[rattoomaniac]

After all the recent posts, we decided to hit up Decker this morning.  It was our first time fishing there.  We fished from 6:30 to 11:00.

The wind was problematic today.  At dawn we could not catch anything on the surface.  We went just sub-surface with a white spinner bait (son) and a fluke (me).  We managed a few along the vegitation lines.  It seems that the bass were in the thick of it.  

Around 9:30 we started to troll for whites and hybrid stripers.  This was the reason why we headed to Decker due to recent posts.  We did not catch a thing in two hours of trolling.  We used pink ladies (run ~ 25 ft) with spoons (pet and Johnson).  After nothing we tried an assortment of crank baits (ranging from deep divers to ones that go ~ 6 ft).  We trolled mostly the end of the lake near the dam since the rest of the lake was too shallow.  In short, we trolled nearly everything deeper than 30 ft.  Any suggestions on trolling for whites and hybrid stripers would be appreciated.  

 

[Dez]

Re: Decker - Friday Jule 11

From what I can tell from your post you may want to throw out some shallower cranks like a shadrap or Gizz 3, maybe even a fat free shad and work on suspended fish as well. I usually attempt to cover as much of the water colum as possible until I get a bite or 2 then attack that depth. Freinds like Hyper stripers and roadrunners there too. I really like the Gizz baits but they are $10...I like the blue pearl, deep dives about 15-18 at 3mph

http://www.smacktackle.com/catalog/gizz.html

Decker is funny for trolling sometimes and have never just killed out there but we have caught quite a few on a good day.

 

[rattoomaniac]

Believe it or not we actually tried out a Gizz-4 (Chartreuse Pearl) and a fat free shad. Did not try hyper stripers or roadrunners.

 

[Dez]

Well there ya go, I wish I had something else for you but sounds like there was just a lack of cooperation. Not much you can do but try again ASAP....BTW your boy looks like he was entertained..

 

[RO]

Thanks for the report.  Agree with Dez, sounds like you did everything right but got no cooperation, no love.  Sometimes the hybrids be like a cold woman, burrrr.

Meanwhile, it does appear that your son had fun, which is the most important thing.

Other times, the hybrids do come out and play.  My favorite trolling combo is a pet spoon tied to 6 ft of 10-12 lb fluoro tied to a three-way swivel, which is in turn tied to my 6-20 braid main line.  To the other arm of the three-way swivel I tie 3 ft of 20 lb fluoro to a Rapala deep tail dancer.  This lure will take the set up to 28-30 ft deep at 2.0-2.5 mph, but only with small diameter mainline (like braid).  By contrast, 20 lb mono on the main line limits you to a max depth of 20 ft or so at any speed.  The braid also transmits the taildancer's wobble vibration to the rod tip with minimal damping, so that you can tell the lure is running true with no weeds on it.  It also catches the most fish for me.  Good luck.

 

[rattoomaniac]

Thanks.  I will have to try out the dual rigging with a deep diver and a spoon.