Catching striped bass with Striper Hunters

 I want to start off by stating that I believe education is important, but, if there is one thing I never enjoyed during my time at school, it would be those assignments of writing 2000-word essays about whatever. I can thus fully understand the irony in writing weekly blog posts. I am however, in a privileged position that allows me to have fun weekly fishing adventures and that is why I share my stories; so that people can share in these moments. Every so often, these stories are not of my own design, but rather, is presented as an opportunity provided by someone else.

This is where Captain Don Martin and the Striper Hunters enter the picture. The captain reached out to me after seeing some of my videos shore-fishing for stripers here at Lake Mead. He wanted to provide me with an opportunity to see what striped bass fishing could be like. The Striper Hunters run a fishing charter during the summer months on the Arizona side of Lake Mead from Meadview. On offer was a night time fishing trip from a boat near South Cove for what promised to be an experience I cannot miss.

Now, it is difficult to explain the difference between fishing off of your own boat and having someone who knows where and when to fish, without giving away some secrets. What I can say, is finding unique ways to overcome basic issues has a huge effect. For me the fishing started off slow - it was something like two hours before I caught a fish. However, once I got into the motion, we ended up with hours of non-stop action and seemingly endless fish. Truly, a world removed from my hours of fishing for a few fish.

This is an amazing experience; one I hope everyone can have at some stage. There is however, one thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. There is no limit for striped bass below 20 inches. This is because there are too many fish and not enough food for all the fish. I caught 52 fish that evening, most, close to starving. Normally I release fish as it feels right, but Striper Hunters keep all their catches. Nothing gets wasted, and often fish gets donated to feed those who need it. In my mind, both side of this coin can be summed up in one sentence: Wow, I caught 52 fish in one night.