STRIPERS
by DALE WELCH, Professional Guide
(5 TIME LAKE RECORD HOLDER)
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| Imagine sliding
through the pre dawn mist in a Striper rigged fishing boat
heading toward the area where huge Stripers are likely to drag your rod
tip under water before you have a chance to remove the rod from the
holder. Your heart is pounding in anticipation, you feel as if you can't
wait to get there. The closer you get the faster your heart beats until
finally the sound of your heart drowns out the drone of the outboard
motor. Your mind is on one thing only, getting to the fishing area.
Finally the boat slows, coming to a stop in what you consider the middle
of the lake.
Your guide exclaims, "Well this is it". There is much haste as your guide begins to set up the rods, hooking a shad on each. Shad bigger than some of the Crappie you have caught in the past. After all rods are baited and placed in the rod holders, the pace slackens. Your guide turns to you and says, "The hurry up part is over, now the waiting begins". Just about the time you have recovered from all the anticipation, one of the rod tips disappears underneath the water's surface. Your guide calmly instructs you to remove the rod from it's holder and set the hook. Immediately upon hook set your rod bends almost double as some unseen underwater "THING" |
stretches the line, causing the
reel to moan and groan. As you strain to keep the rod tip high, the spool
of line gets smaller. "What do I do now?" you ask. "Just hang on and keep
your rod tip about at 10 O'clock" comes the response. Finally the spool on
the reel begins to slow and then stops. "Now you can begin to reel him in"
instructs your guide. With much muscle power you wind the reel handle. It
is almost more than you can do to turn the handle while keeping the rod
tip high. Just about the time you think you're going to get a glance at
the "Thing", all you see is a large swirl on the surface of the water and
line begins peeling off the reel for the second time. Fortunately for you,
this "run" is not quite as long as the first.
After two more "runs" and near exhaustion for you, your guide slips the net under a 30 pound "Super Striper" and hauls it into the boat. "Want to do it again?", your guide asks as you slump into the chair. "Sure", you respond, "but can we wait a few minutes, my knees are a little weak and my arms are aching." No sooner had the words left your mouth when another rod tip disappeared under the water's surface. Such is the way it happens many times Striper fishing on Smith Lake. |
In the beginning not many people were aware of the Striper's presence.
I first discovered them (quite by accident) while Bass fishing in Lick
Creek using only a flasher style depth finder. I thought I had found a
huge school of Spotted Bass suspended at about 30 feet deep. I immediately
dropped my trusty 3/4 ounce spoon to about 28 feet and began my up, down
jigging routine. Having the transducer mounted on the trolling motor, I
was able to observe the "blips" from the spoon and the fish
simultaneously. After the third rise and fall of the spoon I saw one of
the "blips" move upward toward the spoon. As the two "blips" merged, I
felt the spoon stop and pulled up sharply on the rod. Much to my surprise,
nothing moved except the spool of the reel as the drag operated. I was
again surprised when the line began to move rapidly toward horizontal and
peeled from the reel so fast it warmed the thumb with which I attempted to
slow the spool. I began to give chase with the trolling motor.
Needless to say, from that time on, my Spotted Bass fishing suffered
greatly as I began to chase Stripers. It wasn't long before the word
leaked out and I had much company in my pursuit of Stripers. By September
of that year I had managed to catch a number of Stripers including one
considered to be a lake record at the time of 13.5 pounds.
Having good success catching Stripers since 1985, I decided to open the
first Striper guide service on the lake in October of 1988. By April of
1989 I had managed to establish an average weight of 21.5 pounds,
unlocking the secrets of Striper fishing on Smith Lake. Other fishermen
began to utilize these practices and soon they became common knowledge.
Not long after, other guides appeared and Striper fishing was off and
running.
The lake record has been broken numerous times since 1985. I have held
the record five times, the most recent a 45 pound "Mean Machine", caught
by Sandra Stewart on May 17, 1996 while on a guide trip with me. Somewhere
out there lurks a smart old 60 plus pound "Super Striper" with a place in
his bony jaw for my hook. Giving someone (me I hope) the opportunity to
break the 55 pound state record. At the end of the spawning period, having not laid their eggs, females
have the unique capability of absorbing them back into their system.
During this time the females do not feed well and consequently lose
weight, not only from not eating, but the egg absorption process is
apparently very stressful. Many Striper fishermen feel that a 30 pound
fish caught during this time would normally weigh 8 to 10 pounds more a
month earlier. A well aerated shad tank is essential to one's success in Striper
fishing. I have found that it is not essential to have a perfectly round
tank to house shad for a day's fishing. What is essential, as I point out
at the beginning of this paragraph, is good aeration of the water and good
insulation of the tank. It is also important to properly condition your
water by using proper additives such as "Shad Shed Formula" and not
to Rod holders are also essential equipment for Striper fishing, not only
because you can't possibly hold on to 5 or 6 rods at one time, but should
you lay them down in the boat there is a good chance a Striper will take
one with him along with your bait. Many good commercial rod holders are
available on the open market so I won't go into detailed description.
Simply pick one that best suits your needs. A graph depth recorder, either
liquid crystal or paper, is a great help in locating both Stripers and
bait fish. In the case of liquid cyrstal display, make sure to get one
with a very small pixel size (the more per square inch of screen the
better) so that your total screen resolution will be sufficient to
recognize the diference between a school of bait fish and a small school
of Stripers.
Last, but certainly, not least. Don't forget the boat. After all, this
load of equipment has to be mounted
somewhere. Shad may be hooked in several ways, but through the back (about 1/4
inch down from the top) just in front of the Dorsal fin is the most
effective way. When I first started fishing shad for Stripers, I hooked
them in one nostril and out the other because I felt they lived longer.
Many still use this method today. Hooking the Shad through the back not
only allows it to live as long as throught the nostrils, but increases
your hookup with a Striper by as much as 80%.
We can't talk about rigging without mentioning the use of balloons as
an essential part of the process. During the times of the year when
Stripers are shallow (20ft. of less) balloons are the key to catching
Stripers in Smith Lake's clear water because the shadow of the boat will
spook them. Tie the balloon (blown up to the size of a baseball and tied
off with a single overhand knot) A sometimes enticing presentation to a Striper, especially during the
Fall, is free lining. A free line is nothing more than a standard riged
line without the egg sinker. The line is played out 20 or more feet behind
as the boat is slowly moved with the electric trolling motor, allowing the
Shad to swim freely. In this manner, the Shad can seek his own depth and
maybe find a striper in the process. This method can be very exciting when
a big Striper chases the Shad to the surface allowing you to witness the
catch.
It is always a good idea to keep your favorite top water bait, such as
Redfin, rigged and immediatelly available should top water feeding on Shad
occur within your casting range. Nothing is more heart stopping than
watching a 30 pound Striper explode on a top water artificial bait,
especially if he misses the bait the first 3 or 4 times before it finally
disappears and you feel the tremendous pull on the
line.
Now is the time to book an exciting "Super Striper" trip. for
additional information or bookings please give me a call, E-mail or drop
me a line. See you on the lake! Hope you catch a big one!! He continues to enjoy his guide service and teaching others the fine art of
Smith Lake Striper fishing whether on the lake, during a guide trip or in front
of a large audience at a seminar.
Smith Lake was filled to
normal pool (510 elevation) in 1962, Some 3 years ahead of the engineers
predictions. Stripers were first stocked as 1 inch long hatchlings in 1983
and by May of 1996 had grown into 45 pound "Super Stripers". This
year has the possibility of producing a "Super Striper"
perhaps as large as 55 to 60 pounds. Smith lake, considered by many to be
the lake in Alabama to stay away from when it came to fishing, was
suddenly offering the most exciting new freshwater fishing in the state.
The state kept the lake free of Stripers and Hybrids prior to 1983 as the
basis for an experiment. Unlike other impoundments through out the state
that were stocked with east coast (Atalantic) Stripers, Smith was stocked
with Gulf Coast Strain. The rapid growing Gulf Coast Strain was believed
to be more tolerant of warm water and how it fared would be a factor in
the fish being introduced into other state lakes. Gulf Coast Strain
Stripers did fare well having an average growth rate of more than five
pounds per year. One could say the state's experiment was a whopping
success.
After three or four trips back and
forth to the middle of the creek, I finally netted the most unusual
Spotted Bass I had ever caught. I simply could not believe my eyes. This
freak of nature exhibited a very pearly white color with black dotted
lines down both sides. Before leaving the creek that day, my son and I
boated 10 more of these freaks of nature. Upon arriving back at the
Marina, we created a stir. It seemed that no one was sure what these fish
were. We managed to weigh them and they all fell between six and ten
pounds. I did not know for sure until the following Monday morning that
what my son and I had caught was called a Saltwater Striped Bass.
The introduction of
stripers into Smith Lake meant many positive things for the lake.
Primarily it meant a new fishery for those who lived in the vicinity.
Smith Lake is full of Bass, Crappie and other game fish, but the deep
clear water means tough fishing for those unaccustomed to that type of
fishing. Consequently causing the "Lake to stay away from" reputation.
Striper fishing has changed that. As the waves of new Striper fishermen
began to pour onto the lake, the surrounding stores and marinas saw an
immediate increase in business. Probably most importantly, it meant a boon
to Bass fishing. Not only did the Stripers take some of the pressure off
Bass fishing, as the stripers reached bigger sizes, they began to eat the
larger Gizzard Shad, unable to be eaten by smaller game fish, as their
primary food source. Suddenly large schools of small shad (perfect food
source for smaller game fish) began appearing all over the lake.
Biologists directly attributed the disappearance of the large sickly shad,
that were in no condition to reproduce, to the stripers.
With the large Shad not consuming
their food source (primarily algae) the smaller, healthier Shad were able
to reproduce in greater numbers, thereby providing plenty of food for Bass
and Crappie. Some people, including Bass fishermen, cried out in protest
over the introduction of the Stripers into the lake claiming they were
eating bass and crappie. The fact is that since 1989 it has taken more
pounds (as much as 35 pounds in a recent national tournament) to win a
Bass tournament on Smith Lake than in the previous 10 years. As for the
Crappie, more fat 2 to 3 pound whites and blacks have been taken than in
any years previous. Many times over Crappie fishermen have limited out in
less than half a day. It is your time to decide. If you provide more food
for Bass and Crappie will more of them
survive?
Get ready for some slightly
different Striper moves than perhaps you have been accustomed to on other
lakes. Starting with January, Stripers can be found scattered from the
upper ends of the creeks all the way to the dam, depending upon the
weather. February is still much the same. March usually begins a general
move toward the upper ends of the lake and some Stripers will even travel
into narrow and shallow (2 to 3 ft) creeks. April, Stripers can be found
scattered over the upper end of the lake from halfway to the dam and up.
This general pattern holds until around June when the majority of Stripers
will be found on the lower end of the lake from halfway to the dam and
down. As the surface temperature continues to warm through July, August,
September and October, more concentrations of stripers will be found close
to the dam. Depending upon the weather, November may or may not bring on a
migration to the upper end of the lake.
The most likely to occur is a
scattering from one end of the lake to the other. Much the same can be
expected during December, which brings us full circle for the calendar
year. So far year to year, month to month patterns have not been
dependably repeatable. Perhaps the behavior of the Gulf Coast Strain
Striper, as compared to the Atlantic Coast Strain, coupled wiht Smith
Lake's ultra clear water has something to do with the somewhat erratic
behavior. If I had to provide a single reason for this phenomenon, I
probably would blame the weather. At least some of the scattering of
Stripers is due to the deep cool waters all over the lake. While some
Stripers migrate, others simply move a few hundred yards or less to deeper
cooler water.
No spawning of Stripers has
been noted or expected to occur on Smith Lake by the state biologists. The
reason being insufficient length of flowing tributaries into the lake.
Every year Stripers go through the spawning process beginning in March,
when they start to feed up in anticipation of a spawn in April. Eggs are
produced by the females and milt by the males, but eggs are never dropped
for fertilization because the right conditions are never found. What does
occur is brood fish round up time for the state game and fish personnel.
With some assistance from area Striper fishermen and the dedication of
Welch Guide Service, large (20 to 30 lbs.) males and females are caught
and carefully transported to the Hatchery for spawning at exactly the
right time. Upon hatching and shortly following loss of egg
sacks,
the hatchlings are transported to
the various lakes and rivers for stocking.
Good equipment is essential
in catching Smith Lake "super Stripers". A custom made Striper rod with an
expensive reel is nice, but in most everyday Striper fishermen's opinion
and pocket book, an overkill. Careful selection of a Bass flipping' stick
equipped with a Diawa Millionaire or 9M Penn reel is the choise of the
better professional guides and will land even the drag burning "Big Boys".
Reels are selected for having a smooth non sticking drag system and a wide
spool for holding at least 200 yards of line. The rod selected should have
good tip flexion and a strong backbone since sudden power moves by a large
Striper on a too stiff rod can cause line breakage before the reel's drag
system can operate.
stress the shad with a sudden
change of more than 5 degrees in water temperature.
Fill your wide spool reel
with 15 lb. to 20 lb. test line. The smaller the diameter the better for
smith lake's ultra-clear water. Place a 1.5 ounce or larger egg sinker on
the line and follow by tying on a strong swivel. Some prefer to place a
bead after the egg sinker. this is not essential as most egg sinkers have
large holes and will rest on the swivel and not on the line knot anyway.
Tie on a 2.5 to 3 ft. leader and 2/0 to 8/0 hook, depending on the size
bait you intend to use. I prefer either a #42 or a short shank Salmon
style Eagle Claw laser sharpened hook.
on the line at the depth you
intend to fish. Use a single overhand knot to secure the balloon to the
line making sure the knot is tight enough to keep the weight and the shad
movement from causing it to slip on the line. Allow the ballon to move
away from the boat 20 to 50 ft., and this will greatly enhance your
chances of hooking up to a Striper.
If you have ever dreamed of
fishing a beautiful, deep and mountainous clear water lake for "Trophy
Stripers", Smith Lake is your kind of Place. Rocky points falling off
sharply to deep water, above and below water vertical bluffs reaching
depths of up to 100 feet and numerous flats 20 to 50 feet deep coupled
with picturesque natural (no houses) scenery combine to make Smith Lake
virtually a "Super Striper" haven. Located less than one hour's drive
north of Birmingham, Alabama with easy access off of Interstate 65, the
Ryan's Creek leg of Smith Lake is the Striper fishing center of the lake.
Live Shad are available from Welch
Guide Service ("The Shad Shed" located at 7932 Co. Rd. 310) on the upper
end of Ryan's Creek. "The Shad Shed" is open 24 hours a day for the
convenience of all wishing to try their luck on Stripers. Shad tanks and
accessories are also on hand
at Welch Guide Service. Lodging is
available at exit 304 on I-65 at Ramada Inn (special rates to Welch Guide
Service Customers) or lake side near Welch Guide Service. Smith Lake Park
(county operated) is also nearby for campers and motor home users
(seasonal).
Last but not least is the importance of selecting a guide for your
opportunity to "CATCH A MEMORY". The following list will assist you in
that process.
Smith Lake is fast becoming
the number one Striper lake in the southeast due to the unbelievable
growth rate of the Gulf Coast Strain Stripers in the cool clear water.
Striper Fishing on Smith Lake can be lots of fun if you make the right
choices, whether it be the use of a guide or out there on your own. Smith
Lake is not a numbers lake and don't let anyone fool you into thinking it
is, but your chances of hooking onto a big one are very good and at times
you can get lucky and catch as a many as you can keep. Remember to play it
safe and be courteous to fellow fishermen and other boaters.
DALE WELCH
5665 Co. Rd. 310
CRANE
HILL, ALABAMA 35053
256-737-0541
Dale Welch heads the first
established full time resident guide service on Smith Lake available for
bookings year round. He began fishing specifically for Smith Lake Stripers
in early 1985, establishing Welch Guide Service and pioneering Striper
fishing on Smith Lake in October of 1988. He has taught many people the
art of Striper fishing, including some who now identify as guides. The
tecnhiques he has introduced and employed have greatly enhanced Smith Lake
Striper fishing for all anglers. his innovation and diligent pursuit of
Stripers has allowed him to hold the lake record more times than any other
individual since Stripers were introduced in 1983. First in 1985 with a
13.5 pounder, then in 1989 with 30 and 32 pounds and in 1990 of 34.5
pounds. He holds the current lake record, caught May 17, 1996, weighing in
at 45 pounds.
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