My first Striper when I least expect it...

[logs22]

I had about 20 minutes to kill before work earlier this week so i stopped to take a few casts at my go-to spot near work, Overpeck Creek. It was a super windy day and I quickly realized the dock I usually fish from just wasn’t going to work. There is a bridge nearby that i had fished under in the past so I decided to give it a try and hope it provided some shelter from the gale force winds. It is pretty nasty under the bridge and also there is only about 5 feet from the water to the bottom of the bridge, but at least it was much less windy and I began casting a tube using my medium-light spinning rod and 6 lb mono.

One long cast with the tube and almost as soon as it hit the water my line started moving....fast. Really fast. I loosened the drag a bit knowing when I ran out of slack the line might break based on the speed this fish was moving. The fish was taking line at an alarming rate and I was thinking I had hooked a new PB largemouth since that is all I had ever caught in Overpeck. Just then the fish suddenly jumped. I have never seen a fish jump so high. It actually came within about a foot of the underside of the bridge when it jumped and also exposed its true identity - a striper! My first striper! I couldn’t believe it, I never considered that there might be stripers in Overpeck. The fish put up a great fight on the lightweight tackle and I was lucky to land it. I was beyond excited to catch a new type of fish, especially when it was so completely unexpected. After the pics below the fish was released.





I took a few more casts with the tube until a snag broke my line. I picked up my baitcaster with a spinnerbait tied on and after a few casts I hooked another, larger striper! This one I could muscle in much easier as I was using 10 lb test. Pics below taken and fish released.





At that point I was 20
Minutes late for work and had to head to the office. The disapproving glance I received from my boss when I strolled in late was well worth it:-).