by Captain Clay Cunningham
The striper fishing the past month has been exciting to say the least. The stripers many days have been rolling all over the surface of the water feasting on threadfin shad. This has made for excellent fishing with artificial lures and it looks like it will continue this coming month. The stripers will continue to push further and further up into the creeks with each passing week. Any creek on the lake can be the hot spot. Keep a close eye out for any large concentration of birds giving away the large schools of baitfish.
In January look for the stripers to continue to feed on the threadfin shad. If the stripers are feeding on the surface, cast a weightless Berkley Jerk Shad into the swirls of the fish and let the jerk shad slowly sink. When the stripers are feeding on the threadfin shad, they prefer to eat the shad that are dying and slowly sinking to the bottom. If you have a hard time getting the stripes to eat the jerk shad, try a Zoom Fluke Jr in Crazy Chrome or White Pearl. If the stripers continue to be hard to catch, try the ice fly. The ice fly is a small spoon that sinks very slowly.
If the stripers push deep and stop feeding on the surface, you will need to focus on the jigging spoon and small live trout on the downline. On the jigging spoon, drop the spoon and yo-yo it off the bottom round the edges of the deep schools of baitfish. The Berry’s Flex It Spoon in White Glitter is one of the best spoons on the market. If you are using the downline with the live rainbow trout, drop the trout right on top of the deep schools of baitfish. Light line can be important on the downline in the cold winter months. Many times in the cold winter months, we use 10 pound line to increase the number of bites in the cold water.
FORECAST BY: Captain Clay Cunningham
Catching Not Fishing Guide Service
770-630-2673
www.catchingnotfishing.com
catchingnotfishing@yahoo.com