Interested in knowing how to catch striped bass? It is imperative to mention that various ways and techniques are used when scouring for striped bass. The general techniques do not work when it comes to striped bass, and it takes in-depth knowledge and skill to know how to get these lovely creatures in considerable numbers.
Striped bass are percomorphia fishes found in the Atlantic region of North America. From Florida, the United States, to Nova Scotia, Canada, you will find these fishes in freshwater and saltwater because they are migratory fishes.
People conversant with sport fishing will notice that striped bass is one of the notable fishes that’s talked about often. It is difficult to catch these creatures because they are always in motion, and their behavior is quite unpredictable. Hence, this is one reason why anglers have a disunited view on the appropriate methods for catching striped bass.
Table of Contents
Using the Right Equipment
If you want to have successful fishing expeditions when scouring for striped bass, you need to be equipped with the right equipment. People who do not have success capturing striped bass are those who don’t have the right tools.
1. Fishfinder
If your boat has a good fish-finder, it would be easy to land a large striped bass. Additionally, you need to have a good understanding of how to use a fish finder. Doing this will help you find a good area where the striped bass would be in their numbers.
Due to the unpredictable nature of striped bass, they can be spotted at any location and depth depending on the time of the year, day or the weather. Therefore, with the fish finder, you will get their present location and depth.
2. Ideal Bait
Striped Bass eat a variety of feed, so almost any bait can be used to lure them. You can use live baits like mackerel, squid, clams, herring and bloodworms. It is necessary to note that the location you want to fish in determines the ideal type of striped bass bait to use.
So, contact the local bait and tackle store to know their recommendations. Furthermore, you can use lures to catch striped bass, and these tools can be made from resins, rubber or wood.
3. Select the Right Rod, Reel and Tackle
To learn how to catch striped bass in rivers, you can use almost any reel or rod to capture striped bass, provided it is quite heavy. The type of fishing you want to do determines the type of rod you will use to catch striped bass. If you want to learn how to catch hybrid striped bass, one of the first questions to ask yourself is to fish in saltwater or freshwater.
Another vital question to ask when learning how to catch a striped bass is if you will be fishing on a pier, jetty or boat. When you can answer these questions, it would be effortless to determine your rod’s right size, flexibility, and weight. Also, the reel type you will use is equally as vital as the rod. For instance, you can use a saltwater spinning reel provided it is strong to carry a fish of between 20-25 pounds.
For the line, it is best to use a monofilament line of between 10-20 pounds. However, some people would rather use heavier lines to capture a bigger fish. Again, the hook should be sharp and smooth, and a minimum of 1.3 cm should be between the shank and the point to prevent catching smaller bass.
4. Search Suitable Fishing Conditions
Even though you can catch striped bass at any time of the year, you need to know its behavioral patterns to increase your prospects of a rewarding catch. First, striped bass are fishes that thrive in temperatures of water between 45- 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thus, if the water temperature drops below or increases above the range, the striped bass would migrate to more favorable conditions. Likewise, the temperature could affect the fish’s location in the water. If the day is sunny and hot, the striped bass might swim to greater depths to avoid the heat and seek suitable oxygen levels and temperatures.
In comparison, they can easily be found a few meters below the water’s surface in cooler weather. Also, striped bass are more likely to be lured by your bait when there is a strong breeze causing water movement. The reason for this is that the water movement kindles the sediments, which attract baitfish, which lures the striped bass.
Additionally, striped bass feed more when it is either late at night or very early in the morning. They prefer to prey on smaller fishes when it is dark. So, if you fish around this period, you will have a better capture success rate.
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Tactics for Fishing Striped Bass
Having read the above-mentioned striped bass fishing strategies, it is best to know the available tactics for fishing striped bass.
1. Fly Fishing
If you want to use fly fishing for striped bass, you need to know it is effective both late and early in the day when there is insufficient light. Besides, when the fishes are pursuing bait at the water surface, fly fishing is an effective method. When using fly fishing, you need to use some special gear like heavier and larger tackle and sinking lines.
For some professional anglers, they use multiple lines and rods of various sizes. And the reason for this is to launch their lures at various depths all through the day. One of the ways to spot a successful fly fishing angler is they opt for big deceivers or streamers, which imitate baitfish and bunkers. These streamers are first cast, then stripped faster to trigger a fast strike from the striped bass.
2. Trolling
Some professional anglers believe that trolling ensures effectiveness when it comes to landing a striped bass. They have a good point to score because several popular rigs used for striped bass catching like mojo rigs and the likes were designed for trolling.
Trolling is very effective and proficient because it enables you to cover large expanses of water until you spot a good fish concentration. Anglers who use trolling fish can precisely select the depths they need their lures to reach. More so, trollers can maintain precise control of the lure’s speed.
Moreover, using the trolling method for striped bass enables you to tow several lines and draw large lures numbers at once. The anglers will lay up to 20 lines in some locations, with some of the lines having several lures on one end. With this, the chances of the striped bass spotting any of the offerings and striking it is high.
3. Catching Stripers From the Shore
Not every angler has a boat readily available for use. Consequently, when they want to catch striped bass, they will learn how to do it from the shore. This notion implies that they will fish from bulkheads, bridges and other means. Interestingly, anglers also do surf fishing to catch striped bass, which is very popular in places that come with beach access.
Typically, when fishing from the shore, anglers catch striped bass with bait because it gives them an idea of the best method to use. On the other hand, some of them prefer to launch spoons or hitting plugs from the beach to catch big striped bass.
4. Catching Stripers at Night
As I have mentioned above, people have noticed that striped bass feed at dusk or dawn. If you want to score high points by catching big stripers, it is best to go after them when it is dark. To achieve this goal, it is best to use some selected gears. One of the striped bass fishing tips for learning how to catch striped bass at night is having a flashlight or a headlamp.
You can put your night light into the water to lure fishes that would be used as baits. Consequently, night light attracts striped bass to your location. When you are fishing at night, arm yourself with enough light so other can easily spot you when there is an emergency.
If you want to use lures instead of natural alternatives, it is best to use dark colors. Even though people view night fishing for striped bass as stressful, several anglers have discovered that it gives the best opportunity to meditate and have fun while fishing.
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Conclusion
Because striped bass are voracious eaters, they will eat almost all types of fishes. If you want to know how to catch striped bass, you must practice using versatile fishing methods. You must also collect the needed tools before you get on the sea. More so, you need to select the right tool size to not use a smaller one for big striped bass.
