One for the Books

This was our 2nd trip this winter.  It turned out to be 'One for the Books'. Doug Schopman and I headed south on the Bay aboard his new rig. It was a Kencraft 215, 21'6" long monohull. It planes out fast with the 4 blade stainless steel prop mounted on a 250hp Yamaha. We cruised around 38mph as the seas were smooth.

We started catching stripers on our first drift.  This continued for the next 5 hours. The current was flooding and the skies were cloudy as it rained most of the day.

Doug with a Fat Hard Fighting Striped Bass

We used spinning and baitcasting equipment with braided line, 30# leaders and soft plastic baits. The most productive lures for big fish were; 10" Bass Kandy Delight and a White Pearl 7" Zoom Magnum Super Fluke.  Both were fished on 1 ounce jigheads.

Only Nice Size Stripers Were Caught on this Bait

The Most Productive Technique: Keep the Lure Close To the Bottom

Use soft plastic baits rigged on a V-shaped jighead that have a wide-gap nickel-plated hook.  Consider these factors when sizing the jighead; the speed of the current, the lure buoyancy, and the depth that the lure will be fished. Adjust the depth by the weight of the jighead.  The majority of larger fish are normally close to the bottom.

Cast the lure up or across the current.  When the lure hits the bottom, snap the rod tip swiftly from 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock, then keep a tight line as the rod is lowered to 9 o’clock as the lure hits the bottom again.  Do this again and again until a fish hits or the lure is back at the boat.

 Thanks Doug for Putting Us on Large Stripers

Fishing Tip: Install Gorilla Glue just below the jighead before installing the plastic bait. This allows your baits to last longer.