Stripers at Fletcher's

[fish4evr]

I was fishing Fletcher's yesterday from the rocks and saw some very large stripers, anyone else seeing them or am I getting sun stroke? Saw three stripers (or the same one 3 times) about 30-40 inches long come chasing after the 15" shad on my line and do a u-turn at the rock I was standing on. Got a good look at the wide striped side. Can't imagine what would have happened to my gear if the striper had decided to inhale the shad. Would that be an illegal catch?[angel]

[The Old Man]

Every year, right about this time of year, big stripers arrive to gorge on shad and herring...nope, you're not hallucinating.

Next time I rent a boat and fly-fish for shad, I'm dropping 8-ounces of lead on a conventional rig with some cut herring at the back of the boat...what the hell.

Not legal to keep them until May 1 (that was last years date I think) and they have to be 18" or longer (also last years data...others may have updates for ya).

-- Doug

[riverwade]

I was fishing downstream of CB last nite and the DNR electrofishing boat was shocking up fish and I asked him if he's seen any stripers and he said they got a couple 20 pounders up near the bridge. That's when I immediately tied on a BA. Only fished it for a few minutes to no avail as it was getting dark, but does have me motivated to head out next week. I've caught up to 10 pounders there which are a blast in that current, I can' t imagine hooking up with a 20 lber there.

[Gregresh]

Rockfish season opens this Saturday on the bay. You are allowed 1 fish per person per day. I dont know about non-tidal areas though.

[Keith83]

So is cut herring the best bet for catchin stripers? or do big spoons and stuff work too???

I know Ive seen people catching the herring in the creek with nets but I think that was in the summer months (I could be wrong)...Can you buy herring around fletchers when you cant catch em?

Im getting excited just reading this!!!

[Flying Fish]

I can tell you what happens if you hook a striper on shad gear; you run a long way down the river and then you lose your rig. I was lucky not to lose any of my fly line. But it's exciting for a while.

Fletcher's has a sign that says rockfish (=striper) season opens May 1 in DC.

I don't think a spoon would work because I think the stripers are mainly along the very rocky bottom, but who knows, maybe it would. If they are following hooked shad up to where you can see them, maybe they'd follow a spoon as well. I also suspect they aren't thick enough in there to have a good shot at catching one on an artifical (soft plastic, spoon, jig), but again, I don't know.

I'd think cut herring would be the best possible bait that's legal, fished on the bottom.

FF

[HJS]

I've heard many stores from the Susky about stripers ripping off hooked hickory, herring and perch during the spring runs. The mouth of Deer Creek is notorious for marauding bubba stripers. I've had it happen to me several times there, and I'm talking 20-30# stripers. The water at Deer Creek can be quite clear and you can watch stripers rip off a 16" hickory and swallow it in seconds. Takes a really big striper to swallow a hickory of that size.

But in the Fletchers/CB area I've never had that happen, never even had a follow. And I'd say I'm closing in on a 1000 hickories at Fletchers/CB over the past several years. So if big stripers are there, then theres not very many of them or I would have at least had a follow. Now, up above CB, I've caught lots of schoolie and smaller stripers (mostly 14"-18", none over 24") on 4" & 5" BAs. But none of them were big enough to tackle a hickory.