[chunking]

Try this the next time doggies are wearing you out.

A few years ago in January we were out about two miles anchored up for stripers. After about twenty doggies we were ready to move when we hooked a striper. More doggies and more talk about a move and another striper so we stayed.

I always try to picture in my mind whats going on down there and all I could picture was a carpet of dogs on the bottom. Next cast I let it settle to the bottom then reeled in enough line to keep the bait about six to eight feet off the carpet. Still caught a few doggies but mostly stripers.

They live in the same waters but aren't exactly friends. Stripers will hang just above the dogs to grab anything they may spook off the bottom. Keeping you bait suspended will cut down on the dogs and keep your bait right in the stripers strike zone.

 

[RodFather]

Fred great advice, it works, thanks.

 

[ReelyHooked]

Excellent tip, will try it this weekend. Thanks!

 

[aimless]

Great idea!! I'll have to try that later.

 

[Darrin G. DGREENEMACHINE]

we do the same in teh bay to keep the brown shark baits above the croakers... use a large egg sinker and fish it straight down about 6 ft off the bottom

Good advice Fred.

 

[Captain Phil]

Thanks Fred. Going to guy try it this weekend

 

[Reel-ality]

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give it a try.

 

[fran]

Thanks !! Fred

 

[amber lee]

That's a great tip that works, I ussually keep at least one bait out with hardly any weight when we're chunking, that's when we had realized the trick of cutting down on the doggies.

 

[Fishpicker]

Here another helpful insider tip. If the doggies are really thick I mean THICK. Or you know that you will be fishing in one certain spot for a few days { settin up shop }. Injure a few dogs don't kill them but open them up a little. Then throw them back in and let them swim away. Trust me that will clear a nice spot for good clean doggie free fishin.

 

[C-phase]

But I like dogs........

 

[The Edge]

Originally posted by Fishpicker:
Here another helpful insider tip. If the doggies are really thick I mean THICK. Or you know that you will be fishing in one certain spot for a few days { settin up shop }. Injure a few dogs don't kill them but open them up a little. Then throw them back in and let them swim away. Trust me that will clear a nice spot for good clean doggie free fishin.

Good idea, a little destrucktive but worth a shot. Also, save a few dogs and gut and clean immediately and you'll be suprised they aren't bad at all.

 

[fisher224]

Slice one from stem to stern and release it. They will eat him alive and leave your baits alone.

 

[anthony cal]

Chunking,
After all the fish you put me on this past weekend, I'll swear by anything you say. Keep the great tips coming, we all appriciate them

 

[MAKO19]

I can also vouch for the stripers not always being exactly on the bottom. When we are anchored up in the bay we fish 4 and sometimes 5 rods from a 8' beam. I run 2 lines with heavy weight right down off the back (flat line area if trolling). The other 2 I run out the riggers and if we do use a 5th rod I cast it way down the center and put the rod up top in the t-top rod holder. Now when the tide really starts ripping you can see the scope of the lighter weighted outrigger set-ups and t-top set-up going way out. They are not always right on the bottom, but I'll tell you what we have had most of our fish on these.

 

[Fishpicker]

My hands have been a little to sore as of late so I couldn't explain in better detail in the above post.

This is how I know that the dogs will clear out of a area extremely fast when one is harmed.

As a younger fishpicker when I was just figuring out some little tricks of the trade. I realized that every time that I cut (cleaned) dogs in the same spot that I caught them my catch would drop to next to nothing. I mean nothing !!!! So Now I steam them either to just outside the bell if the seas are nice or I tie up at the mouth of the Ottens harbor.

The bottom line on the dog issue is that it must be addressed. They aren't even here yet the one that are being caught are the scouts. The spiny stocks are higher then the smooth stocks but yet there are zero restriction on the smooths. Make no sense !!!!

Once again chuckin you have amazed me with you brilliances.