# LOOKING to start a new group "Hybrid Hunters" in SW Ohio



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

Anybody interested in pursuing a monthly challenge in the Hybrid striper fishing in and around the Cincinnati area.


----------



## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Sounds like fun! What are you thinking as far as details?


----------



## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

sounds like a drag scream, in,rod bending, can,t stop fish,in good time.


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

A few of the guys I fish with have been discussing and kicking around forming a hybrid fishing club for the past couple years. Tournaments to be fished around local sites in and around the Cincinnati area. Gentlemen I'm new to this forum so you'll have to help by sending emails or telephone #'s. I'd like to get a meeting scheduled in February to hammer out details of the organization and working on producing a tournament schedule. Thanks for your interest please keep in touch.


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

A few of the guys I fish with have been discussing and kicking around forming a hybrid fishing club for the past couple years. Tournaments to be fished around local sites in and around the Cincinnati area. Gentlemen I'm new to this forum so you'll have to help by sending emails or telephone #'s. I'd like to get a meeting scheduled in February to hammer out details of the organization and working on producing a tournament schedule. Thanks for your interest please keep in touch.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Hmmm... tournaments for a scarce, fragile fish species? I'm thinking no.


By all means, get out there & fish for them. Enjoy yourself, enjoy the resource... 

But in my honest opinion, a tournament? I don't think it's a good idea at all, unless you're talking about fishing from a boat. 


What to do with the fish you catch?


----------



## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

I would be concerned with the fish's ability to survive. Even from a boat, these guys seemed to get stressed easily. Do you think they would tolerate riding around in a livewell during summer months? 
Love catchin these guys but unless there was some sort of workable immedieate release format I'm thinking it might not be a good idea.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

A tournament for them on East Fork would a great idea. They are not easy to catch, most of the fish are young & small, which means they're much more resilient & have a much lower mortality rate. 

A river fish is much more likely to die under normal stress from being caught. Add to that the few bozos who insist on eating them & you have a sport fishery that is as fragile as the species itself.


----------



## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

fallen513 said:


> A tournament for them on East Fork would a great idea. They are not easy to catch, most of the fish are young & small, which means they're much more resilient & have a much lower mortality rate.
> 
> A river fish is much more likely to die under normal stress from being caught. Add to that the few bozos who insist on eating them & you have a sport fishery that is as fragile as the species itself.


You know, I really enjoy reading your posts on hybrids, I use to fish for stripers alot in SC and "burned out" so I understand the attraction...you and some of your buddies have become what I consider "Master Anglers". You guys know everything possible about the fish and continually try to learn more and pass on that info...I have learned alot...so Thanks, Brent


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Intimidator said:


> You know, I really enjoy reading your posts on hybrids, I use to fish for stripers alot in SC and "burned out" so I understand the attraction...you and some of your buddies have become what I consider "Master Anglers". You guys know everything possible about the fish and continually try to learn more and pass on that info...I have learned alot...so Thanks, Brent



I certainly appreciate that & I'm glad that there was some useful info there!

However, I am definitely no master angler! 

I'll be a student of the game until the day I die. Every time I think I have them figured out, I don't....  My recent email correspondence with the DNR has really opened my eyes to a lot of information that I previously was not aware of, making me realize I have much to learn. 

If you couldn't tell, I am pretty passionate about the river hybrids. They are what I fish for 99% of the time & I want to do everything in my power to see that they will be around for years to come. 

That means teaching people how to fish for them, so they can experience the excitement that is catching such a hard pulling fish!

It also means preaching & practicing CATCH & RELEASE. The attitude that they will "always" be there and "I don't answer to anyone" is complete [email protected]! I like that attitude as much as I like somebody standing there casting over top of me.

If the DNR stops stocking the local pools, guess what? You have a few years of good fishing left in the tributaries & it's done. That's _without_ removing them from the river to eat. 

And finally, it also means educating the public on how delicate the hybrids really are. Simply put, they don't do well with being handled. They have an extremely high mortality rate compared to other sport fish & a near 100% chance of dying if foul hooked or fought on too light of gear. 

This is Ohio, not Tennessee or Arkansas. We don't have the perfect recipe for consistently growing big hybrids that can be harvested or treated like bluegill. The DNR could pull the plug on the program at a moment's notice & we will be on short time. The good news is... the DNR has switched almost entirely to stocking fry instead of stocking fingerlings. The survivability of the fry beyond the critical first few years of life is equal to that of the fingerlings, without the added cost of raising them in a facility somewhere. This means the likelihood of them continuing the program is high. 

It also means a much, much higher number is being stocked... which I think is a good thing.  


Sorry for ranting.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Intimidator said:


> You know, I really enjoy reading your posts on hybrids, I use to fish for stripers alot in SC and "burned out" so I understand the attraction...you and some of your buddies have become what I consider "Master Anglers". You guys know everything possible about the fish and continually try to learn more and pass on that info...I have learned alot...so Thanks, Brent


You should share some stories of striper fishin' in SC! Surf? Lone fish or schools? Average size? Favorite bait? Biggest one caught?



Do tell. =)


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

And I should apologize & probably ask for clarification, where do you intend to fish for them? The OR, tributaries or impoundments? Boat or bank? There are plenty of "areas" to fish in or around Cincinnati, some of which could easily support a tournament style club. There are a lot that can't though & that's why I gave you my opinion. I'd like to hear more about it.


----------



## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

fallen513 said:


> You should share some stories of striper fishin' in SC! Surf? Lone fish or schools? Average size? Favorite bait? Biggest one caught?
> 
> 
> 
> Do tell. =)


I lived in Greenville SC for 7 years...Stripers are the State Gamefish and they are very proud of that. Lake Hartwell was very close and we fished it alot. Twenty pounders were VERY common at that time and my best went 26.2, the State Record is from there in 2002 and is now up to 59 something. We also fished Santee Cooper alot which has a landlocked HUGE breeding population in Lake Marion and Moultrie, they breed in the tributary rivers but supposedly as of late the spawns have had low survival rates and they are trying to find out why. We mainly used Herring but "my boys" had a concoction where they bought Menhaden the day before at the beach, then mashed them all up and put the oil on the herring and the rest went into the water because it spoils so fast. We never kept any of the Stripers because it was such a revered fish by the guys I fished with. I moved back in 95 and have never fished for them since....such a beautiful, large, ferocious, but delicate fish...

Sorry...the small stripers schooled but once they hit around 20 lbs they hunted alone and stayed single til spawn...I never Ocean fished for them...but I know they used Menhaden because it is so strong smelling and oily. I Dolphin fished with a buddy out of Charleston and that was my favorite..my best Mahi Mahi was 43.9 and it was a jumping, line tearing, monster....and man, they are good eating Probably my favorite fish!

I bought some Menhaden oil to use this year, it has a preservative and UV enhanced...smells just like what I remember using...check it out, made by Pro-Cure.


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

I fish the Muskingum River a lot from late April through mid June and from September till the end of October, and I think the fishery for hybrids is excellent in the pools we fish. I have caught and seen caught numerous fish over 28 inches. Here are a few we caught just from this past year! We never keep them though, we kept a couple smaller ones a few years back and they didn't eat well so we just catch, photograph, and turn them loose! You could do a tournament where you photograph, weigh, and measure the fish then release them. Just run it like some of the Saltwater tournaments for Sharks or Marlin.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Intimidator said:


> I lived in Greenville SC for 7 years...Stripers are the State Gamefish and they are very proud of that. Lake Hartwell was very close and we fished it alot. Twenty pounders were VERY common at that time and my best went 26.2, the State Record is from there in 2002 and is now up to 59 something. We also fished Santee Cooper alot which has a landlocked HUGE breeding population in Lake Marion and Moultrie, they breed in the tributary rivers but supposedly as of late the spawns have had low survival rates and they are trying to find out why. We mainly used Herring but "my boys" had a concoction where they bought Menhaden the day before at the beach, then mashed them all up and put the oil on the herring and the rest went into the water because it spoils so fast. We never kept any of the Stripers because it was such a revered fish by the guys I fished with. I moved back in 95 and have never fished for them since....such a beautiful, large, ferocious, but delicate fish...
> 
> Sorry...the small stripers schooled but once they hit around 20 lbs they hunted alone and stayed single til spawn...I never Ocean fished for them...but I know they used Menhaden because it is so strong smelling and oily. I Dolphin fished with a buddy out of Charleston and that was my favorite..my best Mahi Mahi was 43.9 and it was a jumping, line tearing, monster....and man, they are good eating Probably my favorite fish!
> 
> I bought some Menhaden oil to use this year, it has a preservative and UV enhanced...smells just like what I remember using...check it out, made by Pro-Cure.



Awesome man! Thanks for sharing that. Fuels the fire even more!


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Really niiiiice fish Sam!


----------



## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

fallen513 said:


> I certainly appreciate that & I'm glad that there was some useful info there!
> 
> However, I am definitely no master angler!
> 
> ...


I don't care what you say...this is a post from a "Master Angler". For MA's it's just not going out and catching fish, they study, learn, try to understand the fish, the fishery, and pass on their knowledge to help others but actually they are helping the fish....If you only knew how many people enjoy reading your "rants"...that's how we all learn. Again, Thank You, Brent


----------



## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

Seth - we may elect you king.


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

A format base on a honors system, weigh, measure, record, photograph, aerate & release. This silver freight train is to valuable a resource to squander. The main purpose of any Fish'n organization should be education.


----------



## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

fallen513 said:


> Really niiiiice fish Sam!


The three fish in those pictures were all caught on the Muskingum river, The picture on the left is my Buddy Mike the one in the center is me and the one on the right is my Step dad Don all three were weighed measured and released. Mike had a replica made of his and should have it back before spring I can't wait to see how it comes out.


----------



## mystic4314 (May 20, 2006)

Im all about this thing and want to see it happen BUT a few of my favorite spots wont support a large group.So if we fish multiple areas individualy the would employ the honor system.And since i have fished with a few of the responders to this post i dont think that would be a problem.LOL sicne we would most likely show up at the same spots.When everyone else puts a face to the name buckey bear this will make all make sense. We need to get together and pound out the wrinkles and concerns as all of us want to protect the health and numbers of these mean monsters of the water


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

I am currently searching in the general area for a meeting place that could hold 15 to 20 potential members in and around the milford loveland or mason areas. There are numerous indicators that this could be a going concern type organization.
So to reiterate, it would definitely be a catch and release format. Individual or buddy style tournament format or both will be discussed at the meeting. Creel limits minimum size limits will be discussed at the meeting.


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

Hey Saugeyesam, nice group of fish. It looks as though I'm gonna have to come up your way in and around the Memorial day weekend. I'm thinking about starting at Zanesville and working my way south to Marietta.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Not only am I the president, I'm a client too!


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

> I'm all about this thing and want to see it happen BUT a few of my favorite spots wont support a large group.



I think that's the problem.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Buckeye if you fish for hybrids on the tributaries I have probably fished with you. Have any pictures of yourself with any pig line sides?


----------



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

fallen513 said:


> Hmmm... tournaments for a scarce, fragile fish species? I'm thinking no.
> 
> 
> By all means, get out there & fish for them. Enjoy yourself, enjoy the resource...
> ...


My sentiments exactly, except maybe East Fork lake where MAYBE some culling would help? There seems to be too many 12-15 inch wipers in that lake and not many bigger, but I don't fish/catch it much.

The LMR wouldn't support a tournament too often, I don't think.
A lot of the fishing success depends on the weather/rainfall from season to season and what forage (shad, skips, craws, etc.) is available.

This last fall was a great example, the water was so low, they just never seemed to school up like the last few years.

I think the club is great, I could see it more of a conservation than tournament resource. 

LMJ


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> Buckeye if you fish for hybrids on the tributaries I have probably fished with you. Have any pictures of yourself with any pig line sides?


Seth, I'll have "Mystic" Download a couple for you .


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

LittleMiamiJeff said:


> My sentiments exactly, except maybe East Fork lake where MAYBE some culling would help? There seems to be too many 12-15 inch wipers in that lake and not many bigger, but I don't fish/catch it much.
> 
> The LMR wouldn't support a tournament too often, I don't think.
> A lot of the fishing success depends on the weather/rainfall from season to season and what forage (shad, skips, craws, etc.) is available.
> ...


Jeff, please look at my number 20 response. And I sure hope I get to see you at the meeting, for I want to hear all the pros and cons on the subject. And I'll see you on the little miami a couple times this year as always


----------



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Read it Berry, must have missed it.
I hear ya loud and clear, and hope to see you on the river too.
I'll try to make it, do you have a date/time yet?
Still a little reticent, I like fishing alone, or one or two others max.
Sometimes for solitude, sometimes for selfish reasons, like having the hole to myself! 
The Little Miami, among other local tribs, just can't take a lot of hybrid pressure.
I've seen the pics of the Maumee, guys lined up for hundreds of yards, scary.
It's definitely world class fishing in season, if you ask me, but won't can't rebound like a river w/natural reproduction. 
And as it's been pointed out, should ODNR, KY or WV stopped their stocking programs, (economy could really affect that) the fishery will surely suffer.
And then a bozo like me would have to eat catfish or sauger more often! 
LMJ


----------



## mystic4314 (May 20, 2006)

Just to be familiar this is the Bear


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> Buckeye if you fish for hybrids on the tributaries I have probably fished with you. Have any pictures of yourself with any pig line sides?


Hey fallen mystic 4314 posted those pictures you requested.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Nice fish! Haven't ran into you yet. I'm sure we'll see one another this season. 

Good luck this spring.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

We could all have a shotgun start. Park in the parking lot, then it's a foot race to the riffle.


----------



## Daveo76 (Apr 14, 2004)

Looks like I 'll have a lot more spare time nowadays and might be able to get down that way some


----------



## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

The only thing I see that would be good is that a club big enough could put pressure on the state to improve the hybrid fishery. I know the TSBA has done a great job of educating people about striped bass and pressuring TN to provide a top notch fishery. The club could possibly convince our state to start stocking a cross that gets big instead of the smaller cross that we are getting so familiar with on East Fork. As far as talking about whether hybrids should be total released or eaten I think should be left out. Hybrids are total stocked fish. The odds of them successfully spawing is slim to none. The state puts these fish in our waters for us to take advantage of. Having said all that, I would rather turn them loose if I think they have a good chance of living. I think the club idea is a good one if it is used to pressure the state and to educate. Talk of mine is bigger than yours should be left out.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Scott, I was asking for a picture so I could put a face with a name, & that's all. Figured I had probably ran into him at some point. Not a peeing contest.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

> As far as talking about whether hybrids should be total released or eaten I think should be left out.



Left out of what? The conservation discussion? Everybody I know that fishes for hybrids on the tributaries _despise_ the guys who keep them. People I've never met before approach and ask if I keep them. That's the first thing out of anyone's mouth that cares about keeping them around.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm not singling out any particular angler, I'm calling out all of you that feel you need to eat a couple every now and then. 


If the guys I fish with kept their limit once a month, the rest of you would have nothing to fish for.


"Food" for thought.


----------



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

fallen513 said:


> Left out of what? The conservation discussion? Everybody I know that fishes for hybrids on the tributaries _despise_ the guys who keep them. People I've never met before approach and ask if I keep them. That's the first thing out of anyone's mouth that cares about keeping them around.


Well then Fallen you don't KNOW me. "Everybody I know that fishes for hybrids on the tributaries _ despise_ the guys who keep them.

I eat them. Not all I catch, but I eat them. It's legal, it's moral, It's GOOD. 
See that fish in my avatar? It's been through the waste treatment plant and back into the LMR months ago.
Don't put YOUR opinion in EVERYBODY that fishes for Hybrids. 
Ask the ODNR if it's OK and even GOOD for conservation for limited harvest.
LMJ


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

Meeting to be called 2nd or 3rd Saturday in February near the Mason, Ohio area. I'm hoping this is centrally located for all.


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I know ya, you're the guy eatin' 'em. 


I shouldn't have said everybody. I meant everyone that I know that cares about the fish. 


The DNR is who told me there are on average 8-12 mature fish in the various riffles as you wind north. They move up or down river with the bait & the flow.


You took two adult fish out of a small riffle at low flow, at the northern reaches of their range. I don't care how you frame it, you're impacting fishing there. The hilljacks with stringers full of hybrids, catfish & illegal smallies are too. 


Honestly, I don't really have anything else to say about it. 


To everyone, enjoy the resource, with or without tartar sauce, however you prefer.


----------



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Fallen, I'd rather look forward to seeing you on the water than dread it.
We don't see this from the same angle.
"My people perish from lack of knowledge" is an Old Testament truth.
I'm going to drill this down, talk to ODNR, talk to Clermont and Hamilton Co. dnr, and find out if there's truly damage done taking 2 hybrids a year, let alone a month, from the LMR.
I won't dispute that there are 8-10 adult fish AVERAGE in a pool at a time, I'd suggest that a lot of times there are NONE  and then A school (of many) comes in chasing bait and there are quite a few more than 8-10.
But that is just my experience, they could have been there all along and just not feeding or I wasn't doing something right with something they wanted to bite. 
My attitude is these are "put and take" fish provided by our DNR paid for through our license fees and other tax resources. 
They are extremely entertaining, frustrating, and fascinating creatures of God, altered by man for proliferation.
I no more or less than you or any on this hybrid forum want to enjoy this resource for as long as I am physically able to stumble down the trail and cast a line for them.
So, PEACE. I want to KNOW you as well as any other angler I encounter, that is as satisfying as catching these awesome beasts, meeting you and other fellow anglers and trading knowledge and applauding success and sharing defeat.
I look forward to seeing you and OUR other Hybrid brothers and sisters at the first meeting, Thanks Bear for setting this up.
LMJ


----------



## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

Nice to see you guys trying to work out the differences.kudos,well done!


----------



## crocodile (Sep 26, 2006)

This is a bad idea for the lmr. There is just not enough hybrid water to handle it. As fallen stated from the odnr is correct. I am a biologist myself and know odnr officals. The hybrid populations are going down every year despite the stocking. A body of water like the OR or eastfork could handle it. So you take only a few fish a year, there are people who don't care and take what ever they want. No more matter how many you take you still contribute to fish populations. There is a cycle of life and supermarket. I LOVE catching hybrids and want them around for future generations to enjoy. Also, hybrids do occur in the wild where white bass and stripers populations are. Ronnie


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

Buckeye Bear 53 said:


> Anybody interested in pursuing a monthly challenge in the Hybrid striper fishing in and around the Cincinnati area.


Hybrid Hunters meeting schedule for Saturday February 12th, 2011 from noon to 3 pm location at the Golden corral restaurant address is 12090 Mason Montgomery road in Cincinnati Ohio off of interstate 71 at exit 19. dinner menu being served your cost 10 dollars 19 cents plus beverage
Pro or con please come and have your voice heard expert or beginner we will need everybody's help in order to produce a viable organization which we all can be proud to belong and serve.


----------



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Buckeye Bear 53 said:


> Hybrid Hunters meeting schedule for Saturday February 12th, 2011 from noon to 3 pm location at the Golden corral restaurant address is 12090 Mason Montgomery road in Cincinnati Ohio off of interstate 71 at exit 19. dinner menu being served your cost 10 dollars 19 cents plus beverage
> Pro or con please come and have your voice heard expert or beginner we will need everybody's help in order to produce a viable organization which we all can be proud to belong and serve.


Sounds like fun Berry see you there, do you need an RSVP for planning purposes, or just bring an appetite? LOL! 
LMJ


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

LittleMiamiJeff said:


> Sounds like fun Berry see you there, do you need an RSVP for planning purposes, or just bring an appetite? LOL!
> LMJ


It would be nice if everyone planning to attend would send me a private note RSVP. I also have handouts that I wish to pass along to all Ogf members. So a good head count would be beneficial.


----------



## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

buckeye bear 53; i,ve been (and still,am ) on call the last few mounts and have to stand by for storm call out. can,t make the meeting, but would like to hear how thing go. thank, and looking forward to hear,in a report.


----------



## Buckeye Bear 53 (Dec 10, 2010)

Boone Don't worry about it The job comes first. Will keep you posted


----------



## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

thanks for hav,in a fellow fishermans back. looking forward to a good fish,in year.


----------

