"This guide is catching stripers on topwater baits and using regular bass tackle with 12 pound test line. You need to check him out" Bill McGinn said. "I have never been interested in catching stripers because you have to use heavy saltwater tackle and heavy line. I would like to catch a striper on bass fishing tackle, though" I replied. "He has been catching them on Zara Spooks" Bill says. "He does not use live bait and does not troll, either. This is just one on one fishing where you have to find the fish feeding on or near the surface. He catches some big fish!" With that I picked up the phone and booked a striper fishing trip with Darrel Binkly of Binks Guide Service (870-499-7384) located just below the Lake Norfork Dam.
In the darkness the illuminated face of the depth finder read 110 feet. Daylight was beginning to break over the Ozarks as Darrel Binkley and I sat quietly in the gently rocking bass boat. Bill McGinn was in the rear of the boat with the video camera ready to roll as soon as there was enough light to record the event for an episode of "TransWorld Sportsman". "There's a fish" Darrel said as a circle appeared on the glassy surface of the lake. He cast a Bass Assassin lure close to the ever widening circle, twitched the rod tip two or three times before setting the hook hard. "That's a good fish!" Darrel said as his rod bent under the strain of the unseen fish which was headed for the safety of the 100 foot deep water. Several minutes later I reached down and lifted an 8 pound striped bass from the cool, clear water of Norfork Lake. The fish was beautiful. It had bright white, silver, emerald green and black colors which glistened in the early morning light. I was totally amazed by the beauty of the striper and equally amazed that you can catch ocean fish right here in the Ozarks. Within minutes I had my first striper on. With a line stripping, freight train like run for deep water, the big fish got my undivided attention. I had at least 30 yards of 12 pound test Triplefish line out when the striper hit and it stripped more line before I got it slowed down. Eventually, I saw the long silvery side flashing in the water far below. What a fight this fish had given me on the bass fishing tackle that I use every day! The fish were continually breaking the surface around us and one of us had a fish on almost nonstop most of the morning. Even cameraman Bill McGinn got in on the action. I quickly traded places with him and videoed him catching his first striper.
When the action slowed down on the deep bank we had been fishing, we moved to another area. We could see fish breaking ahead of us and got to within casting distance without spooking them. I immediately had another fish on and I was suprised when a 3 pound smallmouth bass skyrocketed out of the crystal clear water in an attempt to throw my bait. This fish was dark brown with black tiger stripes and red eyes. As I slipped the chunky smallmouth back into the shimmering water I had to confess that they are my favorite fish. I have pursued smallmouths as far away from home as Canada and never tire of hunting for them. Though the vast majority of them which I catch goes back into the water to fight again another day, they leave me with an immense satisfaction filled with fond memories upon which I often find myself reflecting. Catching a nice one today while fishing for stripers was an added bonus. A steep rock strewn bank in another location turned up a pair of pot bellied Kentucky bass and a hybrid bass as well. Before the day was over we had caught stripers, hybrids, largemouth bass, smallmouth, Kentuckies and even a good walleye. All caught while fishing for stripers. The reason for this is simple....stripers feed on the massive schools of shad found in the large, deep, clearwater impoundments in the region and so do all of the other predatory fish. I am now thoroughly hooked on striper fishing with light tackle and am thankful that I live in a place where it is possible to fish for a wonderful fish like the striped bass which now have been documented as weighing as much as 65 pounds. And if you are longing for adventure try parking your bass boat in a 100 feet of water near a long point in the early morning darkness on Lake Norfork, Greer's Ferry, Bull Shoals, Ouchita or any other of the striper filled lakes in the region and wait for the break of day to bring the sounds of turkeys gobbling in the distance and the splashing of fish breaking on the surface. Chunk a shad imitating lure close to the breaking fish and you will find out first hand why I think a striper is fishing's Smokin' Gun.
reprinted by permission Paxton Media Group
