Striped Bass Fishing Tackle for freshwater.
If you are already a Black Bass fisherman you really
don't have to depart too far from your regular Black Bass tackle.
It will also depend if your
preference is live bait,
artificial lures or a combination of both.
In open reservoirs where Striped Bass may weigh from 15 to 40 pounds and
you are using a combination of downlines and flatlines, 6 1/2- to 7 1/2-foot medium-heavy action baitcasting
rods and wide-spool reels such as
Garcia Ambassadeur 6500s or Shimano 400 series with 15- to
25-pound
mono are recommended.
Snaggy rivers or lake areas where big fish are a possibility, use 7- to 8-foot
medium-heavy to heavy baitcasting rods, Ambassadeur 6500 or Shimano 400 series reels and
30 to 40 pound mono. If you use braided line for stripers, keep in mind that these
superlines have almost zero stretch; you’ll need to compensate by using softer-action
rods than you’d normally use with mono.
Below are a few suggestions of the proven types and colors used for catching Stripers.
I
believe the best bait is the one.. "you"... have the
most confidence in and fish with persistence.
As for
Striped Bass lures, select your lures to
do a specific job. An assortment of
topwater,
shallow running crank baits,
medium running crank
baits,
deep running
crank baits and bottom bouncers (spoons & jigs) will all be needed.
Topwater baits such as the
striper or bass size
Zara Spooks,
Redfins, or
Rapalas in chrome, bone or trout will do the trick.
Shallow running crank baits like the Super
Rogue or Rapalas in chrome/blue chrome/black or Trout patterns are good choices.
Medium depth crank baits, such as Rattletraps
in 1/2, and 3/4 ounce sizes will be needed.
A
deep diving crank bait such as the deep
diving Rebel minnow or Storms Thunderstick in chrome/blue, chrome/black, shad or Trout
patterns do well.
Jigs such as
bucktails or Sassy shads in a variety of sizes are hard to beat.
Notice a trend in Colors I like to
K.I.S.S.
We
like to use standard largemouth fishing tackle, a good quality medium heavy spinning or
casting rod 6/7 foot. If you are a flyrod angler, a good 8/9 flyrod will handle the
stripers nicely. Match it up with a quality reel. For Live bait or cut bait I suggest a
reel with a clicker...You will learn to love the sound of a screaming clicker. If you set
rods out with no clickers you might not like the site of your rod flying into the depths.
If you want to feel how a striper can attack your bait, just tie your line to your truck
and while holding your rod have someone drive off. Quality is a must because a
Striper will turn cheap reels into junk in no time at all. Choose your line to match your
tackle, usually 15 to 25 pound test monofilament or the spectra fiber lines such as
Spiderwire or Fireline.
Bucktails:
The Bucktail Jig is probably the most widely used, and versatile, lure for striper fishing
there is. There have been many a trophy striper taken on a Bucktail Jig. You can cast
them, jig them, troll them or even use them on downriggers.
The length of the hair on a bucktail is very important. The hair should be at least 4 in.
long, to allow the bait to fall slower which will always draw more strikes.
Potbellied Crankbaits:
These lures are used by a lot of bass fisherman, but they will bring in a big
striper just as well. You can buy these in different depth ranges from deep to shallow. They are also good to use when trolling. The
chrome or bone and the silverish colors along with Rainbow trout patterns work good, these
imitate baitfish like the threadfin and gizzard shad and of course the Rainbow trout.
Big Bass Lures:
5" and above. Even though bass fisherman think these lures were made
for largemouth, they were originally deigned for stripers. They come in many
different colors, but the chrome or bone colored, and the ones painted like
a rainbow trout, work the best for stripers.
Floating/Diving Lures:
These lures were designed to be long and slender, in order to imitate baitfish like the
shad. They come in many different depth ranges, and colors. But as with the others, the
ones that resemble the color of the shad or trout work the best.
Circle Hook:
The type of hook you use in live bait fishing can be very important to the survival rate
of released Stripers.......Click
here for more information
When using artificial lures, most Striped Bass are caught during periods of low light,
stripers are sometimes repelled by strong light sources. The lower intensity of light
brings them and their huge appetites into the shallows where they’re easier to catch.
While in shallow water, however, they tend to be very spooky. Too much noise will make
them vacate an area in a hurry. The best chance to catch striped bass on Top water is
during Sept-April when stripers tend to feed more to the surface with regularity boiling
the water like the inside of a washing machine.
Although it is possible to find breaking
fish through out the year. The accepted method for catching big stripers is by working
large minnow-type top-water lures near points or underwater islands. The hours near sunset
or sunrise are the most productive, but many are caught during the middle of the day,
especially on cloudy days.
More Bait Tips
When drifting bait, a bow-mounted graph with its transducer attached to your trolling motor is a great help in pinpointing bait fish and stripers along with bottom structure.
Stripers sometimes hit a bait so hard its incredible, the impact can break the line. Check your drag regularly to prevent sticking.
Use an un-mounted bilge pump and hose to drain the water from your bait tank and replace it with fresh water as needed. Clean the tank’s filter regularly during the fishing day.
if you don’t see stripers on your graph, don’t panic -- look for big schools of baitfish instead. The stripers won’t be far behind.
Use circle hooks when live bait fishing. Remember with circle hooks you don't have to
cross their eyes when setting the hook. If the water is cool, the fish can be
released alive
More on Striper
Catch and Release
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