9-19-20
Welcome back!
This last week of fishing was excellent with a total of 21 fish landed for me. I was able to land one Largemouth bass, but 20/21 of those fish were Stripers. I fished in the general area of Vista Point (map included of parking with access directly to turnouts located at Vista Point).
At Vista Point Turnout #2, which is the original Vista Point location, but the second turnout from which I travel to Silverwood Lake produced four Stripers while fishing with a jerkbait. Most of those fish were caught in coves as I reached and settled in on a nice location, and I slowly began to hike back casting ever so often. By the way, a lot of the Striper I caught this week were catch and release, even if they were keeper size.
On another night, switching to the other location of Vista Point (Turnout #1), I explored/fished an area rather new to me. I was recently introduced to a 7-foot Okuma dropshot/finesse rod paired with an Okuma reel courtesy of a good fishing buddy. I was eager to break in the new combo with a bass catch, while working to figure out the action in the rod tip. Using a jig-headed fluke, I was able to land seven Stripers in one cove. It took a little while to figure out the bite (where the lure would get the most strikes in the water). Not a bad night, considering I am relatively new to fishing flukes, and this being a new fishing area for me. That night, I also tried using jerkbaits several times to no avail.
This next fishing location I spent night fishing begins somewhere directly between the Vista Point Turnout #1, and the Silverwood Dam/Inlet area. I hiked in and decided to tie on a jerkbait. The jerkbait was a direct target for any Striper looking for a quick meal in that cove. I was able to land four Stripers on the jerkbait, and ended the night with a 1 lb. Largemouth bass catch. The Largemouth bass hit the jerkbait on a cast, which I threw directly parallel to the shore. I thought for sure I’d catch algae before getting a small bump on my lure. Once I landed it, I weighed, photographed, and released it for another day.
Sticking with this general area for fishing on another night, I came back and tried the jig-headed fluke set up with basically no action in/around fifty casts of my rod. Switching to jerkbaits, I was able to land three fish, actually one about every 40 minutes, which seemed like eternity waiting for a “Strike,” and definitely helping me to build my patience. Switching back to flukes, I was able to land an additional 2 Stripers for the night. Bringing two poles out with me on my night fishing sessions, helps me switch lures rather quickly and with ease to better target fish.
As of now, I am consistently seeking to engage fish either on the bottom or right above the bottom of the lake with a fluke, or looking for Stripers swimming in water just below the surface or swimming mid-range waiting to ambush a nice dinner, and in this case aggressively attack my jerkbait. Finding balance in these two lures is a challenge, but sooner or later, I am confident the strike will occur each night.
Good luck out there if you decide to try it out, and let me know if you need assistance locating Morone saxatilus (Scientific name for Striped bass) or even Micropterus salmoides (Scientific name for Largemouth bass)!
