[Outnumbered3-1]

Had one rough week so I skirted my honeydoo's (with a hall pass from the wife) and headed down to the lake for some downtime. It was 14 degrees when I left the house at 6:00 and a balmy 20 degrees when I launched the boat at 7:45 at Rudds Creek. Fortunately, not too much ice at the ramp so off I went. I started running down the creek and did not make it a mile when I saw a few little birds diving. I decided to setup my spread for trolling and bang....25" in the boat. I slow trolled in the same cove for 3 hours and boated 15 to 18 stripers up to 29". All of them fatter and healthier than I have seen in years. Kept a 25" and 27" for dinner and all the rest back to catch another day. So much for resting and downtime.;DGreat way to end January!

FYI Water temp 40, most fish caught on channel edges in 30+ feet of water.

 

[SurfRider]

Nice stripes. Way to get some fish in the boat!

 

[jerry condrey]

Great job on the stripes!! Hard to fish in the cold though, way to tough it out.

DUKE 69, UVA 63...

 

[Neilslure]

Nice. I came really close to going out there and vertical jigging for stripers. I saw a bunch of loons working an area where there have been striper fishermen and the fishermen werent there.

 

[dbeam]

Good Job and some great fish.

Darrell

 

[biophoton]

Nice work! Thanks for the report and photos. Those are some great looking fish. I was in Butchers about a week ago but it was slow, looks like its time for a rematch!

 

[fishdoctor]

Great Report an Pics! they still at the intersection of the creek channels? thats been a great place in the cold season for last couple decades.

 

[Outnumbered3-1]

Great Report an Pics! they still at the intersection of the creek channels? thats been a great place in the cold season for last couple decades.

You are spot on fishdoctor. It like they are pushing the small bait up in the coves and waiting for them to come back out.

 

[fishdoctor]

I hope the size keeps improvin there like it has the last couple yrs, we may have to UPsize our baits if so!