by JD on September 1, 2009
JD,
I would also appreciate a little lesson in popper fishing for stripers. What should the action look like? Does it sit on top of the water or underneath? I’m an ultra novice who wants to learn. Thanks!
–Frank.
The action depends on the style of surface lure you’re using. “Walk-the-Dog” type lures like Zara Spooks should have a zig-zagging motion. Poppers, on the other hand, have more of a…see if you follow me on this one…straight chug…chug…chug action to them. Yes, true surface baits stay on the top, though wake baits are very popular too and the fish right under the surface film.
When you get bit…here’s really the tough part….don’t set too quickly. Let the wight of the fish pull the rod tip down before you hit ‘em.
Hi JD, I am new your site and wanted to ask you about the surf fishing for striped bass in or around Santa Cruz/ New Brighton Beach. I noticed on your site you said to uses poppers in the morning and swim baits later in the day. If you think the surf fishing is still good at these locations, can you expand on what the poppers are and how to use them for this area.
–Jim T.
Jim,
I’ll do a complete post on popper fishing later this fall on the site, but for now I’ll run the Cliff’s Notes by ya….
You’ll need a 9+ foot rod (spinning or casting) with 30-pound braided line on it. Grab some poppers like Cordell Pencil Poppers and head for the surf. Cast to holes between the breaks.
With your rod tip held high (to keep the line off the water) twitch the tip with your rod hand and reel with your other. You want the popper to pop and spit. When a fish blows up on it, let him take it down…wait until you feel the whole weight of the fish before you set the hook.
Good luck!
JD-
I’m looking for a new Hot Shot rod. Was looking to add to the HSR collection but forgot that the 930 is spinning only. Wanting to keep things light, what do you think about the HS 795C from Rogue or the Lamiglas G 1336 T. The Lamilgas seems a little short at 7’6″ and I’m not sure what ” Flame Tip” means? What’s your take?
Thanks, Derik
Hey Derik,
A sweet little number for plugging steelies with small plugs is the XCF801 from Lamiglas. It’s 8 feet long and rated for 6-15 pound line. The coolest thing about this rod, however, is the fact that it’s fiberglass. Glass is truly the way to go with plug rods — you get much better plug action and tip “readability” with glass, plus hooks stay buried better…which, of course, is always a huge plus when you’re plug fishing!
And this isn’t your granpapy’s old clunky glass, either. Modern manufacturing processes make it much lighter and thinner than in the old days… Check out ‘em out at: monsterfishingtackle
Hey JD,
My dad’s 50th birthday is coming up, and he really wants a GPS/fishfinder combo for his boat. He is looking for something that can show an aerial view of the water and something that can mark structure as well as good spots. Anyway, I figured you would be the guy to ask. Our limit is around 350-400 dollars.
Anything you could recommend?
Thanks a ton, Josh in Omaha
Josh,
The new HD units from Lowrance are super cool, but not quite in the range you’re talking about. I’ve been extremely happy with my Lowrance LMS 527C DF with internal GPS. Here’s a review I did on it if you want to read more.
It’s a couple years old now, but does everything I need…
JD
Can a person eat shad? if so… how?
–Mike
Mike, well I must say that, though I’ve caught a zillion of them, I’ve never eaten one. On the East Coast (where shad originated) they are an important food fish and in fact, their scientific name, alosa sapidissima means “most savory.”
I don’t think there’s any question that the shad has some value as a food fish…after all, people eat other herrings all around the world. However, the big issue here is they’re full of bones — three rows of Y bones to be exact. In doing some internet searching for shad recipes, here are some of the quotes I found that may tell you all you need to know…
Jay Harlow at sallybernstein.com starts his article on cooking shad with this quote:
“Some foods seem to have been put on earth to challenge the ingenuity of the cook…”
Hank Shaw on about.com has this to say:
“From an eating standpoint, the American or White Shad is a mixed blessing. Shad are richly flavored thanks to a good bit of omega-3 laden fat, but they are among the boniest fish in the world. An old Indian saying has it that a porcupine fled into the water and was turned inside out to become the shad. It is not far off.”
So, I guess you can make your mind up from there…
JD,
We may actually get a salmon season here on the upper Salmon River in ID. I’m getting my gear ready and I want to try some back trolling with eggs and was wondering if you could give me some advice on the size of divers to try. The river should be running 5k to 8k cfs and most holes or runs will be 9-15 feet deep. I’ll run 30 lbs braid main line and 20 lbs leaders about 5′ from the diver.
Any help would be great, thanks for keeping up your web site.
–Eric T.
Hey Eric! Salmon? What do those look like? We’ve had two straight years of closures down here and I’m starting to forget!
Anyway, congrats for maybe getting a season! Believe me…enjoy every minute of it and don’t take it for granted!
As far as divers go, you can’t beat Luhr Jensen’s Jet Divers. You could probably get away with a Size No.
20, though it sounds like you have some pretty serious flow there, so I may bump that up to a No. 30.
Even in clear water, I don’t run anything lighter than 25-pound flouro for my leaders, so you may want to increase that as well. Kings don’t care about your leader in most cases!
For a detailed look at how to fish this technique, check out my article on Divers & Bait, which has some photos on how to rig up properly.
Good luck!
JD,
For Father’s Day, my wife and mother-in-law wanted to organize a camping and fishing trip for my father-in-law and I.
We’d like to stay within a 4 hour drive of Granite Bay (near Sacramento, CA), and we’d like to camp in our trailers (so moms+kids can come along and play while dads fish).
We are both novice fly fisherman. Can you recommend a good spot at that time of year and also a good fly shop to hook up with on what to use? Thanks, Mike R.
Hey Mike,
I’d probably check out Martis Lake near Truckee. Good trout fly fishing and plenty of other stuff nearby to do. There’s no RV camping there, but you can stay nearby at the United Trails
For info: Tahoe FlyFishing Outfitters
Have fun!
JD,
I am going to be in Juneau on the 28th of June 2009. I have been told that I can fish along Fish Creek for salmon. I am a very experienced fly fisherman, but my gear is geared toward trout. What do I need for gear, (flies, waders, etc) and is there anyplace that will rent it for a day? All I want is a king and I have to do it on the cheap. All I want to do, is catch one, take a picture of it and let it go.
Thanks, Scott R.
Scott,
When the kings are in Fish Creek, it’s a bit of a mob scene, particularly around the Pond area, where snagging is legal. In the creek itself, there’s no snagging or bait allowed and that’s where you should go. I’d head above the bridge to seek some peace and quiet.
Anyway, you’re going to need at least an 8-weight rod to wrestle a king out of that creek. Big, bright attractor patterns with chartreuse and hot pink as the main colors work, but honestly, I’ve done best in Alaska on kings with black leeches fished on the swing with short strips.
As far as rental gear goes, I’m not sure about that one. I guess in a pinch if you have a 7-weight you use for larger trout, you could get away with that.
Good luck!
