May / June 2016 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.
May Club Meeting - 5/6
Weather permitting, we will be outside stretching our legs.... we'll be doing demonstrations of cast-net throwing techniques and hold a rod/reel casting competition with a $50 Gift Certificate prize for the winner - oh, and we'll be serving Hot Dogs! Come on out and get the latest on fishing reports & discuss upcoming activities for the coming months.
June Club Meeting - 6/3
Speaker TBD - of course as always we will of course get an update on the latest fishing reports from members and discuss techniques relevant for the upcoming month.
2nd Annual Fun in the Sun Outing - 6/4
We'll hold a fun "tournament" for members & guest with a cook-out to follow. Look for more details later in this newsletter.
July Club Meeting - 7/1
Speaker TBD - of course as always we will of course get an update on the latest fishing reports from members and discuss techniques relevant for the upcoming month.
May Club Meeting - 5/6
Weather permitting, we will be outside stretching our legs.... we'll be doing demonstrations of cast-net throwing techniques and hold a rod/reel casting competition with a $50 Gift Certificate prize for the winner - oh, and we'll be serving Hot Dogs! Come on out and get the latest on fishing reports & discuss upcoming activities for the coming months.
June Club Meeting - 6/3
Speaker TBD - of course as always we will of course get an update on the latest fishing reports from members and discuss techniques relevant for the upcoming month.
2nd Annual Fun in the Sun Outing - 6/4
We'll hold a fun "tournament" for members & guest with a cook-out to follow. Look for more details later in this newsletter.
July Club Meeting - 7/1
Speaker TBD - of course as always we will of course get an update on the latest fishing reports from members and discuss techniques relevant for the upcoming month.
President's Corner
It seems like Spring just arrived and now Summer is starting to knock on our door. Hopefully we'll get a decent period of moderate weather during May & early June before the warm temperatures set in too hard.
I wanted to update you on a decision which we've come through - though a hard one to do so. As you know before our March meeting I requested your input & support for the 4H Fishing clinics which we have staffed for many years. Unfortunately the lack of someone to act as the point person for coordination, and the lack of sufficient support from our membership has resulted in our inability to take on this task. I will be communicating this to the 4H leadership in the coming week - should they have a creative way that we can provide support with reduced resource investment, then we'll bring that forward. One thing the board agreed to do is to get a group together for a work-session to refurbish all the rods/reels used at the 4H to ensure the group there has proper equipment and spare tackle to work with for this upcoming summer. If we can coordinate things in time, we may do this as a part of our March meeting. This was a difficult decision for us to come to, but without support from a board enough cross-section of our members, we just cannot take this on - it is unfair to expect the effort to be borne by a small number of members time and time again.
We'll also talk about the plans this year for lake clean-up. The format is different this year - instead of a single coordinated event with logistics in place for collection (dumpsters, pontoons, etc), the decision was made by that group to allow individual groups to do their own collection events. We know the magnitude of what we have handled in the past, so we'll need to discuss as a Club what could be done - or perhaps how we could partner with some others to still serve our community in a way similar to what we have in the past. If you have thoughts or ideas on this topic, please bring them to the Club meeting for discussion.
On a lighter & happier note - I want to say Thank You to all of those that have been submitting entries for this year's Fish Ladder. We have had some quality fish entered on the ladder and folks are climbing up the rungs, bumping folks off. We're opening the ladder to spouses and children of our members this year as well - with the goal of getting as much participation of our members in fishing as possible - so don't forget when you catch that next "nice one" to snap a picture on a measuring device and send it in.
I hope you've had a chance to get out on the water and enjoy some good fishing - it seems the lower-lake bite is on in fill swing and reports of evening breaking near the dam have been coming in - fund times if you can hit it right!
Fish On! - Mike Ward
I wanted to update you on a decision which we've come through - though a hard one to do so. As you know before our March meeting I requested your input & support for the 4H Fishing clinics which we have staffed for many years. Unfortunately the lack of someone to act as the point person for coordination, and the lack of sufficient support from our membership has resulted in our inability to take on this task. I will be communicating this to the 4H leadership in the coming week - should they have a creative way that we can provide support with reduced resource investment, then we'll bring that forward. One thing the board agreed to do is to get a group together for a work-session to refurbish all the rods/reels used at the 4H to ensure the group there has proper equipment and spare tackle to work with for this upcoming summer. If we can coordinate things in time, we may do this as a part of our March meeting. This was a difficult decision for us to come to, but without support from a board enough cross-section of our members, we just cannot take this on - it is unfair to expect the effort to be borne by a small number of members time and time again.
We'll also talk about the plans this year for lake clean-up. The format is different this year - instead of a single coordinated event with logistics in place for collection (dumpsters, pontoons, etc), the decision was made by that group to allow individual groups to do their own collection events. We know the magnitude of what we have handled in the past, so we'll need to discuss as a Club what could be done - or perhaps how we could partner with some others to still serve our community in a way similar to what we have in the past. If you have thoughts or ideas on this topic, please bring them to the Club meeting for discussion.
On a lighter & happier note - I want to say Thank You to all of those that have been submitting entries for this year's Fish Ladder. We have had some quality fish entered on the ladder and folks are climbing up the rungs, bumping folks off. We're opening the ladder to spouses and children of our members this year as well - with the goal of getting as much participation of our members in fishing as possible - so don't forget when you catch that next "nice one" to snap a picture on a measuring device and send it in.
I hope you've had a chance to get out on the water and enjoy some good fishing - it seems the lower-lake bite is on in fill swing and reports of evening breaking near the dam have been coming in - fund times if you can hit it right!
Fish On! - Mike Ward
March & April Meeting Summaries
In March we held our annual swap meet, and Dan Wilson, Biologist for DGIF gave a presentation on the state of the fishery with data gathers from angler diaries, gill netting, fish head and other sources of information. Lots of good discussion & questions from members during the session.
In April, Steve Nagel & several other members led a discussion on top-water fishing for stripers - discussing lures and techniques for catching in this exciting way.
We have been recording our meeting for upload to YouTube for those members not able to attend. These will available in their 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.
(Note, we are WAY behind in the processing and uploading of these to the web, so bear with us.... if there is one of the past meetings you specifically want to see, let us know and we'll try to prioritize uploading it).
In April, Steve Nagel & several other members led a discussion on top-water fishing for stripers - discussing lures and techniques for catching in this exciting way.
We have been recording our meeting for upload to YouTube for those members not able to attend. These will available in their 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.
(Note, we are WAY behind in the processing and uploading of these to the web, so bear with us.... if there is one of the past meetings you specifically want to see, let us know and we'll try to prioritize uploading it).
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].
SMSC Presented with the Natural Resources Conservation Award
In March, Club President Mike Ward represented the Smith Mountain Striper Club to receive the 2016 Natural Resource Conservationist Award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. This award was in recognition for the Club's long time dedication to the conservation, preservation and education of the Striped Bass fishery at Smith Mountain Lake. Dan Wilson, Biologist with DGIF who we work closely, nominated the Club and we were selected for this by the Chapter for this honor. This recognition is a testament to the efforts of the Club for many years - the efforts of many of you - those that worked with DGIF over the years to help define the management plan, those that have helped to coordinate and assist with stocking & gill-netting, those of you that have turned in fish-heads & diaries. Thanks to all of you that have contributed to these efforts and I look forward to your ongoing support. This award is yours.
It's Time to Renew Your SMSC Membership
We are well into 2016 now - If you have not already turned in your 2016 Membership renewal, please do so - you can print and submit the form attached at the end of this newsletter. Help us get the new year off to a great start by returning these membership renewals as quickly as possible. We certainly hope you will plan to renew and join us in the new year. Also, please use this to consider inviting a friend to join the Club in the new year as well.
Welcome to New Members
We'd like to welcome all new members to the Club - we look forward to your getting involved in our various activities. For our existing members, please make a point to make these new folks feel welcome!
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2nd Annual Fun in the Sun Outing - June 4th
On Saturday, June 4th we will hold our 2nd annual "Fun in the Sun" outing. The format of this outing will be two-fish per person, total weight, with no fish under 20". Lines-in will be at 5:30 am with weigh-in opening at 1pm and closing at 2pm. Fish will be collected for use at a Club fish-fry in the coming months.
Weigh-in will be held at the shelter at Crazy Horse Marina on the Blackwater side of the lake, and will be followed by lunch & awards. The entry fee is a modest $10 per adult, with children under 15 years old being free. The entry fee includes the tournament costs, lunch and awards/prizes.
The registration deadline will be June 3rd at the Club meeting - and a registration form and rules will be available at the June meeting, and sent out via email before hand. Certificates/plaques will be awarded to 1st - 3rd place in the Adult & Children's category, and then each individual which participates will receive one raffle ticket, along with one ticket per fish weighed in. We have some nice prizes to raffle off at the weigh-in - so come and test your luck with both the fish as well as the prizes. We will also hold a 50/50 to sweeten the pot.
What better excuse than to get out on the water for some fun fishing, followed by fellowship & lunch with Club members. Please consider inviting a guest to fish with you as a way to introduce them to the Club and what we are all about. We look forward to seeing you there!
Weigh-in will be held at the shelter at Crazy Horse Marina on the Blackwater side of the lake, and will be followed by lunch & awards. The entry fee is a modest $10 per adult, with children under 15 years old being free. The entry fee includes the tournament costs, lunch and awards/prizes.
The registration deadline will be June 3rd at the Club meeting - and a registration form and rules will be available at the June meeting, and sent out via email before hand. Certificates/plaques will be awarded to 1st - 3rd place in the Adult & Children's category, and then each individual which participates will receive one raffle ticket, along with one ticket per fish weighed in. We have some nice prizes to raffle off at the weigh-in - so come and test your luck with both the fish as well as the prizes. We will also hold a 50/50 to sweeten the pot.
What better excuse than to get out on the water for some fun fishing, followed by fellowship & lunch with Club members. Please consider inviting a guest to fish with you as a way to introduce them to the Club and what we are all about. We look forward to seeing you there!
Ship's Store is Restocked
The Ship's Store has been restocked with a selection of hats and we still have a good selection of shirts & hoodies - if you've been looking to get some gear for a while, Bruce will have the store back going at the May meeting....
Water Temperatures
2016 Fish Ladder
We had a number of members climb on the ladder, with some bumping already going on. Still a good chance of catching a nice fish here during the spawn period, and lots of year left to go - would love to see the ladder full of Citation catches by year's end! When fishing, take a picture of our catch on a measuring device and submit the pic via Facebook, e-mail or bring it to the Club meeting to secure your spot - remember, you can always "upgrade" throughout the year.
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Fishing Outlook for May & June
May can be an interesting time for fishing - one that can be existing and frustrating at the same time - it's time for the "Spawn" There will be fairly large concentrations of fish at the lower end of the lake - Craddock Creek, the dam and near-by areas. Look for schools - schools of striper boats that is ;) Once they go full into spawn mode the bite will shut down for a bit - nothing more frustrating than making tons of fish and they are not interested in anything your're showing..... but it only last so long - and then they will be ready to eat again. Keep a top-water lure ready as surface breaking will happen - and already has been in the last few weeks. Alewifes on light & downlines will produce fish but don't hesitate to put out a few big baits. Anchoring on a point and putting baits on the bottom can deliver numbers as well Also, all the fish are not down-lake - there will be fish on the upper ends of the lake that are running the other way - and you can get away from the crowds that way as well
As we move into June and the water warms the fish will move back toward the central parts of the lake, and slowing move deeper - light-lines can be very productive in June. Targeting main channel points or catching roaming schools of fish will delivery. Watch the water temps - as we move into June the slot goes out as often the water temperature is approaching where it is too warm to safely release fish - especially those caught trolling and pulled on the surface for an extended period or larger fish that had and extended fight. It really depends on the year and the temps but it is something to be mindful, and as you enter late June and approaching July it likely is more risky.
As we move into June and the water warms the fish will move back toward the central parts of the lake, and slowing move deeper - light-lines can be very productive in June. Targeting main channel points or catching roaming schools of fish will delivery. Watch the water temps - as we move into June the slot goes out as often the water temperature is approaching where it is too warm to safely release fish - especially those caught trolling and pulled on the surface for an extended period or larger fish that had and extended fight. It really depends on the year and the temps but it is something to be mindful, and as you enter late June and approaching July it likely is more risky.
Tackle Tip for May - Light-lines for Live Bait
In May the fish tend to still be shallower in the water column - at least in the morning and evening hours. As such, a "light-line" is a good technique to use to catch these suspended fish. What is a 'light-line" - well, its something between a "free-line" and a "down-line". Basically this is an exaggerated Carolina rig - hook, leader (typically 4-6'), swivel and then main-line with a egg sinker ranging from 1/8 - 1/2 oz on the main-line. The amount of weight will depend on how deep you want to present the bait, and your speed. a 3/8 weight, pulled around 0.7 mph around 50' behind the boat is commonly used to get the baits around 20' or so.
The benefit of a light-line is it gets the baits away from the boat, and has a smaller weight so as to not look "as" unnatural as a larger 2 oz sinker. Light-lines can be pulled from planers or directly off the side / back of the boat - or even floats - very versatile. Just be mindful of the amount of line behind the boat when making tight turns else they are prone to tangling If running multiple light-lines (or down-lines) at the boat, try varying the weight - with the heavier weighted / shorted "leash" lines forward and those with lighter weigh / longer "leash" aft.
The benefit of a light-line is it gets the baits away from the boat, and has a smaller weight so as to not look "as" unnatural as a larger 2 oz sinker. Light-lines can be pulled from planers or directly off the side / back of the boat - or even floats - very versatile. Just be mindful of the amount of line behind the boat when making tight turns else they are prone to tangling If running multiple light-lines (or down-lines) at the boat, try varying the weight - with the heavier weighted / shorted "leash" lines forward and those with lighter weigh / longer "leash" aft.
A Little Evening Fishing - 4/22/16
Came up on Thursday evening and headed out to catch some bait at the lights after dark under a full moon. Hit a few shallow lights looking for gizzards with no luck - after striking out a while doing that, around 11pm I hit up a well-known light to load up on some ales. My 1/2" net was 1st up, and while I caught a bunch of alewives, it also Christmas treed andI had to pick out baits for 10 minutes. Moved to a 5/8" mesh and plucked out a few nicer ones. A guy was on the docks catching some ales for cut-bait cat fishing, and he managed a few big gizzards and ales/bluebacks, so we traded those for a bunch of ales that gilled or didn't make the cut for my tank I headed on back towards the house, hitting several lights along the way, still without much luck - until the last one - loaded up on a couple of dozen big alewife/blueback (8-10")
Weather: Overcast, light wind, thundershowers, then cloudy; temps in the 70's, light winds except during the storms; full moon
Water: 65-67, visibility of several feet
Techniques: Pulling gizzards & alewives on freelined planers & a few lightines / floats
I thought about fishing a few hours 1st thing in the morning ahead of the approaching front, but given I didn't get to bed until after 2am I wasn't moving at 5:30 or so in time to get out and make it worth the while in the AM. Tyler and I both took the afternoon off and we got out around 2 pm after I stopped to get some gas for the boat - its "long run" season so I went ahead and took the hit and put 60 gal in the boat. At least it topped out the fuel gauge on my 80 gal tank....
After loading a dozen or so money-makers from the shed tank we hit up a shoal that has done well at the end of April / early May before and it had some fish on it - but small.... moved to another creek to fish a major point when we got a text from our buddy Nathan to say keep an eye on the skys as some nasty lightning was not too far away - we decided to run back to Tyler's place to sit out the weather then head back out. Fortunately it was only a 30 min rain delay...
Weather: Overcast, light wind, thundershowers, then cloudy; temps in the 70's, light winds except during the storms; full moon
Water: 65-67, visibility of several feet
Techniques: Pulling gizzards & alewives on freelined planers & a few lightines / floats
I thought about fishing a few hours 1st thing in the morning ahead of the approaching front, but given I didn't get to bed until after 2am I wasn't moving at 5:30 or so in time to get out and make it worth the while in the AM. Tyler and I both took the afternoon off and we got out around 2 pm after I stopped to get some gas for the boat - its "long run" season so I went ahead and took the hit and put 60 gal in the boat. At least it topped out the fuel gauge on my 80 gal tank....
After loading a dozen or so money-makers from the shed tank we hit up a shoal that has done well at the end of April / early May before and it had some fish on it - but small.... moved to another creek to fish a major point when we got a text from our buddy Nathan to say keep an eye on the skys as some nasty lightning was not too far away - we decided to run back to Tyler's place to sit out the weather then head back out. Fortunately it was only a 30 min rain delay...
We decided to go fish some spots we'd not fished before, but had been eyeing on Google Maps & the contour charts. Had a few nervous baits and chases - and Tyler landed a nice one on a money-maker gizzard... though of the wrong species... I know some guys would have liked to have this fish on the weekend during the Bass Pro / Huk Big Bass Classic - we didn't weigh it but likely was close to 6 lbs - was 21.5" long. Tylerdid put a striper in the boat off a large alewife as well though - at 9 lbs.
We moved on down-lake to fish some waters that used to be very productive in the day of old. Well, key word is "used to be" - nothing going on other than one chase that was likely that of a bass and crossing a very impressive bait-ball A little before dark we moved back up the lake to hit the creek we caught some fish in in order to throw the net a bit and get a handful of baits before we called it a day - then off to dinner and then home to get some sleep for the next morning.....
We moved on down-lake to fish some waters that used to be very productive in the day of old. Well, key word is "used to be" - nothing going on other than one chase that was likely that of a bass and crossing a very impressive bait-ball A little before dark we moved back up the lake to hit the creek we caught some fish in in order to throw the net a bit and get a handful of baits before we called it a day - then off to dinner and then home to get some sleep for the next morning.....
Tackle Tip for June - Sizing your Hook to your Baits
An often overlooked aspect of rigging for bait is that of matching your hook size to your bait. In order to have a natural presentation you don not want to have an oversized hook on a small bait - this will drag down, weighting down the bait, tiring it out faster, and just look unnatural as well.
With alewifes or smaller juvenile gizzards, on SML, we tend to run 1/0 to 2/0 Octopus circle hooks depending on the size, or if using Octopus or "J" style hooks, a 2/0 to 3/0 on the larger end. Some will run a smaller hook - Size 1 - but the wire in these tends to be weaker than I am comfortable with most of the time given the need to sometimes "horse" a fish away from all the timber.
For dollar bill-sized gizzards to to around maybe 10", a 5/0 hook Octopus hook is used, or a bit larger circle hook - and with bit baits - those 10"+ we'll use a 7/0 Octopus. Circle hooks often require maybe one size up to ensure there is enough of the gap exposed.
In general, go with as small of a hook as you can get away with, ensuring sufficent "point" & circle gap exposed to allow for a solid hook-set.
With alewifes or smaller juvenile gizzards, on SML, we tend to run 1/0 to 2/0 Octopus circle hooks depending on the size, or if using Octopus or "J" style hooks, a 2/0 to 3/0 on the larger end. Some will run a smaller hook - Size 1 - but the wire in these tends to be weaker than I am comfortable with most of the time given the need to sometimes "horse" a fish away from all the timber.
For dollar bill-sized gizzards to to around maybe 10", a 5/0 hook Octopus hook is used, or a bit larger circle hook - and with bit baits - those 10"+ we'll use a 7/0 Octopus. Circle hooks often require maybe one size up to ensure there is enough of the gap exposed.
In general, go with as small of a hook as you can get away with, ensuring sufficent "point" & circle gap exposed to allow for a solid hook-set.
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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