[Thfireman]

Can anyone give a general lowdown on how to striper fish? I know it isnt that easy but I could use information on what I need to get started. I dont havwe a downrigger and currently cant afford one. I heard that there is a dive rig to use to get the bate down. I need to know how to rig up my line, Suggested weight of line and type of reel and pole needed. How fast should i troll and do I troll the main channel on a river like Lake Wylie or is there other places? Do I need to troll at all? See I am new at this and need any help you can give. If there is a site or photos that will help that would be great as well. Thanks all, Roger

 

[NCangler]

The best advice I can give is book a half day or day charter with a striper guide, preferably on the water you wish to fish most of the time. I booked a charter with Capt. Troy of Striper-Sniper Adventures on Jordan Lake last fall and learned about bait, rigs, lead-core line (as an alternative to downriggers), etc. I'm actually work with Troy on a video about "Planer Board Fishing for Striped Bass" that will be released in a next year. After that we may do one on live-bait and trolling for Stripers.

I'm sure some others can join in here with some tips to get you going in the meantime though.

 

[Thfireman]

Thanks, I am considering a day with a guide. Just not sure if I can find one on Wylie.

 

[shemstreet]

A planer will get your lure down if the lure does not put a lot of strain on the line that would trip it. These work well with bucktails and smaller shads as well as spoons.

A heavy trolling weight will also get a lure down, and can be used with more types of lures but can take some of the fun out of fighting the fish. You would adjust the weight of lead and length of line out to determine the lure depth (search for trolling tables). If the fish are running less than 30' deep, you can also get away with trolling crank baits. A Rapala DT16 runs about 15' down, then Manns Stretch 20 and Stretch 25 lures run about those depths (Stretch 25's can wander around and hook all your other lures, so keep them way back and only use one or two), and I believe there are some specialized Walleye lures (tail dancers?) that can run deeper than that without being huge.

Big fish or big lures will call for actual trolling gear like Penn 309 reels and 6.5' or 7' 15-30lb class rods. Smaller lures for smaller fish can probably get by with standard heavy bass gear like Garcia Ambassador 5000 & 6000 class reels on medium heavy casting rods.

Or you can try leadcore line. I haven't gotten that far yet, but some people love it.

 

[Thfireman]

Great ideas and I am writing it all down. Thanks for all your help!

 

[zooker]

leadcore line takes a lot of reel space..i have a penn 310 with 150 yards of lead core -the reel is full-..i use 5000,5500,6000 ambassadors on long line mono. mostly run 15 pound mono. carolina rig style 3/4-1 oz egg sinkers a ball bearing swivel in front of 5-8 feet of leader. and a 3/8oz shad head with a sassy shad body.

on the diver rigs i use a diawa great lakes line counter reel this really helps in gettin the planer to dive to the right depth. i usally rig it with a hemlock dead bait rig or a sassy shad. no more than 10 feet back off the diver..