A couple of weeks ago, I explained how to catch fish at Lake Powell in November and December. Then, last week, the column focused specifically on stripers and how three specific techniques or method would work throughout the winter and into spring.
This week, in the final part of the series, I will attempt to teach you how to “see” stripers on your fish finder and instill confidence that what you are seeing actual fish.
Fish finders are wonderful instruments that (when you learn to use them) can put you right on top the fish you want to catch, show you the depth, structure, and most importantly, the baitfish that make up the forage of many species in Lake Powell.
A quick explanation about fish finders is in order.
A fish finder (similar to a computer) has a processor, built-in memory, and in newer versions, even a GPS locater. However, unlike a computer, a fish finder also has a transducer, a device that hooks to the finder and sends signals back and forth from the surface of the water to the bottom which are “interpreted” through the processor and shown on the screen. The screen reflects what the transducer “sees” on its way back and forth from the bottom to the surface.
The fish marks on the screen can be thin straight lines (individual fish that are moving), thicker lines (larger fish), upside down horseshoes (resting fish) and wormlike lines (that move on and around the bottom) which could be smallmouth bass but most times are actually adult gizzard shad.
Stripers have very distinct marks that show up on all fish finders, especially when they are in schools. They appear as well-stacked piles of firewood. You should be able to see individual fish (thick straight lines) within the schools but the overall schools look like a pile of wood.
Shad (the main forage for stripers) appear as “blobs” suspended in the water column. At times, the blobs could appear to be just a few feet in diameter, but as winter sets in, schools of shad can be 100s of yards long heading towards the backs of canyons. They can also start at 10 feet or so under the surface and extend all the way to the bottom (as deep as 120 feet).
Stripers will always be somewhere close to shad. If you find shad you can be relatively certain stripers will be nearby. When I discover a school of shad, I move my boat around a bit (with my trolling motor) to determine the size of the shad school and then will look for stripers.
Striper schools sometimes suspend just like shad schools. And, on occasion, they will appear as individual fish, especially if they are actively feeding, moving in and out of schools of baitfish.
If I were to launch at Bullfrog boat ramp, I would either head south to the Rincon, and work my way back to Bullfrog, checking each canyon along the way, or head north to Good Hope Bay, also checking each canyon all the way back to Bullfrog.
Between Thanksgiving and the new year, I would start at the mouths (entrances) of each canyon and watch my fish finder for signs of either shad or stripers.
Then, when I encounter schools of both species, I would immediately fish them. Beyond that, I would make mental note of how far back inside the canyon the schools appeared. Then, I would go to that point in the next canyon without needing to start over at the mouth.
In winter, the stripers will eventually chase the shad most of the way to the backs of each canyon. The key then is to look for stripers at the last possible area in the backs of canyons that has at least 30 feet of water. Stripers love deep water and so do shad.
Armed with the ability to recognize shad and stripers on your finder, your next trip to Lake Powell this winter should be amazing. Happy Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2020 at 08:30PM
https://ift.tt/33fw7mV
On fishing: Locating stripers with your fish finder - Daily Herald
https://ift.tt/35JkYuc
Fish
No comments:
Post a Comment