Catching Large Stripers on Topwater

I enjoyed joining Don Arthur and his grandson Bradley on the best fishing trip so far this year. Countless numbers of striped bass were caught, from 19 to 24 inches, with the majority being keeper size, on topwater.

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In the afternoon we used soft plastic baits on 3/4 ounce jigheads to keep catching stripers.

Most Productive Lure:

Heddon Saltwater Chug'n & Spook in Shad.

Light Tackle Technique:

Pop, Pop, Pop, & Stop (Poppers)
Cast the lure, put the rod tip just above the water, pop it 3 times swiftly, and stop popping for 1/2 second. Repeat this cadence again and again, until the lure is back at the boat. If the striper blows up on the lure and misses it, keep popping it. The fish will come back for seconds, thirds, etc.

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This was the 1st trip I used my new Garmin echoMAP CHIRP 94sv. This piece of equipment is user-friendly right out of the box. The screen is clear and I now have CHIRP Sonar, CHIRP SideVu and CHIRP DownVu on a 9" screen. If you fish in waters under 500 feet deep, like the Chesapeake Bay, a GT52HW-TM transducer is an excellent choice to select. This transom mount transducer consistently displays clear and crisp fish arches with superior target separation, as well as clear definition of structures below and to the side of the boat.