02-19-2007, 03:25 AM
Hi Kelpy, here are my comments, which I hope you will find useful:
1. Government Wash is a good place to fish. I've seen several boils there. However, I would recommend that you fish Hole 33. Baysport knows the area well so hopefully he can give you some insight as to how to find the exact location. Last Memorial Day Weekend, my friends and I took a houseboat and deck cruiser out of Callville Bay. One late-afternoon, my friends and I set out in the deck cruiser to locate Hole 33. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find it. There are several buoys out there, and it was hard to tell if we were at the right place.
2. Swimming? Well, too be honest, I don't know how willing the stripers are to come close to someone swimming in the water. They might have been there but they just didn't want to get close to you especially since you were in the water. But then again, I could be wrong. I would recommend shorefishing or using a boat. I only know of a couple good shorefishing places. The only one I am aware of in the Boulder Basin is Government Wash. A lot of cars pull up right to the shoreline and fish the boils.
3. Well, using a speargun is more fun but I think you would catch more using a traditional fishing pole. Hey, but to each his own. I'm just not sure you're going to be reaching any stripers if they're trying to avoid you.
4. Aww...now I know why you got TONS of carp. Corn...Dogfood... that's like a dinner bell for carp. I chummed with catfood once and next thing you know...instant carp. I'm telling you...stick with anchovies and anchovies alone. You don't need anything else to chum with. Because if you do, you may get certain species of fish you don't like. I've always had the best success with anchovies. When I fillet all the stripers I catch, they inevitably have a good amount of chum in them. They should learn not to be so greedy.
5. Here's another problem...I've fished during those times and personally, the fishing is pretty slow during that period. That is unless you can find some really hungry stripers. I find that the best fishing times are before and after those times. Stripers get especially aggressive at night. I've seen stripers investigate and swim my anchovy all day but come sunset....bam. Fish on! But I guess if you want to continue to spear fish, you're just going to have to find the really hungry stripers.
Nah, you don't need a fish finder. I'm telling you I've hit coves throughout Mead. I'm talking Boulder Basin, Overton Arm, and Temple Basin. You just have to find a cove where the water is relatively deep. Maybe it's just the houseboat, I don't know. But wherever I go, the fishing is great at night. Maybe it's the boat lights combined with the generator noise. The stripers come to us. You just have to chum till they come. I have never just sat in any cove, and wondered if I was going to catch a striper. Admittedly, sometimes it takes longer in some coves than others. That's why it is so important to chum occasionally. I throw the chum about 20 feet from the back of the houseboat. Then I throw some at about 10 feet. Directly below the boat, I hang a little homemade cage that holds 6-8 smashed anchovies. It's a small cage that I hang down about 10-15 feet. I know I've said it a million times but fishing is best at night...especially when it comes to stripers. They travel in schools so if you catch one, you know more are coming. Also, they move around a lot so you want to make sure that you keep bait in the water. If you don't have bait sitting there, they'll lose interest and move on.
Finally, the water is clearer at the Temple Basin (Temple Bar). The water is worst at Overton Arm. The water in the Boulder Basin. But the water at the Temple Basin is cleaner and clearer. I hardly see any debris or algae blooms. Also, the water is not brown as it is in other areas.
Well, hopefully all this info helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Paul
[signature]
1. Government Wash is a good place to fish. I've seen several boils there. However, I would recommend that you fish Hole 33. Baysport knows the area well so hopefully he can give you some insight as to how to find the exact location. Last Memorial Day Weekend, my friends and I took a houseboat and deck cruiser out of Callville Bay. One late-afternoon, my friends and I set out in the deck cruiser to locate Hole 33. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find it. There are several buoys out there, and it was hard to tell if we were at the right place.
2. Swimming? Well, too be honest, I don't know how willing the stripers are to come close to someone swimming in the water. They might have been there but they just didn't want to get close to you especially since you were in the water. But then again, I could be wrong. I would recommend shorefishing or using a boat. I only know of a couple good shorefishing places. The only one I am aware of in the Boulder Basin is Government Wash. A lot of cars pull up right to the shoreline and fish the boils.
3. Well, using a speargun is more fun but I think you would catch more using a traditional fishing pole. Hey, but to each his own. I'm just not sure you're going to be reaching any stripers if they're trying to avoid you.
4. Aww...now I know why you got TONS of carp. Corn...Dogfood... that's like a dinner bell for carp. I chummed with catfood once and next thing you know...instant carp. I'm telling you...stick with anchovies and anchovies alone. You don't need anything else to chum with. Because if you do, you may get certain species of fish you don't like. I've always had the best success with anchovies. When I fillet all the stripers I catch, they inevitably have a good amount of chum in them. They should learn not to be so greedy.
5. Here's another problem...I've fished during those times and personally, the fishing is pretty slow during that period. That is unless you can find some really hungry stripers. I find that the best fishing times are before and after those times. Stripers get especially aggressive at night. I've seen stripers investigate and swim my anchovy all day but come sunset....bam. Fish on! But I guess if you want to continue to spear fish, you're just going to have to find the really hungry stripers.
Nah, you don't need a fish finder. I'm telling you I've hit coves throughout Mead. I'm talking Boulder Basin, Overton Arm, and Temple Basin. You just have to find a cove where the water is relatively deep. Maybe it's just the houseboat, I don't know. But wherever I go, the fishing is great at night. Maybe it's the boat lights combined with the generator noise. The stripers come to us. You just have to chum till they come. I have never just sat in any cove, and wondered if I was going to catch a striper. Admittedly, sometimes it takes longer in some coves than others. That's why it is so important to chum occasionally. I throw the chum about 20 feet from the back of the houseboat. Then I throw some at about 10 feet. Directly below the boat, I hang a little homemade cage that holds 6-8 smashed anchovies. It's a small cage that I hang down about 10-15 feet. I know I've said it a million times but fishing is best at night...especially when it comes to stripers. They travel in schools so if you catch one, you know more are coming. Also, they move around a lot so you want to make sure that you keep bait in the water. If you don't have bait sitting there, they'll lose interest and move on.
Finally, the water is clearer at the Temple Basin (Temple Bar). The water is worst at Overton Arm. The water in the Boulder Basin. But the water at the Temple Basin is cleaner and clearer. I hardly see any debris or algae blooms. Also, the water is not brown as it is in other areas.
Well, hopefully all this info helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Paul
[signature]