Fishing under lights for hybrids

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crawlerman2
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2015/04/30 09:02:27 (permalink)

Fishing under lights for hybrids

I just moved back here after 10 years in South Carolina.  I got addicted to striper fishing there so I want to start targeting hybrids here.  Looks like the Ohio and Arthur are my best options.  I used to fish at night under 2 hydroglow lights.  The lights brought in the herring and the herring brought in the stripers.  Has anyone ever tried this on the rivers or Arthur?  I'm not sure it it will pull in alewives.  I also used to pull the bait about .5 to 1 mph on freeline (carolina rig with no wt.), planer boards, and down lines.  I never saw anyone doing this on Arthur when I left but I can't see why it wouldn't work.  It's what they do at Raystown, but maybe hybrids act different.  Lastly, when will the hybrids start turning on?
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    crappiefisher
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/04/30 09:21:47 (permalink)
      The lights work at Arthur. I don't use 'em but had a friend that was with me on boat that did. Son cleaned up on Byrds since ice out. Caught more ov 'em than any other fish combined (daylight)..... Fishin' (dark) I'd usually do good from mothers day on. 2:00 'till little after dawn 'till end ov month. Then bite starts earlier & ends sooner.
     
    crappy
    #2
    ZelieSam
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/04/30 10:11:01 (permalink)
    Lights on Arthur will 100% draw alewives.  That said I haven't caught a single wiper at night while using lights even with a giant ball of bait under our boat.  Keeping in mind that I'm a panfish/catfish guy and very willing to believe the wipers were there and I just didn't do the necessary to catch them.  
    #3
    Porktown
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/04/30 10:29:46 (permalink)
    Pulling meat will definitely work.  When the alewives are easily able to be caught, during their spawn, you will have a lot of company on the lake and hard to pull bait.  If you are able to catch alewives at other times, I'm sure pulling them would work as well.  Alewives are hard to keep alive in captivity, so catching at night for use the next day, is a real challenge.  Many hybrids are caught trolling artificials as well.  I've heard that they are spooked by the sound of the motors, but not sure how true.  If the winds are down, I will use my electric motor to troll, more than my gas.  I've chased them early in the year before, and maybe get 1-2 in a day of focusing on them with many skunkings coming as well.  A lot of other fish willing to bite on every other cast right now, that I enjoy tossing in a frying pan...  Nowhere near the fight, but after a few months of cabin fever, I like building up the fishing confidence!  I'll be right there with you chasing them soon enough.
    #4
    crawlerman2
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/04/30 13:58:54 (permalink)
    Thanks for all the help.  I still have to go back to SC to get my boat.  I'm having trouble figuring out how to get a title for my unregistered trailer from SC.  No registration, title or plate required there.
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    ZelieSam
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/04/30 14:03:41 (permalink)
    crawlerman2Thanks for all the help.  I still have to go back to SC to get my boat.  I'm having trouble figuring out how to get a title for my unregistered trailer from SC.  No registration, title or plate required there.

     
    Keep it registered there!  The whole rig I mean.  PA is a snake's den of lies and taxes that make no sense when it comes to vehicles.  But assuming you have to, because you already changed residency and all that... they will take an original receipt iirc if you can produce one.  If not you are hosed.  The process to get it titled is a nightmare, and each place you visit will tell you something different.  
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    crawlerman2
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/01 11:26:49 (permalink)
     
     
    Keep it registered there!  The whole rig I mean.  PA is a snake's den of lies and taxes that make no sense when it comes to vehicles.  But assuming you have to, because you already changed residency and all that... they will take an original receipt iirc if you can produce one.  If not you are hosed.  The process to get it titled is a nightmare, and each place you visit will tell you something different.  




    Yep, that is why my boat is still in SC even though I moved 5 months ago.  I have it set up perfect for fishing and I'd hate to sell it.  But Im at the point where I might just sell it and by another boat here.  Its a Wellcraft V20 with a 200 Evinrude, which may be a bit too much boat for what I'll be doing here anyway.
     
    And as far as keeping the alewives alive, I have a 30 gallon super bait tank II.  It's circulates, aerates and filters the water.  a little rock salt and ice will keep them healthy.
     
    post edited by crawlerman2 - 2015/05/01 11:28:22
    #7
    JEB
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/01 13:32:51 (permalink)
    The Ohio does produce better than the Beaver river, but plenty of nice Wipers have come out of the Beaver as well. Target the dam below New Brighton and walk in only or canoe/kayak the one above the Beaver Falls/New Brighton bridge as well.
    #8
    Porktown
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/01 13:48:07 (permalink)
    That is one heck of a boat, would be hard to launch in Arthur.  Some of the launches are rough getting my 17' in.  20hp limit would have you in slow motion too. 
     
    If you do get that boat back up here, look into Shenango as well.  Much better suited to your V20.  Probably as good, or arguably better wiper fishery as Arthur.  Nowhere near the pressure that Arthur gets.  You have to battle the joy riders and further drive if you live south though, but able to crank your 200 from spot to spot.  If you see birds diving at Arthur 500 yards away, it takes 5 minutes to get to them...
     
    Not sure if Ohio River is nearly what it used to be either for wipers.  Pretty sure they stopped stocking them in the past 5 years.  Not sure how long they live, but pretty sure they will be a rare catch in the coming years.  It used to be the place to go to catch numbers, although not many over 20".  Too many yahoos on the rivers and just as many on the bank fishing.  I pulled out of a marina on the back channel of the Ohio about 7 years ago, and haven't looked back!
    #9
    Sujie
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/01 23:54:34 (permalink)
    I have to ask ..... anybody eat the hybrids?
    #10
    BIGHEAD_1
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/02 04:50:38 (permalink)
    No they are HORRIBLE
    #11
    Porktown
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/02 16:28:48 (permalink)
    A lot of red mud meat in them. Very fishy tasting if you don't get it all out. If you get it all out, the are very mild, almost no taste. Walleye, perch and crappie are much better, IMO. I have eaten a few, but mostly return for others and myself to enjoy the fight. If caught in the Summer, you might as well keep them. Most won't survive being put back then, per biologist reports. They seem to swim away fine though... If you don't immediately ice, even getting all of the red meat out will end up with a fishy meal.
    post edited by Porktown - 2015/05/02 16:32:02
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    ZelieSam
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/02 21:26:56 (permalink)
    Normally I'd call BS on someone saying wipers aren't the best eating, but two things hold me back.  One, Pork tells it straight.  Two, I've caught and eaten white bass from Shenago, and they are pretty good if you cut out the center line (which you should really be doing anyway).  When the Erie charter guys were telling us that white bass were oily garbage and not keeping them I didn't believe them.  Got them home, cleaned a couple and they were seriously garbage.  So until I personally catch and eat a wiper from Arthur, I'll bow to the opinions of guys like Pork.  
     
    Then again, guys claim that channel cats taste bad, and we find them to be delicious.  Crappie and perch are better, but I don't hesitate to nosh down some 'cat.
    #13
    BeenThereDoneThat.
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/02 23:20:32 (permalink)
    To each............ his own!

    Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
     
     
     
      Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
     
    #14
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 09:42:19 (permalink)
    i brought a white bass home from pymatuning about five years ago.  the first and only that i ever kept.  even our cats wouldn't eat it.  they pseudo-buried it on the kitchen floor.  
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    deepcreek bound
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 10:01:19 (permalink)
    Speaking of Arthur and wipers. Where is Spoonchucker?? Haven't seen him on here in some time.  He was always fishing there for them.   Deep
    #16
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 10:32:37 (permalink)
    deepcreek, spoon's faded away like so many others.  he's still around and was talking about fishing byrds a week ago.
    #17
    davef
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 13:22:02 (permalink)
    rap
    i brought a white bass home from pymatuning about five years ago.  the first and only that i ever kept.  even our cats wouldn't eat it.  they pseudo-buried it on the kitchen floor.  


    I've had just the opposite occur with eating white bass as what Rich had.  Last fall after limiting on perch on Erie I started catching white bass that were around a foot long.  I had always been told they were no good but had room in my cooler and kept 5 or 6.  Wife made them the next day and I thought they were good.  I have heard it was best to eat them fresh though.  They were not as good as perch or crappie but tasty.
     
    Also I have never cared to eat trout or steelhead and because of that I always avoided the salmon at the Chinese buffets.  Finally last Friday I tried a chunk and also thought it was good.
     
    One last comment years ago my son caught a pure striper of around 40 inches from Raystown.  One of the best tasting also in my opinion.
     
     
    Only way to find out if you might like it is to try one.
     
     
    Hopefully you guys are catching more fish lately than I am.  Found the crappies one day 2 weeks ago and it's been slim pickings since.
    #18
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 14:57:42 (permalink)
    dave, i will admit that mine was frozen for a few months and that it was served with walleyes.
     
    i will also admit that i ate a few stockies in 1975 and i could not get rid of that purina taste in my mouth.....lol.
     
    tim, a former member here, makes multiple trips to the east coast for stripers and says they are awesome.  
    #19
    Fisherlady2
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/03 16:34:59 (permalink)
    We have eaten white bass from erie and liked it....but...it wasn't as good as perch or walleye and we bled them and had them on ice within minutes of catch which i think makes a huge difference. How a fish is handled after being caught makes the difference between a decent meal and chicken food. (our chickens eat anything!)
     
    I just made a baked rockfish dinner last week (striper) which i had caught in December from southern Maryland waters... it was great but  you really need to be careful to clean off any red meat or it taints the whole fillet. 
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    Sujie
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/05 07:26:11 (permalink)
    Thanks for all the comments about eating hybrids and white bass. When I was 21 years old, I lived in Connecticut and used to catch (real) stripers in the surf. Ate a few that other people (natives) prepared. Still tasted a bit "fishy" for me.
    #21
    crawlerman2
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/05 09:19:59 (permalink)
    I have eaten a lot of stripers.  If you leave them too long before filleting them they are fishy.  If you leave any red meat near the skin on on the lateral line they are fishy.  The bigger fish are not as good as the smaller ones, I throw back any that are over 25" unless the water is above 80*.  The survival rate drops completely off when released in water over 80*.  Hybrids are a bit more tolerant to warm water.  My favorite way to cook them was chunking them up, dip in beer batter and deep fry.  They are not nearly as good if you freeze them.  I fished once or twice a week, so I just kept one when I was hungry for fish and ate it the next day.
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    slabfinder
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/05 22:26:53 (permalink)
    If your eating fish, and it takes fishy.  Try Chicken, Turkey, or Beef.  I'm sure you'll like them better, and you were meant to be fed by the "big" grocery stores! 
    #23
    SpreadEagleBeagle
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/06 10:53:14 (permalink)
    Remove the lateral line and soak in buttermilk overnight.  Channel cats from Arthur are a summer staple in our house and this removes all of the muddy flavor.  Works for wipers too.  Crawlerman is right though--the smaller ones taste better.
     
    You can even season the buttermilk.  I use Texas Pete for a little kick.   
    #24
    crawlerman2
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/06 15:36:43 (permalink)
    slabfinder
    If your eating fish, and it takes fishy.  Try Chicken, Turkey, or Beef.  I'm sure you'll like them better, and you were meant to be fed by the "big" grocery stores! 


    Thank you for your brilliant contribution to the thread.  It was very helpful and informative. 
    #25
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/06 16:38:20 (permalink)
    slab, if you love the ultra-fishy taste, might i suggest raw carp sushi.....nothing better, trust me.....lol
    #26
    Porktown
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/07 11:11:09 (permalink)
    slabfinder
    If your eating fish, and it takes fishy.  Try Chicken, Turkey, or Beef.  I'm sure you'll like them better, and you were meant to be fed by the "big" grocery stores! 


    If fish tasted like beef, I am pretty sure there would be more fishermen in this world.  If it tasted like a good pizza, I would quit my job and move to the beach.
     
    I think most on here are referring to "fishy" as the same as "gamey" or "muddy".  Fish shouldn't taste like spoiled fish smells or bottom sediment...  Not sure if you've ever trimmed any beef cuts, but if you leave a vain, it can ruin a good looking steak/roast, just as much as a poorly prepared fish.  If someone doesn't like the unique flavor that each fish has, then sure, go eat chicken, turkey or beef.  Just like a well prepared chicken, turkey or beef dish, you almost always season in some fashion or other.  Even fillet mignon or ribeye needs some salt & pepper IMO, even better with other spices and a side of grilled (seasoned) veggies/shrooms.  Unseasoned grilled/baked chicken is not very good, neither is unseasoned grilled/baked fish IMO (yes, butter is seasoning).  Even smoking requires a good rub/brine/marinade.  Roadside chicken is one of the best main courses out there, IMO.  I have made fish the same way, and comes out almost as good (no bacon like skin, so not really a fair comparison).  I would rather have fried perch over fried chicken wings, and I love wings!  Give the same sauce choices, and fried the right way, most fish is better than chicken IMO.  Chicken is $2-3/lb, so a staple to most.  It also saves much better for sandwiches 3-4 days after a meal and a lot more recipes available (at least American style).
    #27
    crappiefisher
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/07 12:10:59 (permalink)
     Anchovies & Blind Robbins r some ov my fav. oh yeah almost forgot sardines with mustard  Btdt got it right. The salted minnies I have in fridge. r lookin' better & better.
     
    crappy
    post edited by crappiefisher - 2015/05/07 12:14:18
    #28
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    Re: Fishing under lights for hybrids 2015/05/07 17:08:52 (permalink)
    your words are good, tim.  to add just one point, if fish tasted like pizza, i'd be a poacher.
     
    the 'gamey or muddy' description says it best.  for me, it will always be a milder fish such as walleye and perch and crappie, usually broiled and lightly salted.  if i could get this always, i'd never eat beef again.
    #29
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