Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

[KRS]

I'm heading to Pleasant (Arizona) for stripers this week with my brother who is in town on leave from the military.

Any ideas for striper? I've tried before and got skunked.

Planning an all-nighter.

Thanks.

 

[MRS]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

KRS, I have not been there but hear the striper fishing is great there and also I think they have white bass there also. I am planning a trip there some time in 2007 any how find out what area they have been catching them in and if it is legal to chum in the lake I know in the river you can but not sure about the lakes. If you can take extra bags of anchovies like four extra and when you get to your spot cut some up in real small pieces and start chumming maybe every 20 min. or so if they are around they will show hopefully sooner than later. If you can fish two poles bait with anchovie on one and pitch a cast master let it sink to the bottom then reel alittle an let sink again to bottom. If they have the white bass in there they love the cast masters to. Take more than one lure they can and do get hung on the bottom if there are to many snags then do not let hit bottom but as close to bottom as you can. Hope this helps and give a update when you guys get back......d

 

[MRS]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

If you are set up to troll that is also a good way to locate stripers. I use a sassy shad type of lure and a bomer A or rapala ask at the marina and see what lures are working. Plus you got to troll slow.

 

[zuke1]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

ok striper fishing in pleasant....

about a month ago we would catch about 100 in 3-4hrs...

all you do is buy a green fishing light, and a floating light, this brings in the bait fish, and also you buy a cricket basket ( its a little mesh thing with yellow ends it like 3$) then for bait you use frozen anchovies in oil... and for chum ( which you put in the basket/tube) you chop up anchovies and pack em in, this way you put them just below the green light ( you want the one that looks like a florescent light on a string) ...

after about 5 minutes the striper will start to show up...

the best place that ive found is near the outer ring of tires by the main marina. this place is great, because you can tie off to the tires and fish in 150' waters, and none of the big boats can swamp you out because the tires absorb the waves...

as for line, i would use 4-8lb mono, and for hooks, we had good luck with pretty much any hook, but i recoment the trebble with a weight below it, this way you will feel them bite...

just remember this worked a month ago, but now i hear that around 3pm near the north end of the lake near the road is incredible fishing. you can go to azbasszone.com to learn more about what to fish at pleasant...
here are some pics to prove the technique works...

also for large mouth, if you are interested, i always have good luck with roboworms either 3 1/2" or 4" color-oxe blood, or brown crawler.... anything that is brown with a light hint of purple always does well... the way to fish it is to rig it carolina, which is in this order... pole-bullet weight-split shot-hook-

i put the weight about a foot above the hook, and i use very light wire hooks, because when you fish the cover with worms you snag a lot, also i dont rig weedless this time of year, i have been just hooking the worms right through the head, this ensures the best looking action i think, and i always use an actractent, now i am using this little black spray can that has gold writing on it, and im using the crawdad scent, it seems to really improve the action, no matter the weather...


but no matter the season, or the lake, its always good to know the lunar times, and the barometric pressure changes, it seems the fish really heat up when the pressure changes, and i usually plan my trips around the change, plus there is usually one early morn, and one in the afternoon, so now, i can leave the house any time i feel....

maybe ill meet you up there some time after the holidays. what part of town r u in? and what kind of boat u got?

hope i helped, and if anything i said seemed amature, thats cuz im just a local, not a pro, i just catch em' like a pro. lol.. lol..

later zuke

 

[zuke1]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

oh and i forgot to tell u, the striper are taking over, and stealing a lot of the food, so they are ruining the largemouth pop. i try to always take my catch home, i dont usually eat em, but my dogs love em!

they have become a nuisance, and could pheasably ruin the lakes....

you will notice they are very slim compared to other lakes, and i think its because there isnt enough food to go around, i find once i have a good slick going, the striper get so thick, i can usually see about 50 below the boat, and then the issue becomes, how do i get past them, to the big fish?


also the way to fish the anchovie technique, is to count your line as you let it out... find out where the fish are lurking, and leave your line there, NO JIGGING! all you do is fish different depths for a few minutes... these striper are so sneaky, most of the time you wont even feel them taking your bait... and as for the bait, i usually cut into thirds and use one piece at a time. and you can use either anchovies in water or oil, but know this, the ones frozen in water usually fall off the hook a lot easier than the oil ones... or so ive found...

again, i hope i've helped, and depending on when you are going, and if you live close, i can save you a ton of money, and you can borrow my lights, and chum basket...

just give me a call anytime before 9pm 602-390-3238
the name is zuke

later

 

[zuke1]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

oops...

just saw the original post, looks im a few years late...lol...lol...

well, hopefully someone gets some use out of this...

 

[KRS]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

Not a few years late... I went yesterday! Posted this the other day.

Excellent info. I live in Safford now, and travel over for fishing.

I have a maroon/white fish/ski boat, 16.5' long.

Caught three each were 13".

No luck casting, so we trolled after dark and caught the three in 20 minutes on 4" blue rapala with small dive lip and a rat-l-trap (silver).

A guy was there and caught a bunch.

I just need to learn the technique.

We tried the marina tire thing after it was pitch black, but the waves were tossing us pretty good, you must be writing about inside the tires?

Yes, you can chum in the lake. Yes you can use two poles if you have a valid arizona two-pole stamp (a stamp that goes on the back of your license).

I would like to follow you sometime and learn more about striper fishing. I know they are becoming a nuisance and I would like to do my part to keep their numbers in check

Thanks for the contact info.... I need to look and see when I can go again.

Thanks

KRS

 

[zuke1]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

yeah we always go inside the tires, right next to the west opening, that seems to be a great spot, i can never use two poles though, because we catch the fish two fast, and losing a pole would be an issue...lol...

and if you are fishing at night, its pretty helpful, i find, to use the green light, and the bait topwater light.

another thing that i find helpful, is to have as many boats withing a few feet of eachother as possible, this makes one giant slip, and the fish come from all around, my friend jim brings his bass buggy, and we tie off to the tires, then tie off to eachother, and fish away...

but yeah, always inside the tires... other wise you could get dusted out, and take on water... and thats no good...

well, this week i go to try and get as far up the agua fria as the boat will take me...

talk to you later...

zuke

 

[KRS]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

Awesome. Thanks for the additional info.

Good luck to you.... let us know your results!

KRS

 

[desron25]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

Hi KRS
several years ago ,my step dad and I fished for stripers at Texoma outta the Texins area. He always rigged up a trolling bait called a Big Mac in a small striper pattern and with a yellow or white rubber weighted curly tail jig with about a 4-6 foot leader

this combo worked very nice ,he usually cked windward points and tried to bounce the jig as he crossed the point.
He caught alot of stripers back in the eighties.
If ever in New Mexico give the Butte a try,it is improveing over the last few seasons.

des

 

[zuke1]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

caught a couple little guys today, near the mouth of humbug cove with a 3/8 oz castmaster ( solid silver, and one was silver with a chartruce side)

fishing was slow, and it was cold and windy... i think the high was 49degrees... it was difficult to gauge what the fish were doing, and we only stayed for about 3hrs, from 1pm to 4pm, and we caught the few we did in about 20ft of water fishing a medium pace...

i am going to do some research and search the local web sites and see what others are recomending.

ill let you know if anything shows up...

later
zuke

 

[KRS]

Re: Striper fishing in Lake Pleasant

Arizona republic (every thursday in the sports section there is an outdoors page with fishing reports) stated that the buoy line in the agua fria has been the place lately.... but the fishing is slower.

Thank you for the update... I'm trying to plan my next trip.