Pointing the way to Tims Ford summertime stripers

By Rene McComb
               As we approached our first location to fish we shut the big motor off and eased in silently with the electric motor. We knew that the fish would be a little spooky from all the boat traffic during the day and we were careful not to run them off. As the bottom began to register on the graph I could see the stripers loaded up on shelf located to the side of the point. Being cautious not to bang anything against the inside of the boat, we baited up and lowered our offerings down to the unsuspecting fish. Within 30 seconds, the two of us were hooked up and the fun began.

Sounds easy-right? Well it can be if you know what your doing. Read on and you could become as efficient as anyone in locating and catching summertime stripers off the points on Tims Ford.

What to look for- There are several factors that dictate when and where stripers will be located during the summer months on Tims. During the daytime stripers tend to hold in deeper water around tree tops. Unlike Priest, Tims can support stripers at much deeper depths during the hot season. Factors that have an impact on fish any given day include: weather conditions, lake pressure and forage location.

Bright sunny skies can keep the fish down deep until the late afternoon, but during cloudy conditions they may be found a little shallower.

Lake pressure probably has the biggest impact on the fish. A man made factor, lake pressure can sometime indicate to you where you need to start looking first. Lake pressure comes from both fisherman and recreational users. Never start at a location where you see heavy boat traffic.

Available forage is another key factor that will help you locate fish. On Tims Ford the primary forage base consists of threadfin shad. The bait reacts to the conditions much the same as stripers do. In quite areas the bait will be located just under the surface, but make a sudden noise and the y will sound to 20 feet in a blink of an eye. In the late afternoon, shad begin to pile up on the various points. The stripers react to the movement of shad and follow them onto the points. These points bring several elements together that help the stripers to bunch up the shad and feed.

What separates a productive point from a non-productive point is usually the contour and formation of the point. What I like to see in a good point is deep water on one side and a shallow flat on the other. Having a shelf located on the deep water side is a bonus. The shelf can act as a staging area for the stripers before the feed. I've found that the ideal shelf is located from 20 to 30 feet down. 

Another less considered factor is the angle of the sun in relation to the point. As I mentioned, the late afternoon is the best time to hit the points and a point that will provide shade on one side of it can be a plus.

 

Being quiet is a must! Try to avoid making any sudden noises when approaching a point. I slip up on a point with my electric  motor every time. Once you've located fish on a point, take every precaution you can to not slap the side of the boat with a rod, or slam the lid of your bait tank.

Sudden noises like these will send the fish to the next county in a heart beat.

Once fish have moved off your point, pick up and move to the next point in either direction. The fish don't normally move far and the next point is the best place to look for them.

Bait Selection

Shad, as always, is the best choice for live bait. Shiners, sucker, bluegills and creek minnows will also work. Artificial lures like the crippled herring jigging spoon and jigs can be dynamite when the fish are bunched up together.

Always keep your offering just above the fishes level. They feed looking upward and seldom if ever go down to take a bait.

Best Times

Normally when I fish points, I don't even launch the boat until 3:30 in the afternoon. The best action seems to occur from 4:00 PM until dark. The most productive time of the year is during the summer period when the lake is at its' warmest and lake activity is at its' peak.

On Tims Ford, there are no shortages of of points with the many creek arms that are located around the lake.

Unless you intend to catch bluegill at the lake for bait, take it with you. Shad are next to impossible to catch on the water and the demand from the local bait shops leaves them out of bait more often than not.

Keep in mind that if you don't see fish on the point-go to the next one. Come back later in the day and the fish may have moved up on the point by then.

Good Luck and Be Safe,

Rene