You troll at only 3 mph? I would think for such a big fish you would be in the 5-6 mph range.

Stripers are new to me but trolling is not and Ive found speeding up will trigger fish into a reaction bite when they are not actively feeding.

If I am reading you post right, in the summer you want to land them quick so they don't exasperate? Do you have to revive them first before releasing? h.h.