Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

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Thanks for this great information.

The NJDWF website says they will hit worms and chicken liver fished on the bottom. Does this sound plausible?

I know Striped Bass on the Delaware will occasionally surprise a catfisherman by hitting chicken liver, but hybrid stripers?

Link: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/fish_str_bass_hybrd.htm


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Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Yes, anglers using chicken livers, have caught them off the docks by the boat ramp.

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

pure strain stripers r suckers for bait on the bottom, clams, chicken livers, anything really. Hybrids are roaming wolf packs, they school sometimes loosely, sometimes rly tight. They may turn on and start blitzing schools of bait and be off in minutes, or seconds sometimes. If you rly wanna target them head to LH, its loaded with them, not even joking they are all over the place. SR is a tuff nut at times, and the 9.9 restriction makes searching tuff if you dont have a good/the right equipment. Another great way to troll for them is umbrella rigs, especially good in the fall when u buzz thru the large bait balls. A simple method is to use herring shaped/sized crankbaits and put as many lines out as manageable and troll different depths. I find 1.5-2 mph the best average speed. If theres a thermocline run one 10-11 ft down, another 7-8 another 4-5 and maybe a floater or plastic paddle tail on top. Watch ur sonar and see where u mark fish and bait. Once u get 1 or 2 switch to that depth and key in on that. Oftem color plays a part too w cranks, either firetigers and bright stuff or natural silvers/golds will be the ticket, they fish will tell u what they want

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Good info!

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Hey jim Do these hybrids hold on structure or are they roaming fish like trout

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

LH is def the states best location for hybrids, that being said it is just like any other type of fishing...NOTHING and i mean nothing beats time on the water...The more time you can spend on the water, the more dialed in you will be to their daily habits and locations...I have been targeting them in SR fer about ten yrs now and have had gr8 success for the last 6-7 yrs....

Once the herring spawn is over they do alot of roaming and wandering.... Most fish are fat to th point where they don't need to feed all the time....As others have mentioned, they can turn on and off like a light switch....There are times when they will stay in close proximity to bait balls and only feed when the mood strikes them...Somtimes only feeding heavily for minutes or seconds....I have also experienced fish tha stay neer drop offs and wait to ambush passing bait balls... The thermocline has been loosely in place at SR for almost a month....recently it has been setting up shallower and more solid...

Not my favorite time of yr to target them but you can still be very successful
by covering water and sticking to mornings or evenings....

I am very jealous at the size potential for them at LH..It is fairly rare to get them in th 8-10lb. range at SR but seems to be a little more common place at LH... I do know for a fact that quite a few of the 5-7 lbers. are caught and kept every yr at SR which may or may not hve an impact on the amount of largr fish there....

I know its thought and or proven to be impossible, but i believe that they are somehow reproducing in SR.....I could be totally wrong but as far as i know, they have not been stocked there in the last 3-5yrs...If anyone knows otherwise pls p.m. me...The last two yrs i have caught a decent amount in the 4-8" size, which tells me that nature has found a way...

Good luck to all and pls limit your kill, don't kill ur limit:D

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Not true. Here's the 2012 stocking summary for hybrids:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2...king_hsb12.pdf

On average, about 10-14k each year for the last 5 years.

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Thank you!!! that puts that theory to rest...:)

Can you post the home page that ur link came from? thanks

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

Many yrs ago manasquan was the only place where i could find enormous hybrid blitzes....Like surface blitzes that were at times 100 yrds around, with alot of fish in the 3-5 lb range....Been hearing mixed reveiws in the last few yrs...as if the population is on a serious decline....Hard to believe with that stocking report....

Anybody targeting them at the squan in the last few yrs?? pls p.m. me for info swapping... willing to share info of any kind in return

Re: Spruce Run.......Hybrids
 

they do both bro. depends on the time of year and day. Usually during the day they will be on main lake points, they like to have shallow and deep water nearby on both sides. Last few weeks on LH its been 20-25 FOW and they are either chillin close to the bottom OR u will find them below and off to the sides of bait just hangin close by. Kinda lazy feeding, if they see a baitfish stray or injured they will slurp him up, otherwise they just follow. Catching one out of a school sometimes turns them on, they think others are feeding and they start to feed to sometimes on the pukings of the one caught. On LH they are big time nocturnal, they come up higher in water column to feed and also will hit topwater stuff. Mornings and evenings this time of year I search for bait and marks and if I see a few close to bottom and bait around its 99% of the time hybrids and I setup fishfinder rigs w 1/2 oz weight and 24" leader and fish on the bottom or within 2-3 ft of it with herring. Once the thermocline sets up in LH they will be shallow where they can hug the bottom outside of the thermocline zone, usually 20ft or less OR they will roam open water above the thermocline just looking for bait balls. They like to sit right in or on top of the thermocline when they are out there, cooler water and plenty of O2 in the water. This is when u can buzz them w umbrella rigs or anything flashy 1-2 ft above them and they reaction bite pretty well. Fishing bait is tricky in the thermocline, too deep and ur herring dies in 30 seconds, live lining is good cause the herring will stay up high or right in the thermocline and u just drift them waiting for the wolf pack to come by.