Don't get me wrong, catching perch is fun but catching striper is awesome. There we were after Mass, pitting wits and worms against junior bluegill when the water erupted about 30 yards off the bank. I figured it was sand bass blitzing on minnows and tied on a topwater lure.
Out it went, wait, then a zig-zag retrieve back to shore. About two thirds of the way back the water surged under the lure and a fish hit it like a steam train, taking the silvery, rattling, plastic prey down into the depths. Behold rod double action as the fish dived and tried to run, this was surely more than a regular sandy or hybrid. And sure enough it was, out came a striper.
I love topwater fishing. There's something about the explosive impact of the fish striking the lure, amped up, full of ferocious, predatory drive; it's going to get the prey before its competition. Then the fight's on. And with that, have a blessed Feast of the Transfiguration.
Tight lines,
LSP
You, a man of the cloth, with a striper on a pole!
ReplyDeleteErrrr... JC, you caught me bang to rights!
ReplyDeleteWhy not? God gave us all to eat/care for. Right?
ReplyDeleteWe only caught a couple when we were in North Carolina; but adrenaline pumping for sure. :)
Enjoy and you all have a blessed weekend, Parson!
G'd on ya, Mate!
ReplyDeleteNow ys got some bait fer a REAL fish!
Nice fish! Tight lines indeed. The last time I got a line wet was around 2015. My oldest son took me to a lake somewhere north west of Dallas. We were spin casting from shore. Had only a vague idea what kind of fish or what bait to use. Snagged the bottom a few times, but that was it. Got to spend the day with my son, and we hit a hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint that was "raght taisty".
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, my uncle took me and one of my cousins fishing for Steelhead on the Rogue River in Oregon. We went in a guides boat, so four of us total. The guide rows against the current, you let your line(s) out, and he maneuvers the boat to position the baited hooks.
Wow. When one of those fish hits your line and runs down stream, it feels like you have hooked the bumper of a car. The fish I hauled in that day was 27-1/2 inches, took me 40 minutes. Sadly, overcast moved in around 11:00 a.m. and the fish called it quits.
Linda, congrats on the catch! Fish on.
ReplyDeleteMs. Anon, you make a very good point.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, rare fun to get into striper off the bank :)
RHT, STEELHEAD!!!
ReplyDeleteI love everything about that.
Nice fish, Parson! I haven't caught one that big since I went saltwater fishing out off Catalina Island!
ReplyDeleteBiggest freshwater fish was a Bass by weight, about 6 pounds, and a Northern Pike by length a bit over 26".
I must be slightly dyslexic. I read the headline at first as "Look at that stripper!"
ReplyDeleteI was all set to comment, "Come on Parson, I know times are rough and everyone has to bring in some extra cash but.....really!"