style tournament which has seen strong participation from the local area along with numerous teams consisting of Club members - both participating and placing in the events. Entry fee is $100 per boat with an optional $25 big fish entry. The final event of the season will then be held on April 22, 2017. Registration for the March or other events can be done on-line at: http://www.smlstripermafia.com/registration.html
Youth are encouraged to participate in these events and there is a dedicated Youth competition with prizes for the youth winners - there is also a Ladies competition for the biggest fish of the overall series - with the winner receiving a nice sports watch from Haywood Jewelers.
As a reminder, The Doug Hill Preservation award, along with a $1000 cash prize, will be presented to the team which catches (and release) the longest fish of the overall series thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous Club member. For those of you who do not know Doug, he was one of the original founding members of the Striper Club, and if it had not been for the dedicated effort of he and others, we would not have this striper fishery to enjoy today.
Youth are encouraged to participate in these events and there is a dedicated Youth competition with prizes for the youth winners - there is also a Ladies competition for the biggest fish of the overall series - with the winner receiving a nice sports watch from Haywood Jewelers.
As a reminder, The Doug Hill Preservation award, along with a $1000 cash prize, will be presented to the team which catches (and release) the longest fish of the overall series thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous Club member. For those of you who do not know Doug, he was one of the original founding members of the Striper Club, and if it had not been for the dedicated effort of he and others, we would not have this striper fishery to enjoy today.
2017 Fish Ladder
We've had some fast & furious action on the 2017 Fish Ladder - with lots of good fish already entered and several members being bumped around in various spots already. The current standings as of 3/1 are:
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2017 Membership Renewal
If you have not already, please renew your SMSC Membership for 2017. We trust you find value in your membership and it is also an important way that you can show support for the Striper fishery on Smith Mountain Lake.
You should have received an email in December from Andre' Peery with your renewal form, and most likely a letter recently- but if not, you can download and mail in the form from the Website at: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/membership.html (or use the form at the end of this newsletter)
You should have received an email in December from Andre' Peery with your renewal form, and most likely a letter recently- but if not, you can download and mail in the form from the Website at: http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/membership.html (or use the form at the end of this newsletter)
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. |
Fishing Outlook for March & April
Well heck - I'm not really sure what season it is - by April we may be fishing summer patterns at this rate :)
But seriously - with the mild winter we had, March is going to fire up quick - even if we do have a cold weather event it is going to be hard-pressed to push things back much - water temperatures are in the upper 40's - low 50's already so with the increased daylight periods we will see water temps jump into the mid to upper 50's quickly in March. Look for bait to move into the backs of the creeks as that water warms quicker. Fish will not be far behind - creeks will be productive and as we move into April targeting main and secondary lake channel points will be a good bet. Upper to middle sections of the river arms will be better in March and early April, with many fish making a move down-lake in mid-April.
For live-bait fishermen, big bait is going to produce as the fish look to feast before the "spawn". However, that does not mean they will not hit smaller bait as well - they will be in feast mode. For artificial guys, casting to points and backs of creeks will produce fish - then as the fish get on the move, trolling and covering water with umbrella rigs or other will be productive as well.
But seriously - with the mild winter we had, March is going to fire up quick - even if we do have a cold weather event it is going to be hard-pressed to push things back much - water temperatures are in the upper 40's - low 50's already so with the increased daylight periods we will see water temps jump into the mid to upper 50's quickly in March. Look for bait to move into the backs of the creeks as that water warms quicker. Fish will not be far behind - creeks will be productive and as we move into April targeting main and secondary lake channel points will be a good bet. Upper to middle sections of the river arms will be better in March and early April, with many fish making a move down-lake in mid-April.
For live-bait fishermen, big bait is going to produce as the fish look to feast before the "spawn". However, that does not mean they will not hit smaller bait as well - they will be in feast mode. For artificial guys, casting to points and backs of creeks will produce fish - then as the fish get on the move, trolling and covering water with umbrella rigs or other will be productive as well.
Fishing Report - Field Trip - 2/22/17
Weather: mid-50's, light rain on and off all day - overcast if not raining. No wind to speak of
Water: 50-52, visibility fo 4-5'
Techniques: Freeline planers with 8 - 14" gizzards (3-4 bank-side, 1-2 deep-side) and a freeline float with a dollar-bill gizzard
Time Fished: 8:15a - 12:30p
Last day of what was an extended fishing break taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temps - today excluded.... I decided that I'd take a bit of "field trip", and go check how the Blackwater guys have been treating my "stringer" which I keep over there. I left the dock about 7:15 and stopped to add a few gizzards from the shed tank to what I had still in my bait-tank and headed on down lake. On the way I had a whim to try a lower-lake creek so I spent about an hour pulling that creek - no action to be found unfortunately so I picked up and moved on to my target area on the other side of the lake.
I had a lot of water to cover - had pulled for probably 45 min or so without as much as a bait coming to the surface. This happened to be an area I fished last spring and landed my personal best at the time (still is by weight) - a 38.25" / 25 lb striper in March. I had just texted Tyler that I should have probably stayed over on my side of the lake - but that there was hope as I had not yet come to the area where we caught that fish last year.
I kid you not - within feet of where the fish hit last year - the planer board went flying - the third board from the bank with a big bait. I picked up the rod and started to reel - having to work the rod under the back two rods and try and keep tension on the line. About the time I got the rod clear it felt as if the fish had spit the bait / hook - I didn't want to reel in hopes it would come back - but I reeled a bit and then the rod loaded back up - the fish had been swimming at the boat.... it then turned and ran out to the deeper water and was pulling drag - I could feel by the weight that this was a good fish. I had the drag a little loose so I tightened it down a click or two..... it was about then I felt that dreaded "pop" - of a hook pulling..... reeled it in, heart-broken - to find that the stinger hook had bent open a bit.
Water: 50-52, visibility fo 4-5'
Techniques: Freeline planers with 8 - 14" gizzards (3-4 bank-side, 1-2 deep-side) and a freeline float with a dollar-bill gizzard
Time Fished: 8:15a - 12:30p
Last day of what was an extended fishing break taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temps - today excluded.... I decided that I'd take a bit of "field trip", and go check how the Blackwater guys have been treating my "stringer" which I keep over there. I left the dock about 7:15 and stopped to add a few gizzards from the shed tank to what I had still in my bait-tank and headed on down lake. On the way I had a whim to try a lower-lake creek so I spent about an hour pulling that creek - no action to be found unfortunately so I picked up and moved on to my target area on the other side of the lake.
I had a lot of water to cover - had pulled for probably 45 min or so without as much as a bait coming to the surface. This happened to be an area I fished last spring and landed my personal best at the time (still is by weight) - a 38.25" / 25 lb striper in March. I had just texted Tyler that I should have probably stayed over on my side of the lake - but that there was hope as I had not yet come to the area where we caught that fish last year.
I kid you not - within feet of where the fish hit last year - the planer board went flying - the third board from the bank with a big bait. I picked up the rod and started to reel - having to work the rod under the back two rods and try and keep tension on the line. About the time I got the rod clear it felt as if the fish had spit the bait / hook - I didn't want to reel in hopes it would come back - but I reeled a bit and then the rod loaded back up - the fish had been swimming at the boat.... it then turned and ran out to the deeper water and was pulling drag - I could feel by the weight that this was a good fish. I had the drag a little loose so I tightened it down a click or two..... it was about then I felt that dreaded "pop" - of a hook pulling..... reeled it in, heart-broken - to find that the stinger hook had bent open a bit.
I kept on pulling - hoping to put that behind me - a ways on down the pull I had something roll fairly violently on one of the deep-side free-line boards with a dollar-bill - and then came back and hammer the bait and managed to run off without getting the hook in the process. Fortunately - just a minute or so later the bank-side board with a dollar-bill buried and in short-order I had a fish to the boat that I think went 33" although it was only 9-10 lbs. At least the skunk was off for the day......
I pulled all the way to the back of one finger of this area and then started to work around a rocky point to another finger when I managed to get all my boards tangled up - had to cut & retie a few and re-set for the pull..... a couple hundred feet into the pull one of the boards found a submerged tree and hung - and just at that moment the other board went down - great.... two hangs I though..... but when I picked up that rod it pulled back - and not like a limb.... Fish On!
This one did not want to head to the deeper water - but tried to head back to the bank-side timber so I had to give it a little more heat - worrief the whole time I was going to pull the stinger or bend it or whatever.... (if it was hooked by the stinger....)
As so often happens - when I got my 1st look at the fish I did not think it was all that long - until I got it in the net and saw it's girth. She was a bit beat up - looked like a fish during the spawn - thought it is very early for that...... not sure if something else was going on with this one or not... She went 37.75" and 21 lbs - I would have thought it would have been heavier based on the thickness of that fish - but guess it was not all that long.
I pulled all the way to the back of one finger of this area and then started to work around a rocky point to another finger when I managed to get all my boards tangled up - had to cut & retie a few and re-set for the pull..... a couple hundred feet into the pull one of the boards found a submerged tree and hung - and just at that moment the other board went down - great.... two hangs I though..... but when I picked up that rod it pulled back - and not like a limb.... Fish On!
This one did not want to head to the deeper water - but tried to head back to the bank-side timber so I had to give it a little more heat - worrief the whole time I was going to pull the stinger or bend it or whatever.... (if it was hooked by the stinger....)
As so often happens - when I got my 1st look at the fish I did not think it was all that long - until I got it in the net and saw it's girth. She was a bit beat up - looked like a fish during the spawn - thought it is very early for that...... not sure if something else was going on with this one or not... She went 37.75" and 21 lbs - I would have thought it would have been heavier based on the thickness of that fish - but guess it was not all that long.
I pulled on around without any more action there - headed back out to where I lost the 1st fish to see if it was back home - not too far from where I lost it I hooked up again - another good fight but this one another 33" - though it weighed closer to 15 lbs.... Packed it up at that point and headed off to try and find some more big bait.... not a lot to report on that front other than some sore muscles.......
Good way to wrap up a good few days of fishing - with my 2nd citation of 2017..... And y'all say the Blackwater doesn't have any good fish......
Good way to wrap up a good few days of fishing - with my 2nd citation of 2017..... And y'all say the Blackwater doesn't have any good fish......
Tackle Tip for April - Check Your Hooks
As we get into April / late April, the shad will be coming up on the banks at night and it will be time for some night time plugging. It's a good time to check those treble hooks on your favorite hard baits. Replace hooks that are dull, bent or broken. Cordell Redfins, a spring favorite, are notorious for weak hooks, replace them out of the package with a quality extra strong treble. And remember, when you land that plug in a tree after dark, don't pull on it to free it. It can become a dangerous projectile that you won't see coming, cut the line and come back for it later.
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.
Smith Mountain Striper Club members receive a 10% Discount
Call or e-mail for details. [email protected] / (304) 928-7653 www.rockcreekplaners.com/planer-boards/ |
Check us out on the net at www.castnets.com or call us at (800) 332-6387 ext. 100 and tell them you a member of the Smith Mountain Striper Club to order your nets and receive a 50% discount of list prices.
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