November / December 2013 Newsletter
In This Edition
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
November Club Meeting - 11/1/13
Chili Cook-off & Board Elections - Bring your best pot of chili (and if you don't mind, some bowls & utensils) to put up against the other excellent cooks in the Club. Who knows, maybe someone will bring "Striper Chili" this year. Also, this is an important meeting in which we elect new Board members to guide the Club through the next year. Please be on hand to participate in these elections, as well as give consideration to serving on the Board for a term. This will also be the deadline for registration for the Club Christmas Party, so bring your forms & money.
November Member-Guest Tournament - 11/2/13
The last tournament in the 2013 Series - Make sure you're a part of this one in the final stretch. Check-in will be held at Crazy Horse Marina starting at 3pm, with final call at 4pm.
Club Christmas Banquet - 12/6/13
Join your fellow Club members and their significant others to close out the year with our annual Christmas Banquet. We will again be holding the party at the Resurrection Catholic Church. Hors d'Oeuvres / Social Hour starts at 6pm, Dinner at 7 and presentations to follow. RSVP by Friday, November 1st.
All Club Meetings are held at the Moneta Community Center on Rucker Rd. unless otherwise noted above. You can always check the latest calendar of Club events on the Club Website.
Chili Cook-off & Board Elections - Bring your best pot of chili (and if you don't mind, some bowls & utensils) to put up against the other excellent cooks in the Club. Who knows, maybe someone will bring "Striper Chili" this year. Also, this is an important meeting in which we elect new Board members to guide the Club through the next year. Please be on hand to participate in these elections, as well as give consideration to serving on the Board for a term. This will also be the deadline for registration for the Club Christmas Party, so bring your forms & money.
November Member-Guest Tournament - 11/2/13
The last tournament in the 2013 Series - Make sure you're a part of this one in the final stretch. Check-in will be held at Crazy Horse Marina starting at 3pm, with final call at 4pm.
Club Christmas Banquet - 12/6/13
Join your fellow Club members and their significant others to close out the year with our annual Christmas Banquet. We will again be holding the party at the Resurrection Catholic Church. Hors d'Oeuvres / Social Hour starts at 6pm, Dinner at 7 and presentations to follow. RSVP by Friday, November 1st.
All Club Meetings are held at the Moneta Community Center on Rucker Rd. unless otherwise noted above. You can always check the latest calendar of Club events on the Club Website.
Club Board Members
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Committee Chairs
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From the Editor
There is finally a chill in the air here in late October as I put together this newsletter - the last installment for 2013. Hard to believe that we are in the home-stretch of the year, but that also means that "Rocktober" is in full-swing and I for one have been fishing every chance I get - looks like I will get on the water at least once each week during October - not bad for a working guy. The warm start to Fall seems to have delayed the fish moving into their normal Fall patterns and one of my Fall honey-holes has been a been a bit disappointing this year, though I've fished it over and over hoping it would produce. Sometimes you just keep counting on what has worked in the past to work for you again. Stubbornness can be a hard lesson to learn - that you can't count on the past and have to try new things - keep it fresh.
As we've gone through 2013, we've tried to keep things fresh with the Club and the way we reach out to our members. We've continued to produce new content for the Club Website, but also ramped up the on-line Discussion Forum. We migrated to this new bi-monthly newsletter format - in a large part due to the fact that what worked in the past was not working now - generating a quality monthly Bulletin became a daunting task for one, or even one and a half folks - so when Bob Rowe stepped down, I stepped in with a new twist. I hope that this year's newsletters have been entertaining and informative. If not, then I look forward to your ideas & contributes for next year... this newsletter is for you, our members and without your voice it is hard to meet that goal.
Also on that point - as we roll into our November meetings we will be participating in Board elections. The Club board has been acting with less than a full roster for some time, and we have a couple of Board members completing their terms and stepping down. This is an opportunity for you to step up and participate on the Club board and have a direct hand in influencing the direction and content of the Club. Please give it serious consideration. Even if you do not elect to participate on the Board, when asked to lead or participate in one of the many Club committees, please say "yes" - after all, without your participation there is no Club.
Fish On!
Mike Ward
As we've gone through 2013, we've tried to keep things fresh with the Club and the way we reach out to our members. We've continued to produce new content for the Club Website, but also ramped up the on-line Discussion Forum. We migrated to this new bi-monthly newsletter format - in a large part due to the fact that what worked in the past was not working now - generating a quality monthly Bulletin became a daunting task for one, or even one and a half folks - so when Bob Rowe stepped down, I stepped in with a new twist. I hope that this year's newsletters have been entertaining and informative. If not, then I look forward to your ideas & contributes for next year... this newsletter is for you, our members and without your voice it is hard to meet that goal.
Also on that point - as we roll into our November meetings we will be participating in Board elections. The Club board has been acting with less than a full roster for some time, and we have a couple of Board members completing their terms and stepping down. This is an opportunity for you to step up and participate on the Club board and have a direct hand in influencing the direction and content of the Club. Please give it serious consideration. Even if you do not elect to participate on the Board, when asked to lead or participate in one of the many Club committees, please say "yes" - after all, without your participation there is no Club.
Fish On!
Mike Ward
September / October Meeting Overviews
During our September meeting, Joel Janecek led a discussion on artificial trolling for the Fall. He presented the various lures he uses for trolling as well as various techniques he employs and areas he targets when trolling this time of year.
Dan Wilson from DGIF stopped by and provided an update regarding a concern he now has about the growth rate in our striped bass population and discussed some changes to regulation that may be proposed. Mike Ward gave an update on what the Preservation Committee has been doing, working in conjunction with Dan Wilson, on this issue and the recommendations which the Club has made, which is a recommendation to "shift up" the slot limit from 26"-36" to 30"-40" in order to continue to protect our larger fish while helping to remove some of the mid-20" fish from the system which is were are are seeing growth rates slow to a crawl. The Preservation Committee is also recommending that we work with DGIF to reinstate the forage surveys and to explore the use of an alternative strain of striped bass for stocking on alternating years in the event our growth rate issue is genetic in nature.
Dan Wilson from DGIF stopped by and provided an update regarding a concern he now has about the growth rate in our striped bass population and discussed some changes to regulation that may be proposed. Mike Ward gave an update on what the Preservation Committee has been doing, working in conjunction with Dan Wilson, on this issue and the recommendations which the Club has made, which is a recommendation to "shift up" the slot limit from 26"-36" to 30"-40" in order to continue to protect our larger fish while helping to remove some of the mid-20" fish from the system which is were are are seeing growth rates slow to a crawl. The Preservation Committee is also recommending that we work with DGIF to reinstate the forage surveys and to explore the use of an alternative strain of striped bass for stocking on alternating years in the event our growth rate issue is genetic in nature.
The October meeting was a double-feature of Swap Meet & Fish Fry. As always - a BIG thanks goes out to the cooks and others that helped with the preparation & serving. It was delicious and everyone was chomping to get a taste once Joel finally let us eat :)
We also had a brief presentation by Mike Ward highlighting aspects of the Club website (www.SmithMountainStriperClub.com) as well as our Club discussion boards (smsc-forums.proboards.com). If you've not taken some time to read through the web-site, or register for the discussion forums, you are missing out on a valuable resource the Club provides. |
Member-Guest Tournament Series Update
We are heading into the home stretch of our 2013 Tournament Series - the 4th of 5 tourneys this year was completed in September with some familiar, but also new names on our leader board. Guest Mark Shepard took Big Fish honors with a 31" fish. Also, we would be remiss if we did not highlight that our the only Youth participant that checked-in fish beat ALL other participants by a hefty 6.75" margin - way to go Stephen!!!!
The results from the September tournament were:
The results from the September tournament were:
Open Class:
1st - Chris May - 51.25" total length 2nd - Macky May - 45" total length 3rd - Stan Benett - 41" total length |
Artificial-only Class:
1st - Mike Rettemnier - 49" total length 2nd - Don Hutchinson - 47.5" total length 3rd - Steve Nagel - 46" total length |
Youth Class:
1st - Stephen Bartnett - 58" total length |
The series leader board as of the completion of the September tournament is:
Open Class
1st - Chris May - 241.75" 2nd - Macky May - 229.5" 3rd - Mike Ward - 193.75" 4th - James Gray - 133.75" 5th - Ken Ulrich - 125.75" |
6th - Bob Rowe - 112.25" 7th - Mark Melius - 101.25" 8th - Lee Brown - 51.75" 9th - David Williamson - 30" 10th - Gary Disbrow - 19.75" |
Artificial-Only Class
1st - Don Hutchinson - 188.75" 2nd - Steve Nagel - 168.25" 3rd - Joel Janecek - 96.75" 4th - Bill Nash - 42" |
Our 5th tournament of the series is close at hand. The deadline for registration for the November Member-Guest is Friday, October 25th. Check-in for this tournament will be held at Crazy Horse Marina. Additional information, registration forms and tournament tokens (and measuring devices for Series participants) will be available at the September Club meeting. As always, additional details and the full Official Tournament Rules will be published in the 2013 Tournament Rules and posted on the Club's website (http://www.smithmountainstriperclub.com/tournament-info.html) and the Club's Facebook page. Any questions can be directed to this year's tournament co-directors - Mark Melius ([email protected]; 540-597-8710) or Rick Boettcher ([email protected]; 540-761-3549).
A few pictures from the tournament are below, and you can see more on the Club website.
A few pictures from the tournament are below, and you can see more on the Club website.
President's Corner
The leaves are falling and there’s a nip in the air at dawn. Fall is a great time to be out on the lake fishing. The fall tree colors add a special touch. Almost all the “fun” boaters are gone leaving a peaceful lake for us fisher-people. Soon some of them will be gone too for hunting season. Sometimes I feel like I have the lake all to myself. With the thermocline gone and the water temperature fairly uniform top to bottom, the fish could be anywhere, and they certainly are. I’ve been finding them above AND below the bridge. Soon they should begin to really school up and move upstream. The cooler temps also mean more top water activity, always exciting events. Soon the birds should also be here.
And please don’t forget safety on the water. The cool air temperature and cool water can be very dangerous if you happen to fall in, which as we know is all too common. Wear that life jacket. It’s something you can live with.
But more important than color, fish and fall are the upcoming elections for the Board of Directors. As I have mentioned before, there are several vacancies to be filled. Don’t be bashful and don’t be shy. Acting as a member of the board is fun and very satisfying. It is the best way to participate in the club and have you ideas and voice heard. If anyone has a question about the board or just wants to talk one-on-one, please give me a call, 708-209-6858.
Also, as we approach the end of the year, it is always nice to get together with fellow members and their significant others at our annual Christmas Party. The RSVP deadline is rapidly approaching and we hope that you will be able to join us for this evening.
Joel
And please don’t forget safety on the water. The cool air temperature and cool water can be very dangerous if you happen to fall in, which as we know is all too common. Wear that life jacket. It’s something you can live with.
But more important than color, fish and fall are the upcoming elections for the Board of Directors. As I have mentioned before, there are several vacancies to be filled. Don’t be bashful and don’t be shy. Acting as a member of the board is fun and very satisfying. It is the best way to participate in the club and have you ideas and voice heard. If anyone has a question about the board or just wants to talk one-on-one, please give me a call, 708-209-6858.
Also, as we approach the end of the year, it is always nice to get together with fellow members and their significant others at our annual Christmas Party. The RSVP deadline is rapidly approaching and we hope that you will be able to join us for this evening.
Joel
Waid Park Fishing Derby
This year members of the Club again volunteered their time to assist in the Waid Park Fishing Derby. Club members assisted by weighing and measuring the children's catch. The lucky winner is shown below with a couple of nice trout. A BIG thanks go out to Macky May, Walter Potucek & Richard Sorter for coming out to assist with this event.
Member Catches
Below are some pictures of Member Catches over the last few months. We all love pics, so please submit yours - you can post them to the Club Facebook page, or send them to [email protected].
Water Temperature- 10/22/13
Fall is definitely here - below are the water temperature readings for the past two weeks and you can see the continued drop in the surface temperatures - while the deepest layers still continue to absorb some warmth from above.
As always, a big thanks to Joel Janecek for his diligent collection of this useful temperature data. |
Win a Charter with Capt. Kathy F
The Club is raffling off tickets for a striper fishing charter with Captain Kathy F of Spike's Prime Time Fishing (www.spikesprimetimefishin.com). Tickets are $5 each and will be sold between now and the Club Christmas Party (December 6th) or when 100 tickets have been sold - whichever comes first.
Contact Club Treasurer, Rick Boettcher or Club President, Joel Janecek for details, or see them at the November meeting.
Contact Club Treasurer, Rick Boettcher or Club President, Joel Janecek for details, or see them at the November meeting.
Tackle Tip for November - The Kite-Fisher Snell Knot
The Kite-Fisher Snell knot is one of the simplest ways I have found to snell hooks. I like to snell all my Octopus style hooks (both regular Octopus as well as Octopus Circle hooks). My friend Travis Patsell, of Cats-n-Stripers Guide Service, turned me on to this technique and he has a great little video on YouTube that shows how to tie this snell - you can find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPnnfm6pGeg.
When you tie this knot you'll question its holding ability as it seems the whole thing will just unravel, but tension on the line holds this knot in place and I have not seen it fail yet due to unraveling. The only down-side to the this snell technique is that you must have access to both ends of your leader. However, it is such a quick, efficient and elgant knot that when snelling a new hook onto an existing tied on leader, I'll just cut my leader from the swivel, snell and then tie the leader back to the swivel with a uni-knot or Palomar knot.
The below write-up comes from "Paul's Fishing Kites" web-site - http://www.fishing.sh/htmfiles/knots/snelling.html
Snelling is a very simple method of fishing hook knot tying and the snell knot is the strongest of all saltwater fishing hook knots.
Tying fishing hooks
When you tie this knot you'll question its holding ability as it seems the whole thing will just unravel, but tension on the line holds this knot in place and I have not seen it fail yet due to unraveling. The only down-side to the this snell technique is that you must have access to both ends of your leader. However, it is such a quick, efficient and elgant knot that when snelling a new hook onto an existing tied on leader, I'll just cut my leader from the swivel, snell and then tie the leader back to the swivel with a uni-knot or Palomar knot.
The below write-up comes from "Paul's Fishing Kites" web-site - http://www.fishing.sh/htmfiles/knots/snelling.html
Snelling is a very simple method of fishing hook knot tying and the snell knot is the strongest of all saltwater fishing hook knots.
Tying fishing hooks
- First pass the trace through the eye of the hook from the front of the hook. Only pass it through about half an inch.
- Hold the shank of the hook and the half inch tab end and wrap the trace around both the shank of the hook and the tab end 7 or 8 turns.
- Pass the trace back down through the eye of the hook from the back of the hook.
- Pull the trace tight while holding the hook to set the snell.
- There should be very little or no tag end protruding when the knot is set.
Member Profile - Bob Rowe
I came to the lake to fish back in the early 1980's with colleagues from GE in Waynesboro VA. After that wild weekend of partying and some fishing, I became quite interested in SML. Came down later and camped and fished with Club member Gary Disbrow as we really started to discover the lake. Back then we used a 12 foot aluminum Starcraft with a 7 1/2 hp (I think) that came from Gary's father in Upstate NY. A far cry from what we use now. After being hooked on the lake, I purchased a self contained trailer and rented seasonal sites at the now closed Bass Cove campground near the State Park and later at Blue Ridge Campground near Gills Creek Marina.
In 1990 I married my wife Lynn and we purchased our current property and finally finished our home in 2003. We live back in the cove on the Roanoke side by R25. Lynn was a SML fan way before we met and was an easy convert for moving down here from Stuarts Draft, VA after retirement in 2007. I was born in Schnectay, NY and graduated high school from Sartatoga Springs, NY. In fact I just came back from my 50th HS reunion meeting up with classmates that I have not seen in 50 years. My trail to the lake really all started back in 1967 (after graduating from Michigan State University) when I joined General Electric's Manufacturing Management Program, a 3 year company divisional rotation program with graduate level courses.
In 1990 I married my wife Lynn and we purchased our current property and finally finished our home in 2003. We live back in the cove on the Roanoke side by R25. Lynn was a SML fan way before we met and was an easy convert for moving down here from Stuarts Draft, VA after retirement in 2007. I was born in Schnectay, NY and graduated high school from Sartatoga Springs, NY. In fact I just came back from my 50th HS reunion meeting up with classmates that I have not seen in 50 years. My trail to the lake really all started back in 1967 (after graduating from Michigan State University) when I joined General Electric's Manufacturing Management Program, a 3 year company divisional rotation program with graduate level courses.
This program took me to Philadelphia, PA, Lynn MA (outside of Boston) and Waynesboro, VA (2 hours north of the here). I finally accepted a permanent job in Waynesboro in 1970 and started my introduction into the great variety of hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities in this great area of Virginia. I guess this gives me some right to claim that I am more Southern (after 43 years) then Northern (25 years) and I am proud of it. While working out of Waynesboro with GE and the follow on companies after GE sold our division, I had assignments in Louisville, KY, McAllen TX and Reynosa, Mexico. At age 62, life when working with an out of state corporate HQ became too stressful and with several health issues developing, I said to hell with it and joined the list of retirees at SML and do not regret one second of it. In fact the health issues all but disappeared afterwards. But not regretting if of course ignores that fact that more years of corporate work would have allowed for more toys now. This is translated to mean more fishing poles and the best fish finders that I could find. Not having these "mandatory pieces of equipment" supports my excuse now for only being a mediocre striper fisherman.
SML became a passion for Lynn and I coming down to our campsite and staying with friends in their homes. We finally joined several groups along with the Striper Club. These joinings have resulted in many networking of friends who we parlayed into being active in the Striper Club of course, the local hiking club, dining and play club and we are getting close to the best one, the local wine tasting club. In addition, Lynn adds to her list being a part of the Thursday morning girls breakfast club at the Shell Station above the Halesford Bridge and the Jersey Girls (yes she is also a Nothern Girl turned into a Southern girl given her coming to VA in 1972).
I joined the Striper Club before coming to the lake full time and have attended a very large majority of the general meetings. This is a great way to pick up pointers on Striper fishing. But I was a member back in the 1990's but somehow my subscription had lapsed and I became lost to the Club for awhile. Many years ago, my arm was sort of twisted by the current club President, Ken Ulrich and he convinced me to run for the Board and I did. It was a tough battle to be elected since there the same number of candidates as there were Board Member openings (tongue in cheek - yes we had challenges back then to fill all the seats too. I am sure that is why I got on the Board).
SML became a passion for Lynn and I coming down to our campsite and staying with friends in their homes. We finally joined several groups along with the Striper Club. These joinings have resulted in many networking of friends who we parlayed into being active in the Striper Club of course, the local hiking club, dining and play club and we are getting close to the best one, the local wine tasting club. In addition, Lynn adds to her list being a part of the Thursday morning girls breakfast club at the Shell Station above the Halesford Bridge and the Jersey Girls (yes she is also a Nothern Girl turned into a Southern girl given her coming to VA in 1972).
I joined the Striper Club before coming to the lake full time and have attended a very large majority of the general meetings. This is a great way to pick up pointers on Striper fishing. But I was a member back in the 1990's but somehow my subscription had lapsed and I became lost to the Club for awhile. Many years ago, my arm was sort of twisted by the current club President, Ken Ulrich and he convinced me to run for the Board and I did. It was a tough battle to be elected since there the same number of candidates as there were Board Member openings (tongue in cheek - yes we had challenges back then to fill all the seats too. I am sure that is why I got on the Board).
After serving on the Board under President Roy Sammons, I was elected to be your President after Roy left, and served until handing over the reins to Joel J in 2013. I thank Roy for his guidance both during and after my election. Oh, I cannot forget to mention that with my election to the Board, I took over the Club Bulletin duty after Cindy Turlington's great efforts. I thank her also for the great support she gave me during my efforts trying to get a Bulletin out. Finally last year I was ready to give up the Bulletin tasks. I felt that it really took up too much of my time and kept me away from Striper Fishing. Now that Mike Ward has graciously picked up where I left off, I have more time to fish. But guess what? I am not getting out there. Something is wrong here.
Lynn and I have 3 sons and 8 grandchildren with one more on the way along with a great grandchild. And the good news is that we have made fishermen for sure out of 6 of them and are still working on the others. Hopefully I can develop a future citation Striper fisherman out of at least one of them.
I fish out of a Bennington Tritoon that I made modified to also serve as a Striper Fishing Boat. It was once called a "geriatric cruiser" by one of our neighbor's younger son. But I think it works very well with all things considered. Now that my wife has accepted my adding holes to it here and there and after a few dings in it, she is going along with my continuing modifications.
Now as I kept saying to others in the Bulletin, "just get out there and go fishing". As soon as my sore back heals and hunting season is over, I will do just that.
Lynn and I have 3 sons and 8 grandchildren with one more on the way along with a great grandchild. And the good news is that we have made fishermen for sure out of 6 of them and are still working on the others. Hopefully I can develop a future citation Striper fisherman out of at least one of them.
I fish out of a Bennington Tritoon that I made modified to also serve as a Striper Fishing Boat. It was once called a "geriatric cruiser" by one of our neighbor's younger son. But I think it works very well with all things considered. Now that my wife has accepted my adding holes to it here and there and after a few dings in it, she is going along with my continuing modifications.
Now as I kept saying to others in the Bulletin, "just get out there and go fishing". As soon as my sore back heals and hunting season is over, I will do just that.
From The Water - 10/15, 10/17 & 10/22 - Joel Janecek
So I was out three days: Tues 10/15, Fri 10/18 and today Tues 10/22. I can summarize all three trips in one simple paragraph.
Started up lake in the dark and ran when the light came. I stopped and checked several spots along the way and found nothing. I started trolling at Beaver Dam and headed up to Lynville.
15th - I saw a few fish but no schools. 18th - I saw fewer fish. Today I saw zilch. Its like they all disappeared.
18th I made it all to way to the flats near Hardy. The bait was flipping but I saw nothing chasing. Casting only got me some good practice. Today I went past the Hardy bridge to the first holes in the river. I was only marking small fish but I cast and jigged anyway. No bites. Each day on the way back I would check spots and troll some with no results. No breakers ever. Three days, 27 hours of fishing got me one 17" early on the 18th at Beaverdam.
Good thing I like to fish or this would be disheartening. It can only get better.
Later Joel
Started up lake in the dark and ran when the light came. I stopped and checked several spots along the way and found nothing. I started trolling at Beaver Dam and headed up to Lynville.
15th - I saw a few fish but no schools. 18th - I saw fewer fish. Today I saw zilch. Its like they all disappeared.
18th I made it all to way to the flats near Hardy. The bait was flipping but I saw nothing chasing. Casting only got me some good practice. Today I went past the Hardy bridge to the first holes in the river. I was only marking small fish but I cast and jigged anyway. No bites. Each day on the way back I would check spots and troll some with no results. No breakers ever. Three days, 27 hours of fishing got me one 17" early on the 18th at Beaverdam.
Good thing I like to fish or this would be disheartening. It can only get better.
Later Joel
Tackle Tip For December - Pigtail Swivels
With Fall here and temperatures dropping, getting your fingers to work can sometimes be a little challenging. Many planer boards come with cheap "snap" swivels which can be difficult to get open and closed on the best of days - much less than on those crisp mornings in the Fall.
A great tip passed on to me some years ago by Capt. Todd Keith of the Shad Taxi is to use "pig tail" swivels. Offshore Tackle makes these and they can be purchased at local tackle shops such as Captain's Quarters. The closed swivel end attaches to the planer board via the large split-ring, and then your line attaches to the "pig tail". All you have to do is to make a loop with your line, and then put that loop over the wire opening, and follow the "tail". There is not a quicker way to attach or remove your line from your planer boards, and your fingers will thank you for not having to work those tough little snap swivels.
A great tip passed on to me some years ago by Capt. Todd Keith of the Shad Taxi is to use "pig tail" swivels. Offshore Tackle makes these and they can be purchased at local tackle shops such as Captain's Quarters. The closed swivel end attaches to the planer board via the large split-ring, and then your line attaches to the "pig tail". All you have to do is to make a loop with your line, and then put that loop over the wire opening, and follow the "tail". There is not a quicker way to attach or remove your line from your planer boards, and your fingers will thank you for not having to work those tough little snap swivels.
SMSC Discussion Forum Fishing Report from 9/27/13
Below is a copy of a fishing report filed by member Mike Ward on the SMSC Discussion Boards (smsc-forums.proboards.com) - lots of interesting reading here in a format in which is restricted to only our members - hope you will take advantage of this resource to participate and extend the Club meetings outside of our once a month events.
9/27/13 - Can't Take It Anymore!
Weather: Mostly sunny, little to no wind, temps in the upper 70's
Water: 68, visibility of 1-2' tops
Techniques: big gizzards on freeline boards - 2-3 boards each side.
9/27/13 - Can't Take It Anymore!
Weather: Mostly sunny, little to no wind, temps in the upper 70's
Water: 68, visibility of 1-2' tops
Techniques: big gizzards on freeline boards - 2-3 boards each side.
After some fall-tease fishing this weekend with Tyler, I had the bug and the pics that I'd been getting from Chad & Travis and others were definitely not helping. The wife has the lake condo this weekend for a girls weekend and I'm running Dad's Taxi Service, so this weekend was out. I really wanted to try and find a way to get up to the lake on Wednesday with all the overcast skies, but it was not to be - but when Thursday's work calendar shaped up to be a couple of meetings in the morning and the several con-calls ending about 3pm, I saw a plan.... ditch out of the office at 11 after the face-to-face meetings and then do a "leap frog" up the highway for what is normally a 2.5 hr drive from the office in NC to the lake - but was longer today due to stopping here and there to take a call where I knew there was good cell service. I managed to get to the lake a little after 3 and was on the water by 3:30 and starting to catch bait about 4pm.
Tyler was also itching so I hung around catching bait to wait for him to get down from Roanoke after work. Was hoping I could load up with 20 or so quick and then do a little fishing while waiting for him but the big gizzards were a little allusive - they were there, but I did have to work for them. However, the amount of dark-matter in the lake right now is silly - thousands of pods of 2.5"-3.5" gizzards - I "Christmas-tree'd" my net a couple of times throwing on them when I knew better.....
While catching bait I noticed something off in the water, and realized it was this little striper....
Tyler was also itching so I hung around catching bait to wait for him to get down from Roanoke after work. Was hoping I could load up with 20 or so quick and then do a little fishing while waiting for him but the big gizzards were a little allusive - they were there, but I did have to work for them. However, the amount of dark-matter in the lake right now is silly - thousands of pods of 2.5"-3.5" gizzards - I "Christmas-tree'd" my net a couple of times throwing on them when I knew better.....
While catching bait I noticed something off in the water, and realized it was this little striper....
Don't know what his deal was - I thought maybe he was somehow foul hooked so I brought him aboard to check him out - looked healthy and he fought like heck when lipping him... Tried to revive him a bit - not sure if he was caught earlier and was not going to make it or what - after working him for several minutes he went down but popped right back up and laid in that same odd position that I found him.....
Anyway - caught a little more bait - ended up with 15 nice gizzards in the tank from 8"-12" and picked up Tyler and we headed out. Got our 1st action & bite within 5 min or less of putting out the baits - and it was our biggest fish of the day - 36" / 15 lbs. Hit our biggest gizzard.
Anyway - caught a little more bait - ended up with 15 nice gizzards in the tank from 8"-12" and picked up Tyler and we headed out. Got our 1st action & bite within 5 min or less of putting out the baits - and it was our biggest fish of the day - 36" / 15 lbs. Hit our biggest gizzard.
We had pretty good action all evening - ended up with 4 fish to the boat in total (36"/ 15lb, 35" / 15 lb, 34.5"/ 15lb, 33" / 10 lb), and several other swirls, chases and a few hard tugs when we were not close enough to the rod to hook them up.
I've said it before and will say it again - I envy you guys that can pop on the water for a few hours of water therapy after work - it does good for the soul.....
We fished till we could not see the planers any more then I dropped off Tyler and headed to the slip, cleaned the worst of the bait catching mess out of the boat and departed SML at 10 pm and headed back to NC - hit the sack about midnight. And worth every bit of it !
I've said it before and will say it again - I envy you guys that can pop on the water for a few hours of water therapy after work - it does good for the soul.....
We fished till we could not see the planers any more then I dropped off Tyler and headed to the slip, cleaned the worst of the bait catching mess out of the boat and departed SML at 10 pm and headed back to NC - hit the sack about midnight. And worth every bit of it !
The Ship's Store is Stocked
The Ship's Store is stocked with a variety of colors & sizes of short & long-sleeve t-shirts and long-sleeve sun-blockers. We also have several Club stickers available for sale. Check out the Ship's Store table at the Club meeting. Short-sleeve Pocket-T's are $14, Long-sleeve T's are $18 and Sunblockers are $25/ea. Stickers are $1.75-$2/ea. If you have a special request for color/size, we can get your specific request in the next order.
Also - we're looking for an enterprising member to take over the Ship's Store - this can be a rewarding activity to help drive Club merchandise to our members and the community, while raising awareness of the Club in the process. If you have interest, please see Bob Rowe or Joel Janecek.
Also - we're looking for an enterprising member to take over the Ship's Store - this can be a rewarding activity to help drive Club merchandise to our members and the community, while raising awareness of the Club in the process. If you have interest, please see Bob Rowe or Joel Janecek.
Note: For the remainder of 2013, New Members can join the Smith Mountain Striper Club for $15.
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.