May trips

[Blindblue16]

Hi all, ive learned a ton from this site but i need some advice. I will be making a trip to halls the first and last weekends of may. Finally getting my trolling motor YAY!!!! This question is for stripers though, which im new to these techniques. I dont have electronics on the current boat or slab spoons yet but i will be investing in some crankbaits for other lakes i fish. I like to fish for largies and smallies but i wanna try out this striper gig.

So here we go: from what ive gathered, for late spring/early summer a lot of guys troll canyon walls with cranks to find schools until they get hit then follow up with slab spoons, kastmasters, or anchovys. If im correct on this, what depth cranks do you troll with and what color patterns work best? Im assuming that the deepest crank i can find is what i should use, and sun up is probably best, but my assumptions are usually dead wrong. Also, do stripers care for fast or slow troll speeds. Im all ears to whatever info anybody has thx.

 

[treetop]

Most of our stripes have been caught trolling. We use Rapala shad raps and Crome rattletraps with either a blue or black back.

 

[Coho975]

Blue, targeting stripers without electronics should test your skills, props to you! While I don't chase stripers, it is impossible for us to go over a school of them without giving an effort. One thing that has worked for us with minimal investment, if your already set up for L/SMB. You'll catch an incidental striper while fishing for anything in LP, cut the first one up and ice it. When you come across a school boiling or while trolling, pull the plastic off your jig heads and bait them, fan cast and work the column. There are many on here that are excellent striper fisherman, you'll get lots of good advice. Good luck.

 

[Dorado]

we have the best luck trolling 15-25 feet deep with the smallest crankbaits that will dive down and hit bottom in 15-20 feet. In lake Powell, that means you are going to hit bottom in some places and be in 50 feet or morein seconds! Never had much luck with dropping I spoon back in April or May, but have slayed on flies when you find a school. You need at least a decent fish finder to keep in the strike zone and a avoid whales. Ireally like the strike king KVD 5xd lures in sexy shad . Walleye diver lures also work well. Don't be afraid fish dirty water and have your lures bouncing bottom....

 

[wayne gustaveson]

Spoon fishing is not the best method in the spring as shad have not spawned yet and shad numbers are few. Therefore, trolling to find the prespawn schools is the best technique followed by casting when the school is located. If the school will not hit your crankbaits then bait is the next option.