blood feud

[Ron Mc]

It all started about five years ago. We discovered that during the 2002 flood, stripers had washed in from the lake into our trout tailwater. A local guide with his drift boat was tied off in the shade below a bridge, at the top of a hole.
His fare was trying to land a nice 18" rainbow. As he got it to the boat, a 40" striper appeared and devoured it.

Since then, these mild-mannered catch-and-release cold-water conservations have manifest a blood lust. We meat-fish for stripers.
"I think I'll go striper fishing."
"RIP THEIR GUTS OUT"
(I think the guy is an accountant by day.)

OK, maybe I'm not so violently anti-striper. But I love to catch them, and no fish I can think of makes prettier fillets with less effort. And we got more with the floodgate flows we had all through the summer.

Took a bunch of guys out to some beautiful water, the same hole that I caught stripers during the few days of low-release they gave us this summer. But now, the river has dropped to excellent wading flows.





I was even fishing graphite - my Fisher Original 6/7 with large arbor disc drag (but it's JW Young). Eric was fishing glass - he is hooked up here to a big fine bluegill.



Turns out I was the only one who caught stripers - same line (T130), same technique, same flies (green and gray cats whiskers) - sometimes that's the way it goes...
The technique was as simple as could be - cast across the flow to the slow pool, let it swing until it was straight down, strip it back in and start over. It was just a wet-fly swing, and the fish would hook themselves up on the natural swing.
I landed these two and broke off two bigger fish - just didn't give them enough room when I got them in close and their second wind ripped down my spine...



last night, sauteed a couple of fillets in browning butter with garlic and basil.

[Don Champion]

Ron, if you're trying to make me drool you're doing a fine job of it.

[Ron Mc]

filleted two more last time out, 26" and 23"

Spent Black Friday with a friend at the river,
It was a dues-paying day. They had doubled the flow in the river, 40 degrees, overcast, steady NE wind and 60% humidity.
I caught several of these - this guy took drag in the current, and it was horsed down for stripers

my striper was on long enough to get into the backing, but spit the hook.
Here's Curtiss hooked up

he's fishing an 8' Phillipson

guess that's what I get for bringing the RPLX7
he took some nice fillets from this 20+" striper

almost as much fun as catching - I put him on the fish and he's using my reel and T130.
and we got one more out of the river.

Oh, and here was the last report from Curtiss on his striper

[john elder]

Great Pictorial Ron, all the way through the Catch! However, let's stop here...I don't think any of us want to see the release