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How to Catch Big

Striped Bass

Fish On!

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How To Catch Big Striped Bass - Stripers! How To Catch A Striped Bass There are several techniques to catching striped bass. Soaking Bait You can soak many different types of bait for stripers but these are the most effective: sardines, Frozen or fresh shad, ghost shrimp, grass shrimp, or pile worms. Soaking bait is the easiest and most relaxing method of striper fishing but results in the highest mortality rate for released fish. The most common setup for bait fishing is the sliding sinker rig. Place a 1 - 8 oz. (depending on the current) weight so that it slides freely or use a slider at the end of your main line, followed by a heavy barrel swivel, followed by a 2 - 3 foot leader, last goes a 2/0 - 5/0 hook depending on the size of the bait you are going to use. Another commonly used bait fishing rig is the 3 way swivel rig. Place a 3 way swivel at the end of your main line. Then tie a 1 foot dropper with a 2 - 8 oz. weight on one of the other eyes of the swivel. Last tie a 3 foot leader with a 2/0 - 5/0 hook to the last eye of the swivel so that the weight sits on the bottom and your bait is suspended one foot from the bottom. This rig works very well to keep your bait out of the mud and grass. You can adjust your weight line if your bait comes up with grass on it. Live Bait Live bait is very affective for catching larger stripers. Most common live baits are anchovies, Jumbo minnows, Bull heads, and mud suckers. There are many methods of live bait fishing. This technique is similar to soaking bait but gives you the ability to keep the smaller diaper stripers from robbing the bait all day. The most common method for live bait is the 3 way swivel method described above. The hook size and style varies for the type of bait. Another live bait method is flylining or freelining. This is when you use a hook and live bait at the end of your main line with no weight. This method allows the bait to swim freely but the hook and line slightly inhibit its swimming ability making the bait fish look injured. Trolling for Stripers Trolling is a technique that is very affective in catching large stripers. It is a growing in popularity and is a very excitng way to fish. You can troll many different varieties of lures including: Rebels, Bombers, Rapalas, Yozuris, just to name a few. Fast trolling about 3 - 4 mph is the most effective. You want to fish waters that are just slightly deeper than the depth your lure runs. It is very important that your lure stays within 2 feet from the bottom. The best time to troll for stripers is when the current is very slow. The top of high tide is your best bet for trolling but low tide is good sometimes too. Most people like to modify their trolling lure by adding a long rubber worm to the bottom of the back hook so it follows the lure. This makes the lure more visible and adds great action to an already good bait. Marking on the lure with bright paint or marker works well also. The fish usually pick up your lure from the bottom so apply your markings to the bottom and sides of the lure for best results. Be sure and keep some unmarked lures in your boat for those days when the fish don't want the marked up ones. CHANGE YOUR LURE ABOUT EVERY 30 MINUTES if you aren’t catching on the one your using. Stripers change their eating habits very often and the hot lure for one day may not work at all the next. You don’t want to waste your time dragging a lure around all day that isn't going to work. Keep changing and you will find the right one.