Not stripper, for those of ya'll that got all excited. Sorry, you get to see my ugly mug!

Me and Brendall took the boat down to Lake Murray near Columbia, SC last Friday for our first attempt at striper fishing. We work with a guy who does it pretty regular, so he gave us some tips. I caught this one, almost 4 pounds, just after an hour of being on the water. We were told to follow the gulls, which we did. Ended up with 4 on the day, including an almost 7 pounder that Brendall got. Had a thick blanket of fog roll in around 9 am and the bite disappeared. Catching 4 fish in 2 hours isn't bad I suppose.... I think we woulda caught several more if it wasn't for the drastic change in weather. Also caught a 3lb largemouth and a palm-sized brim.

Now I know why people love striper fishing! These damn fish FIGHT!!! Even the smaller ones that we threw back (21-inch minimum on this lake) put up a heck of a fight. Following the gulls worked every time also. We're planning a return trip next week!

They fight.... and they are tasty!!! Used to catch them in the San Francisco Bay when I was a kid. Caught a 17 pounder once. Wish I could join you next week....I'd supply the smokes!

I've eaten them before, but they sure do taste better when you catch 'em yourself! This lake is something like 41 miles long and 14 miles wide at it's widest point - and there is a very healthy population of striper from my understanding. I didn't feel bad at all about keeping what we caught, because we eat all of it. We even make fish stock outta the bones. I'm thinking of making a fish-head stew next time!

I hope we can bring more home next week!

..oh, you meant the fish. not stripper...

I've fished for stripers in Lake Murray many, many times. Most of the fish there are under 10 lbs, but they sure can put up a fight.

Great job, I am stricken with envy.

I couldn't imagine hooking into anything much bigger, at least with the equipment we were using. I've been offshore plenty of times and caught mahi, barracuda, a blue marlin..... but we had mostly medium weight rods spooled with 12lb test. It made for a really fun fight!

Tease ..

Around here, the stripers need to be 28" to keep.

Maybe I'll just stick with strippers instead.

Some of the other lakes around here are 26-inch minimums.

Interestingly enough, in July and August in this same lake, 2 of the 5 fish you keep can be less than 21 inches.

Congrats! Nice looking fish ya got there!