55lb Striper!

I use to live within mile of Hudson and fished for stripers and shad all the time. Caught some biggies but nothing like this!! BassMasters had a tournament there years ago and it was funny talking to pro's that had their reels dumped fishing channel markers. Hooked runaway subs!!🤣
 
Good God man! You should have scaled one of those! The IGFA all tackle record is 81 pounds 14 ounces boated in 2011. And that beat the 1982 record of 78 pounds 8 ounces. You could have done commercials and hung out with Bill Dance!
The RACE off of Fishers Island. We would use Lead line and Christmas trees for trolling and when drift fishing 16"-20" Chad for bait. There was an official Weigh Station in Grotton, but never weighed anything. Caught some HUGE Stripers!!! Had a lot of Black Fish (Tautog) that were Monsters. Bringing in a 5 lb Black was like a 10 lb Largemouth. There was actually the Record Weighed in there - Grotton, CT. Best eating fish - Tautog.
Cube the fillets and cover in a flower/season batter and deep fry.
I do have pictures, but they are the old paper kind. Have to dig them up out of boxes.
 
The RACE off of Fishers Island. We would use Lead line and Christmas trees for trolling and when drift fishing 16"-20" Chad for bait. There was an official Weigh Station in Grotton, but never weighed anything. Caught some HUGE Stripers!!! Had a lot of Black Fish (Tautog) that were Monsters. Bringing in a 5 lb Black was like a 10 lb Largemouth. There was actually the Record Weighed in there - Grotton, CT. Best eating fish - Tautog.
Cube the fillets and cover in a flower/season batter and deep fry.
I do have pictures, but they are the old paper kind. Have to dig them up out of boxes.
Those salt water stripers are good too. You are right though, those tautogs are delicious! Not much on lake bound stripers.
 
Those salt water stripers are good too. You are right though, those tautogs are delicious! Not much on lake bound stripers.
I had a friend about 35+ years ago that was a big time POACHER. He was arrested so many times they finally took his truck, boat and house and ended up in jail. Fishing for Stripers of the coast of Niantic, New London was like Crack Cocaine for him. Great fisherman and sold a lot to the NY market, but bad person as a Poacher. I saw some of his catches, unbelievable the sizes and amount he could catch in a night. He had a full boat of 20# to 50#s most of the times he went out. He was a big deer slayer too. Those restaurants in Greenwich loved him for the Fish and Venison he would sell. Then the rich & famous would eat good!
 
Here is that 2011 fish! Dang!!!!!

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