Question for you veteran striped/hybrid bass fisherman

[Douglasdzaster]

I’ve been all over the site with this repair/rebuild I’m about to get wet.
I rigged up with rod holders everywhere for drifting,trolling etc.
The lake I’ll be spending most of my time has some big catfish. So I’m putting some med/heavy set ups together and was about to use high visibility line on everything because catfish don’t mind it and I can keep up with my stuff better. Then I asked myself a question today.
There’s hybrid stripers in that lake too. Are they going to be line shy? I don’t know much about them but I’d like to chase them too. I’ll be night fishing as well but what about the day? Or deeper water in the summer?
If I need too I’ll skip the high vis line on a couple of rods but then what’s the best line for them if they’re particular?
I’ll appreciate any knowledge I can get. Thanks as always.

 

[Tinny Fleet]

Hybrids are an open water fish (read: few or no snags). I fish for them with 8 -10 lb clear or blue line. With this, I have never noticed them to be line shy.

However with pure stripers in freshwater, i have found them to be line shy when going after them with heavier equipment. So dial it back a bit. And definitely not hi-vis line either.

Hope this helps.

 

[sonny1]

Fish and game planted a large amount in lake Eufaula {OK} a few years back. Hybrid Stripers were developed for their fast growth Potential meaning they are very aggressive feeders. Any area where Sand Bass are present you can count count on Hybrids being present. Go figure.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Hybrids are an open water fish (read: few or no snags). I fish for them with 8 -10 lb clear or blue line. With this, I have never noticed them to be line shy.

However with pure stripers in freshwater, i have found them to be line shy when going after them with heavier equipment. So dial it back a bit. And definitely not hi-vis line either.

Hope this helps.

I’m hoping to use my catfish set up with a long fluorocarbon leader that’s supposed to be all most invisible.
Do you think that might work? I don’t have enough rod’s accumulated yet to have separate rigs. However two on them have low vis braid that’s small 40#.
The lake has sand (white) bass as well and they seem to feed together.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Fish and game planted a large amount in lake Eufaula {OK} a few years back. Hybrid Stripers were developed for their fast growth Potential meaning they are very aggressive feeders. Any area where Sand Bass are present you can count count on Hybrids being present. Go figure.

I believe these are the hybrid. I know there’s been some good sized ones come out fishing below the dam. I’ve read several reports of them feeding along with the sand bass in the open lake on flats and humps.
I lived on a park rd. at Somerville many years back . It was a hot summer day here in Texas and I decided to build a few jug lines. I found what looked like a good spot next to an island and baited them with shad for catfish. Checked them two hours later and had stripers on them no catfish. It looked like a school had come through and found the bait. I had to release them since it’s not legal to catch game fish unless rod and reel. A few that where on the shallower hooks where dead because it was above the thermocline I figured (didn’t have any electronics on boat) in the hotter water.
I felt awful and never used jugs again. Unfortunately the short time I lived there I worked a lot and didn’t get much fishing done.
I’ll be catfishing/drifting with fresh shad so I wonder how many stripers I’ll have hit? And if they hook up with my 8/0 circle hooks?
I’ll have at least one rod on standby with a lure Incase I drift into a school of something. And extra leaders made up Incase I decide to change what I’m fishing for. Be hard for me to set there and watch fish schooling and stick to catfishing. Especially if I hadn’t had any good bites.
Everything hits shad. On days I don’t have any luck with my cast net I’ll go to the marina on the lake and buy frozen.
I’ll also be using bream for cut bait I can catch here at home. I can’t use them live unless they’re caught in the same lake I’m fishing. You can’t take live bait from one body of water to a different body of water because of transporting the water from one area to another may have evasive species.
And if I buy live bait I’ll have to produce the receipt if checked.
Another go figure.

 

[sonny1]

Do not have the live bait problem here in Oklahoma. You catch a bunch of perch for bait you can take them anywhere. Shad works great for hybrid stripers that is there number one food source. One interesting fact is hybrid's can not reproduce. Fast growing eating machines. Used a lot in commercial operations.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Do not have the live bait problem here in Oklahoma. You catch a bunch of perch for bait you can take them anywhere. Shad works great for hybrid stripers that is there number one food source. One interesting fact is hybrid's can not reproduce. Fast growing eating machines. Used a lot in commercial operations.

I didn’t know they couldn’t reproduce. They’ve been in the lake I’m driving to for ever. I grew up right down the road from it but never got to spend much time fishing it. We had a retail and wholesale bait operation my parents started when Lake Somerville first opened. I was 3 years old. The last of five kids. As soon as we where big enough we worked. I got so mad when I was a teenager because my Dad wouldn’t allow me to go get a job doing something else. Had some good times though. I remember several customers coming back in to show us their catch. I saw some huge flatheads. Dad would let the liquor control board officer bring them to us live and if we had an empty vat we’d let them swim in the fresh circulating water for a couple of days and the officer said it really cleaned them out.
I’m not sure now if there’s actually stripers in there. I just assumed they were hybrids. That’s a lot of fish being stocked regularly. I remember everyone calling them stripers.
Yea about live bait. It’s the water they don’t want transported from one body of water to another. They’re fitting several evasive species of zebra mussels , different types of plant life , We have a a couple of power plant lakes nearby and one of them has a big tilapia problem. If you even catch one accidentally you can not release it alive. And if you want to take some they have to be dispatched before you leave the area with them.
As soon as you take your boat out of a lake you have to drain everything remove any vegetation that you may have trailered at the ramp. Then it’s suggested waiting two weeks before fishing a different lake.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

I didn’t know they couldn’t reproduce. They’ve been in the lake I’m driving to for ever. I grew up right down the road from it but never got to spend much time fishing it. We had a retail and wholesale bait operation my parents started when Lake Somerville first opened. I was 3 years old. The last of five kids. As soon as we where big enough we worked. I got so mad when I was a teenager because my Dad wouldn’t allow me to go get a job doing something else. Had some good times though. I remember several customers coming back in to show us their catch. I saw some huge flatheads. Dad would let the liquor control board officer bring them to us live and if we had an empty vat we’d let them swim in the fresh circulating water for a couple of days and the officer said it really cleaned them out.
I’m not sure now if there’s actually stripers in there. I just assumed they were hybrids. That’s a lot of fish being stocked regularly. I remember everyone calling them stripers..

I did a search and found an old post on a Texas fishing forum. A guy ran into a school chasing shad and caught one every cast for 15 minutes he saId. He was holding up some nice ones in some pictures. They’re hybrids all right. Everyone chimed in on that point. They where some good size fish though.

 

[sonny1]

They started stocking Hybrids in the 80's nation wide. Average weight is two to five pounds although they can get larger than that. I have caught a few well over the average size. They can put up a good fight. Eufaula has a large population of them.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

They started stocking Hybrids in the 80's nation wide. Average weight is two to five pounds although they can get larger than that. I have caught a few well over the average size. They can put up a good fight. Eufaula has a large population of them.

I did some more research on the TPW site today and found where I could see what and when all our lakes are stocked with. They seem to putting different types in the lake I’ll be fishing. This year the stocked 68,169 Lone Star bass and Last year 116,086 Sunshine bass a couple years ago Palmetto bass which I have heard is the same as hybrid striped bass but these others are too. The black bass are Florida. In 1973 it says they actually stocked 655,000 Walleye. Must have not worked out because there’s none after that and I’ve never heard of a Walleye coming out of Somerville and I grew up 6 miles down the road from it. Never new what I was missing when I was young. Now I’m driving an hour to go back and learn the lake from a boat.

 

[sonny1]

They have stocked Walleye here to but never seen or heard of people catching them. Okemah city lake got stocked heavily last week with Largemouth bass. They even had it on the local evening news. Henryetta city lake got stocked with Hybrid strippers which should be interesting considering the large shad population.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Sounds like you’re going to have a good place to fish for hybrids.
One of the closer lakes I tried here is Fayette county which is well known for its Black bass. Which is one reason I only went twice l The bass boats really crowded the small lake and didn’t appreciate a cat fisherman anchored off. That and boat ramps scare the you know what out of me. Covered with slick algae . Don’t even let your tires get wet. It’s claimed a few trucks in the past. My old boat doesn’t launch with out me assistance. The bass boats you just drive on and off the trailers. I got a different truck now though just haven’t gotten the muster up to go try it. I can lock the rear axle for positive traction and put it in manual and take off in what ever gear I want. I’ve been using 2nd or 3rd and it hasn’t spun a tire yet at the over places I go.
The reason I’m talking about this lake now is I saw yesterday they stocked 133,000 channel cats in 2020. Fingerlings and if the bass didn’t eat them all they should be the right size to catch. I have the advantage of going during the week and if I get there early enough maybe the ramp won’t be soaking wet from other boats launching. It’s pulling the empty trailer back out without the weight on it that was difficult last time. F150’s are known for the back being not heavy enough to keep traction in some situations.
I’d love to drift fish there but there’s to much traffic on a weekend at least. I’ve heard that It gets crowded during the week from Wednesday on. A lot of them are coming all the way from Houston and Austin. Guess if it gets to bad I can always get up on the bow casting deck and do some bass fishing while I’m there.

 

[sonny1]

Dripping Springs lake in Okmulgee is a bass lake. No water skiing or swimming. Good size lake and good ramps. Lake has a good reputation for very large bass. They also have some good catfishing which the bass guys kind of snob their nose at. They see you fishing for cats they normally keep their distance. Lake Eufaula never gets very crowded even on the weekends. Areas of the main lake has a lot of speed boats and party types but the coves and backwaters are slow. Grand lake north of here is the party lake were most go.

 

[MrGiggles]

I have never chased stripers so take this for what its worth. There are some lakes in the area that are stocked with them but I seldom fish in them. I do go after white bass occasionally.

Seems to me like you are asking one combo to accomplish two very different tasks. Most catfish setups are robust and clunky, made for handling big fish and the heavy weights needed to keep large baits on the bottom, with very heavy line that can handle abrasion as they often head for cover when hooked.

A striper setup to me would be lighter, and easier handling, something suitable for fan casting light 1/8-1/2 oz jigs, spoons, and that sort of thing. Probably a 6-7' medium rod, 8-15lb mono or 20lb braid. Casting or spinning, in that weight range I prefer a spinning reel.

You can always run high vis braid and just switch up your leaders. I always use a leader for braid, mono/flouro are far more abrasion resistant and much easier to tie with. I typically run 10-20lb high vis braid on everything and switch up the leader depending on the species. It also saves a lot of respooling since braid lasts for a very long time, unlike mono which degrades pretty quickly.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Dripping Springs lake in Okmulgee is a bass lake. No water skiing or swimming. Good size lake and good ramps. Lake has a good reputation for very large bass. They also have some good catfishing which the bass guys kind of snob their nose at. They see you fishing for cats they normally keep their distance. Lake Eufaula never gets very crowded even on the weekends. Areas of the main lake has a lot of speed boats and party types but the coves and backwaters are slow. Grand lake north of here is the party lake were most go.

Last time my wife and I went to Fayette county was on a Saturday morning and I anchored off always from a jetty in the power plant water discharge area. I had a neighbor that used to fish that spot and do well catching channel cat.
We got rocked back and forth the whole time we were anchored. Even had some going by and yelling at us. You’re also able to set out jug lines on that lake just no trot lines. I had a guy give me some advice that jug lines would catch some nice flatheads by the dam but I’d better keep an eye on them because the bass fisherman will cut them.
They told me at the gate they get complaints from people trying to catfish about being harassed and told me they couldn’t have a patrolman come out because of every little thing.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

I have never chased stripers so take this for what its worth. There are some lakes in the area that are stocked with them but I seldom fish in them. I do go after white bass occasionally.

Seems to me like you are asking one combo to accomplish two very different tasks. Most catfish setups are robust and clunky, made for handling big fish and the heavy weights needed to keep large baits on the bottom, with very heavy line that can handle abrasion as they often head for cover when hooked.

A striper setup to me would be lighter, and easier handling, something suitable for fan casting light 1/8-1/2 oz jigs, spoons, and that sort of thing. Probably a 6-7' medium rod, 8-15lb mono or 20lb braid. Casting or spinning, in that weight range I prefer a spinning reel.

You can always run high vis braid and just switch up your leaders. I always use a leader for braid, mono/flouro are far more abrasion resistant and much easier to tie with. I typically run 10-20lb high vis braid on everything and switch up the leader depending on the species. It also saves a lot of respooling since braid lasts for a very long time, unlike mono which degrades pretty quickly.

I’m going to have a 6’10” All Star rod handy if I see any schooling. But my big rods that I’ll be drifting with will be set up to keep the bait off the bottom by putting together Santee rigs with a long pencil shaped dragon weight (which I make my own for a quarter of the price) then a mono or fluorocarbon leader that will have a rattling float on it ahead of the bait. Depending on how deep the fish are determines the length of the leader.

 

[sonny1]

Last time my wife and I went to Fayette county was on a Saturday morning and I anchored off always from a jetty in the power plant water discharge area. I had a neighbor that used to fish that spot and do well catching channel cat.
We got rocked back and forth the whole time we were anchored. Even had some going by and yelling at us. You’re also able to set out jug lines on that lake just no trot lines. I had a guy give me some advice that jug lines would catch some nice flatheads by the dam but I’d better keep an eye on them because the bass fisherman will cut them.
They told me at the gate they get complaints from people trying to catfish about being harassed and told me they couldn’t have a patrolman come out because of every little thing./QUOTE] Screwing with somebody's jugs around here will get you shot. Have seen a guy plug a bass boat with a 45 emptied the clip. Claimed the individual pulled out a gun when confronted. He did not get arrested. Around here most boat launch areas are rather remote so if your going to harass anybody while on the lake you could end up having a greeting party waiting on you when you dock. Most people act responsible.

 

[thill]

Yes, they are leader shy in fresh water and VERY engine shy. Flouro leader is good. Use your trolling motor for quite a distance, and then turn that off too, if you aren't trolling.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Yes, they are leader shy in fresh water and VERY engine shy. Flouro leader is good. Use your trolling motor for quite a distance, and then turn that off too, if you aren't trolling.

Good advice. Thank you. I know they do school on a couple Of humps and so forth along with the sand bass.
For trolling I have some rigs a made a long time ago that an old man showed me for when the sand bass were deep.
Take a Magnum hellbender with no hooks and tie a 12” or so leader where the rear hook would go then a meps spoon color of your choice would be on the leader. The spoons were small enough and had enough fluff they would stay off the bottom. While trolling the Hellbender would bounce off the bottom acting like a craw fish.
I caught hundreds of sand bass with these. I ran across all the Hellbenders in a box the other day and it was like finding gold.

 

[sonny1]

I must be doing something wrong. The last time I went after sand bass I used a cigarette foil from the top of a pack. Bare hook with the foil wrapped around it. A few slip shot weights and was in business. Made a decent cast and let it sink a bit and then started to jerk it a little while reeling in. Worked out great.