Stripers and bucks

Fall is the perfect time to double your outdoor pleasure

Fishing and hunting opportunities abound in October, and outdoorsmen face difficult decisions on any given fall day. It’s a dilemma because deer hunters know that in many areas big bucks are on the move.

However, falling water temperatures often put various fish species into “chow down” mode, and it’s common for fishing action to be explosive, including opportunities for ultra-exciting schooling stripers. 

Capt. Mike Glover, a striper fishing guide on Lake Murray, near Columbia, SC said he’s found the most logical reaction to the bucks-or-stripers quandary.

“I do both,” he said.

Glover doubles his pleasure by hosting deer hunters at his HoneyBell Farm for hunts in Newberry County.

“I love striper fishing and deer hunting. So during the fall, I’ve made a plan to do both on the same day,” Glover said. 

Plan it out

The good news is that because he is a professional guide, other outdoorsmen can striper fish and deer hunt with him.

Glover is more than just a fishing guide. He’s also an avid outdoorsman who enjoys being on the lake and in the woods. And he understands the tough choices outdoorsmen face. 

“It takes planning and discipline to do both, but I’m fortunate in that I have a place on Lake Murray where access to incredible fall fishing is literally in my backyard,” he said. “I also have a property in Newberry County that’s chock full of deer and wild hogs. I’ve learned that with some planning, and the willpower to leave one to do the other, I can catch a cooler of stripers in the morning and put the crosshairs on a big buck in the afternoon.”

Glover (803-609-0066; Capt. Mike’s Guide Service on Facebook) can host up to three hunters at a time, and he offers a package for guided striper and hunting combination trips.

“It’s the best of both worlds for me; I get to be on the lake at sunrise and in the woods at sundown,” he said. “And outdoorsmen can do it with me or on their own with the right strategy.”

Glover said his recommendation is to chase the stripers first, and hunt in the evening.

“I’ve learned that mornings are typically more consistent for catching quality fish in limit numbers,” he said. “During October and November, the striper fishing can be outstanding, and we’ll catch stripers using downlines and freelining live herring. But the bonus potential of schooling striper action is high.”

Watch for schools

Glover said Lake Murray undergoes fall turnover during October, and the water temperature is conducive for stripers to school on the surface. During October and November, the schooling action is often incredible.

“I don’t find them schooling every day, but out of five trips, it’ll occur on average about three times, and the action is wild,” he said. “The schooling action alone usually allows us to limit out, but not always, so I take live herring. When the fish are not schooling, they’ll still congregate in huge numbers. Using electronics, I’ll search until I find them suspended. The bite is fast when we drop live herring down to the depth they’re holding.

Either way, the result is often a cooler of stripers.

At this time of year, Glover said the stripers are in transition mode from the summer to fall patterns, and that keeps them moving. As the water temperature cools, the forage begins to move throughout the lake, and stripers follow the forage.

“I use my electronics to search for them on mid-lake humps, points, channel junctions, and around any type of bottom contour change,” he said. “They’ll relate to that bottom change even if suspended 30 feet deep over water depths reaching 60 feet deep, for example. But all the while I’m searching with my electronics, I keep one eye open for schooling fish. It makes for an exciting morning.”

Glover said he studies the water, looking for any sign that fish are about to surface. On calm mornings typical of fall, when he sees pods of baitfish congregating, he uses his electric motor to move quickly but quietly in that direction. Multiple lures can be productive for schooling fish, with spoons, flukes, and pencil poppers all good choices.

Glover said that when the topwater action slows or doesn’t occur reliably, he’ll use live blueback herring and target underwater topography changes as his primary striper contact points. Points, underwater islands, ledges, and deeper holes are all potential targets. He employs multiple rigs when fishing live bait.

He uses downlines and freelines when he makes the switch to live bait.

Gear up

Glover said proper tackle is crucial, and he uses 7½ foot rods with medium-light tips and baitcasting reels. He uses a 12-pound test Berkley Big Game fluorocarbon leader below a swivel. The main line is also 12-pound test. He prefers a 2/0 circle hook. The small hook size enables the bait to move freely, and he uses a small O-ring on the hook that allows the bait to swim freely and lively. He uses up to two ounces of weight on down rods, with no weight on freelines. He adds a split shot on other lines until he determines a pattern for that specific time of day.  

When the striper fishing is over, often with limits in the box, it’s time to transition to the woods.

Glover heads to his property near Newberry, SC, but he said hunters may have leased lands they can hunt, or they can take advantage of the public Wildlife Management Area (WMA) lands. 

“National Forest lands surround my property, and while I hunt on my private property, being adjacent to public land enhances my situation,” he said. “With due diligence, hunters can have areas scouted and prepped to hunt on public land. Some excellent hunting exists on National Forest lands for hunters willing to make the effort.”

Glover has 16 stands on his property. Prior to hunting, his first task is to determine the wind direction and select stands based on that.

Be flexible

“Wind is crucial to success, even when gun hunting at reasonable distances, so that’s key to stand selection,” he said.

“For me, a key element to success is using my thought process to determine what’s most important to deer at any particular time,” Glover said. “Throughout the deer season, it’s going to be a lot about food and the rut. 

“If natural food is available, that’s a great starting place,” he said. “I rely heavily on food plots to provide greenery, and greenery attracts deer. I’ll plant wheat, clover, and oats at a minimum. Food plots don’t have to be huge, but they do have to be large enough to withstand regular foraging by deer, so they’ll continue to be a prime drawing card. 

“I have stands for different wind directions because that’s crucial throughout the season,” he said. “I don’t use climbing stands for my clients, but experienced hunters hunting on their land can use a climbing stand to move to an area where deer have a good food source. And they can climb in a place where no stands have been. A climbing stand enables hunters to get into the remote areas away from other hunters.” 

Glover said another way to get deer into an area is to use corn as the food source, when and where it is legal.

“Corn is an attractor if you don’t have food plots,” he said. “Used properly, corn will attract deer to a specific spot I can target via my stand location. I use corn in areas where the deer can feel safe, such as the back corner of a field or in small openings surrounded by cover, but can be seen from the stand being hunted.”

“Adaptability is the key whether guiding for stripers on Lake Murray or hunting bucks in the deer woods,” he said. “I go when and where the target dictates. Stripers follow the forage and react to changing water temperatures. Deer will adapt to food sources and the rut. Sometimes, I must adjust my normal fishing and hunting schedule accordingly. Adapting to conditions has a profound influence on fishing or hunting success.” 

Start early, stay late

Glover said the time of day and length of time in the stand can also be critical elements. When he opts to forego fishing to hunt in the mornings, especially during the rut, he’ll get in the stand while it is still dark.

“It’s crucial to also stay in the stand until late morning, especially during the rut,” he said. “The strategy here is to hunt when other hunters leave their stands in areas adjacent to my property. This human activity can cause deer to move right into the area where my clients are still in the stands. We’ve taken a lot of deer by simply staying in the stand longer than other hunters.

“When hunting afternoons, we’ll get into the stand by 3:30 or earlier,” he said. “I want hunters set and ready long before it gets dark, but not so long they get uncomfortable and start wiggling too much.”

Glover said deer tend to move more in low light throughout the season, but when the rut is on in October and November, bucks may move any time of the day.