Stripers like the Slayer Propel 10

[J.A. Veil]

This morning I trolled from my new 10-ft long Slayer Propel 10 (SP 10) kayak to see how it would handle open waters. I trolled and caught fish near the Severn River mouth on both sides. I had anticipated moderate wind and waves and looked forward to seeing how the SP 10 would handle it. The wind turned out to be very light with flat seas. (It does seem ironic to complain about lack of wind).

I launched at the Ellen Moyer water park into Back Creek. As soon as I reached the river, I spotted some gulls that were sitting on the water half a mile away and trolled toward them. I began catching small stripers immediately and kept getting them. After 45 mins, I had caught 16 stripers. I was looking for larger stripers, so I pedaled across to the north side of the river mouth to another of my target areas. As I approached, two of the four lines went down hard. I brought in a 21” and a 20” striper. After measuring and releasing those fish, I continued trolling around that area in a tight radius from where I got the first two fish. Over the next 45 minutes, I caught 10 more stripers, making a total of 28 stripers in less than two hours. I decided to try one more spot a mile away. I trolled there and back and forth for a while with no more bites.

I used 6'6" St Croix Premier spinning rods in med-light and medium weight and Shimano Stradic 2500 reels. The lures were paddletails. Three of the lines had 3" 12 Fathom Fat Sam mullets, and the fourth had a larger paddletail. The lure next to the pocket knife caught over half of the fish today. Note the sharp looking Chex jighead on the left. It is paired with an interesting hollow body paddletail. I need to use an electrical tie to keep it in place on the hook shank. But it has realistic markings and it swims well.

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I have not yet installed any electronics on the SP 10, nor have I done a final installation on the rod holders. That latter oversight almost cost me big time. I was looking to my right, when the left front rod got hit by a strong fish. The rod holder spun counterclockwise, loosening the base. The rod flew out of the rodholder and into the water as I finally noticed what had happened. Fortunately for me, I was in 4 ft depth and had very little current. I began casting my heaviest jighead to spots where I thought the rod had gone in. In less than 5 mins, I snagged the line and recovered the rod and reel. As a bonus, a 20" striper was still attached to the jighead. The poor fish must have been confused about dragging around a rod and reel and 50 ft of line. I used half of my water bottle contents to rinse the reel immediately and gave it a better rinsing at home. After breaking a St Croix Premier rod yesterday while untangling a sea gull, I was not eager to lose another rod plus a reel today.


I continue to be very impressed with the SP 10 as a casting and a trolling platform. I like how easy it is to pedal and turn. Both of my trips so far were on calm weather days. Judging from how the SP 10 got pushed around a bit by some moderate sized boat wakes today, I suspect that under rough water conditions, I would be better off in the SP 13.

[YaknBass]

John WOW what a day!! alot going on for ya in a short time. stripers galore, lost rod, retrieved rod, (very glad that happened) with the fish still hooked up!! great day that ended well!! congrats!!

[sparky1423]

You're a machine John...I don't think I caught 28 stripers all year!

[Skidsteer]

Do you always use loop knots for jigs - or just jigs with paddletails?

[J.A. Veil]

Do you always use loop knots for jigs - or just jigs with paddletails?

I started using loop knots for most lure attachments in 2013 after seeing several guides choose that knot. I remember practicing for an hour in my garage to try to learn how to do it quickly. Of course, the next time I tried to do it on the water, I forgot how.

Whether coincidence or not, my best two years of catching stripers have been 2013 and 2014 -- both years in which I chose the loop knot. The loop knot allows the lure to swing freely as it moves through the water. On the downside, the loop knot has just a single strand of line running through the lure eye. My previous favorite knot, the Palomar knot, has a double strand of line running through the eye. I have had breakoffs this year in the loop. But on balance, the advantages offered by better swimming motion outweigh the single stranded line.

Some exceptions: I use light jigheads and live minnows for pickerel fishing during the winter. I tie the leader to the 1/8-oz or 1/16-oz jighead using a Palomar. Maybe I will try the loop knot this winter. For swimming plugs (I use them rarely) and for heavy metal jigs like Stingsilvers, I typically use a snap swivel to attach the line to the lure.

[bunnielab]

Thanks for the report, especially going to detail about what lures you used. For a beginner like myself, who is still in the "throw something into the water and sometimes a fish is polite enough to bite it" phase, details like you provide are very very helpful. I am very interested to see how the Slayer 10 fares in rougher water, it is at the top of my list for my first serious yak and I haven't found and reviews that speak to that yet.

[Skidsteer]

Thanks John.

I learned a simple way to tie a loop knot:

Tie a single overhand knot and leave it loose so it makes a loop. Take the tag end and feed it through the lure. Then take the tag end and wrap 3 times through the first overhand loop (almost like a uni knot).

[daolai]

John - good report and glad you are digging the slayer 10.

[bignose]

I don't recognize the two jigs on the left, but the ones on the right look kinda familiar.
Once the High School Football season is over, I'm planning on doing a big run of spinner jigs for perch.
I should have a batch ready for the Flea Market.

[lovett88]

Sounds like a good day on the water. Glad to hear you were able to get your rod back...with a bonus fish.

[HawkGT]

Thanks from me, too on the details. I'm having lots of fun pedaling my kayak around on the water. Details on the what works to catch fish are very much appreciated. Can I ask about the choice to tie directly vs a snap swivel for jigs and paddle ties?

I've be using the swivel always for easy lure changes on the water. My thinking was that if a swivel plus wire spreader works for an Alabama rig (with just two paddle tails that have hooks) then a swivel alone can not be a problem for a single jig.

But I have yet to catch fish numbering in the double digits on a single outing. I'm ready to learn from someone that has.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Fishinfool]

Great report John, as usual! Your consistent fishing success is truly inspiring, not only for me but to hundreds and perhaps even thousands who read your reports, and want to get on the water anyway they can, get a line or two wet, and try their luck. And that is a very good thing!

[J.A. Veil]

Can I ask about the choice to tie directly vs a snap swivel for jigs and paddle ties?

I've be using the swivel always for easy lure changes on the water. My thinking was that if a swivel plus wire spreader works for an Alabama rig (with just two paddle tails that have hooks) then a swivel alone can not be a problem for a single jig.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think how you attach lures is a personal choice -- not a right or wrong way. I mentioned earlier that I use loop knots for attaching most lures. I do use snap swivels some times, particularly if I plan to use several sizes of lures in the same trip, like this morning. I had loop knots on 3 rods and a swivel on the fourth. I started with a heavy Storm shad on the swivel. Later, when I began trolling in much shallower water, I replaced the Storm Shad with a small jighead and paddletail. Then later when I moved back to deeper water, I switched back to the heavier lure.

The advantages of a snap swivel are: fast change out of lures, avoids biteoffs at the line/lure connection, stronger than a single-line loop knot.

The disadvantage are: It is a piece of metal hardware in a spot where it could be visible to fish, particularly when you use a large snap swivel. If you use a small snap swivel, you run the risk of a large fish pulling the wire out of the clip (I have done this before).

Another product that I have heard good things about but have never used myself is a tactical angler clip http://www.tackledirect.com/tactical...wer-clips.html. It allows quick lure changes but is less bulky.