I remember the first stiper I ever caught..It was also the biggest at 39 pounds...We had been steelhead fishing all day on the Smith and on a whim decided to stay and try trolling Stripers after dark...My fishing buddy had done it a few times and had a electric motor in the truck and a few 6 inch blue backed rebels..We parked the truck on a downhill and took the battery out for a spare...That way if we used up the battery we could still get started in the morning..
I was fishing with my steelhead gear at the time,which was a medium rod with a Mitchell 300 with 12 pound mono..
We had just slid the drift boat in and was motoring out..I was letting my plug out and my buddy hadn't even started on his yet when I felt a monster strike..The fish made a run for the ocean at a high rate of speed..Line was going out fast and the drag was sizzling..I switched to reverse and was reeling backwards trying to help the drag and started yelling for my buddy to turn around and give chase..
Well,electric motors and turn around fast don't go together...It seemed the whole world was in slow motion,while the fish was in fast forward...Line was disapearing quick while the boat just poked along...
Finally we got turned around and gave it full throttle,which wasn't much...The fish was clear around the corner of the river out of sight,if we could see that is,by now it was pitch black..
Started to get some line back,but now there was a new problem...Untangling out of limbs and brush while we chased down river...This went on for better than a half mile..Seems like just about the time we thought we were under control the fish would get back into a downed tree or something......Got into a wider section of river and fought him there...Got to see him once in the flashlight...OMG it looked unreal it was so big...Some of that had to do with the gloom and the light,but it still looked like a monster...He made one last run towards the bank....I could feel something funny...Got closer and could see the front hooks were hung on a limb,while the back was still in the fish...Thought he was a goner,but somehow he came off the limb and into the net..
What a battle...This was my first stiper trip and I had only fished 20 seconds or so...I didn't even have my plug all the way out...LOL
That was the only fish we hit all night,but it was enough...
I have since fished and caught a lot of stripers..Also caught a lot of the hybreds that they put in Tenmile...Most of them ended up in the Smith...I don't think there are anymore,but they were good sized and fun..
If you go,time your trip with the down river steelhead smolts and use a bluebacked rebel..
I need to get back there and see if I can still catch them...
I got a pic somewhere...I will look...