I am interested in fishing our river (Cape Fear River) for striped bass. I fish in Santee SC every year for stripers and cats and using a Carolina rig on the bottom with cut herring or hanging live baits about 6 feet off the bottom. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas. Thanks in advance.

Take me with you //////////////////////:D

Merry Christmas mike!!:happy:

Welcome aboard NC-steve . as i never fished rivers fresh water, i would go with the thinking of fishing it like a jetty or breachway, you know darters, swimmers pikies.

Merry Christmas m/M

WELCOME NC STEVE ---Newcomer myself and these guys are the BEST!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR. :)

welcome NC steve

Take me with you //////////////////////


i'll share the driving mike:D


live bait!!!!!

Ya,

don't kill evry fish you catch (keep one) :)

Merry Christmas and have a blast !

I'm jealous. :crying:

Have you tried using weighted rubber lures that simulate the local baitfish?

Example that comes to mind is a Storm Wildeye shad.

http://www.campbellsprotackle.com/store/images/storm_shad6.jpg

If you are fishing a current, how 'bout a plain old white jig n pig? Say, 3 ounces, white. You could also substitute a white curly-tail for the pork rind.

-WW

Before I had kids my wife and I vacationed on "Bald Head Island" or "Old Baldy" better known as "SMITH Island". I went there for about 5 years each summer. This is a great island. NO CARS (just golf carts), an AMAZING golf course with no one on it, professional croquet and tennis courts one of the best build marinas for sport fishing boats a bunch of high end summer houses ..oh and CAPE FEAR is on the eastern most point...I surf fished that beach! It has one of the most NASTY rips I've seen....goes out for miles. We rented a cottage that was about a 1/2 mi beach walk to the point one year...simply an amazing place. BEWARE if the weather turns crappy there and get the hell out of there...I am not kidding, houses float away like it is nothing.
You probably saw some of the island... the movie "weekend at Burny's" was filmed there as well as a couple horror movies.

I have not seriously fished the place...just a casual couple weeks in the sun for a few years. I think you will like it...just pray for calm seas.

I do a lot of river fishing for stripers, but I'd need some particulars about depth and current. Forage at the time of year your going, along with anticipated water temps might be a key to how active the fish are likely to be, which will in turn dictate what you should be doing in the presentation department. Tomorrow I'll be fishing a river for stripers, but with 34-38 degree water, the presentation is small and slow to gear down for a much reducted activity and metabolism rate. However after I load up with schoolies for fun dragging a big 8" grub closer to the bottom can get me some biggger fish.