When trolling umbrella rigs it’s almost hard not to catch striped bass. Stripers will take a variety of live offerings, from baitfish and eels to crustaceans and squid. Striped bass will take a variety of natural baits. The black Bomber is a great color to use for nighttime or low light fishing conditions. However, others do mimic crabs and crustaceans. If you've ever hung a big landlocked striped bass on an artificial lure, you know it's a jarring experience. "How will you know when a fish strikes?" Be careful with the amount of line let out as this controls the depth of the umbrella rig. The nylon fiber skirt on the jig is a great addition that is commonly used by charter captains that jig for striped bass. Color options are striped pearl, bone, smokey joe, clear ghost, bunker, silver-green, and green mackerel. When looking to present a large bait profile deep in the water column there’s no better striped bass trolling lure than a bunker spoon. Bunker and Herring as Striped Bass Bait Most anglers will list bunker, properly called menhaden, as their top choice of live bait for catching striped bass. When fishing for striped bass it is very common to find schools of bunker. The package comes with one jig and two bodies. There are 2 deceivers, 2 clouser deep minnows, 2 Palometa crabs, 2 candyman, and 2 shrimp flies. First look to see if the bunker are being chased by large predator fish. The lure can be fished by casting and retrieving. This jig works the best jigging near the bottom and along rocky jetties. The 3-inch is good if the bait in the area is small and the 6-inch is good when there are schools of bunker are around. Copyright © 2021 Sport Fishing Magazine. When using cut bait for striped bass, one of the most popular rigs is the fish finder rig. I troll slowly for bass between 2-3.5 knots. Cody strives to provide detailed information about the best fishing gear and tactics to help both novice and experienced anglers have a more productive and enjoyable time on the water. Color options are red, pearl, chartreuse, and clear coated. These Storm Swim Shad come in sizes of 3-inch .25 ounce, 4-inch .4375 ounce, 5-inch .625 ounce, and 6-inch .875 ounce. Jigging is a great way to catch striped bass. DOA Shrimp baits are known for cathing all types of saltwater fish. Boats. Using non-offset (inline) circle hooks significantly increases the survival of … For a circle hook, firm tension needs to be added to the line in order to hook the fish. What is the difference between a striped bass and a rockfish? This rig has 6 arms and a center stinger with a strong monofilament leader which has a 30-inch length. Sardines, anchovies, bloodworms, and pile worms are also popular baits in the Delta. When fishing on the bottom for striped bass it is also common to catch fluke. Sometimes it is blood worms other times it is little shrimp, sand eels, or spearing minnows. The video below shows how to catch striped bass using umbrella rigs. The Rapala X-Rap twitching mullet is 3-1/8 inches long and weighs 7/16 ounce. Make sure to fish all depth around the fish. Fiding a school of bunker that is being chased by predator fish is ideal. The best color lure for striped bass depends on the fishing conditions. Use all the chunks except the tail. In this guide, I’ll show you my favorite striped bass lures and baits to use while trolling on a boat, drifting on a boat and from the shore. Bass can then bite one the jig or the spoon. The rig is cast out far from shore and then anglers wait for the striped bass to find the bait. I lived in New Jersey for four years and my favorite thing to do was fish for striped bass! 1.Striped bass prefer deep water with a sandy or gravel bottom. The slider is above a barrel swivel on the line and the barrel swivel is tied to a four-foot leader with a circle hook. If the striped bass are feeding on small minnows it is typically best to match the hatch. A snagging rig can be used to hook a bunker, then open the bail and let it sink to the bottom. Features of the jig include 3D eyes, holographic finish, and super-sharp Gamakatsu hooks. This is the most unique feature of gulp that makes it so effective and popular. Fished weightless on a live-lining rig or under a float, fishermen use mackerel around rocky structure and shorelines. The jigs have an 8 ounce and 4 ounce parachute jigs in tandem. Although striped bass will take artificial lures, the best way to hook into a truly big fish is by using natural bait. What are the best lures to catch striped bass at night? The Berkley Powerbait Powe Minnow is a small scented jig. These have different levels of success depending on what the bass are feeding on in the area and the time of year. This technique is probably the easiest way to catch striped bass. Here are the six top picks. Color options are silver, blue, green, and red. It is common to run two umbrella rigs at different depths behind the boat. The Bomber Jig-N-Eel is a popular jig made specifically for striped bass. These baits can be placed on a jig or with the bait on a hook similar to live bait fishing. Jimmy Nacion caught this 40# class striped bass slow trolling a #4 Tony Maja bunker spoon on wireline. The 3-inch and 4-inch size work well on teasers while the 4-inch to 7-inch works well on jigs. Game Fish. Sizes are 3.5-inch 1/8 ounce, 4.5-inch 1/4 ounce, and 5.5-inch 3/8 ounce. Popular rivers to fish for striped bass include the Hudson River in New York, Connecticut River, Chesapeake Bay tributaries, upper Delaware Bay, and the Delaware River. Other days there are not any bunker around. Matching the size jig with the baitfish the bass are eating is also important. The bass migrate in the spring from the water around Virginia north to Massachusetts and Maine. Cut this bait into chunks and use every bit beside the tail. The Blue Water Candy Rockfish Candy is a daisy chain with a 9-inch jig that weighs 12 ounces. Bucktails are typically jigged near the bottom but also check for fish higher up in the water column on the fish finder. Kastmasters also come in versions with bucktails and tube tails. For fluke, it is tied to a teaser hook about 18 inches above the jig. In deep areas swim jigs can be a good option. Bunker (also known pogies or alewives or, properly as menhaden) are probably the number-one most common bait used for stripers, and herring aren’t far behind. Swim jigs work well in shallow water as they can be cast and retrieved like a lure or allow to slowly flutter all the way to the bottom. Throw these lures on 8- to 10-pound test, which can handle the powerful surges of stripers if … This listing is for a factory rigged lure with double hooks connected with a 50-pound dacron line. These come in sizes of 6-inch 6 ounces, 6.5-inch 8.5 ounces, 7.5-inch 9 ounces, and 8-inch 15 ounces. These lures are rigged with strong split rings, strong crane swivels, and Mustad treble hooks. This lure comes sizes of 2-1/2 inch .6 ounce, 3-3/8 inch 1.2 ounces, 3-7/8 1.6 ounces, 4-1/4 inch 2 ounces, 4-inch 4 ounces, and 5-inch 5 ounces. Most are made to imitate bait fish, which is the primary forage of striped bass. Nick Vegeto, … Which are the best baits for striped bass fishing? Sand eels are around and Deadly Dicks and Kastmaster spoons with tube tails are the lures of choice. What becomes popular though is anchoring up and fishing clams. Vincent Daniello. This stopped working when all the whiskers from the skirt fell off the hook. This allows the larger breeder fish to stay in the population when letting anglers keep average size fish to eat. I  have had luck at the pier with jigs, bunker, clams, and bombers but never thought to try live eels. This lure can be cast and retrieved quickly or allowed to sink deep and then retrieved. Heavy jigs, plugs, and spoons can also be trolled along with the bunker spoons and umbrella rigs. When there are baitfish in the area the striped bass and blues will not be far behind. There are over 30 color patters available for this lure with chrome, chrome-neon blue, and chrome-neon green being the most common to use for striped bass. Four ounces is good for less than 60 feet and the 5.5 ounce size works well for depths greater than 60 feet. If too much line is let out the rig can hit the bottom and get snagged. Bunker is a great color option for striped bass. In the daytime a yellow school bus color or redhead with a white body are good color options. If there is no activity around the bunker you can always throw a cast net to catch bunker to use as bait elsewhere. The video below shows how to surf fish for striped bass. There are three daisy chain shads that are 6-inches in length. Striped bass will be pushing bait into the shallows to feed up before the spawn. You can fish for them from a boat or you can fish for them form the surf, jetty, rocks, riverbank, bridges, or piers. Up to 6-ounce sinkers can be used when surf fishing. I’ve had trips where the bass strike without hesitation, and at times they can be downright reckless. Having a boat equipped with a reliable fish-finder will certainly help in your pursuit of big striped bass. Before heading out to catch stripers, be sure to consult with your local sport fishing regulations for current fishing regulations. New Circle Hook Requirement When Fishing for Striped Bass With Bait December 23, 2020 Effective January 1, 2021, non-offset (inline) circle hooks must be used when fishing for striped bass with natural bait in all waters. Gulp Swimming Mullet Striped Bass Bait, 24. A light tackle setup with 20 pound braided and a fluorocarbon leader is best for these jigs. The small size works well when there are herring around. It can be trolled with a conventional reel similar to umbrella rigs or jigged with a spinning reel. Crabs, clams and sea worms also work well. This jig is heavy enough to slowly go deep and large enough to get the attention of any striper the sees the bait. The Spro Bucktail is a top-quality jig used for striped bass fishing. Color options are purple haze clear, pearl spot, sea trout, white, chartreuse, mullet black back, limetruse, redfish, blue back, and golden bunker with spots. Silver mullet is a good color to use during the day in bright conditions. Color options are black-back and olive-back. This is a large heavy bait that can be cast far out to where the action is off the beach. Baitfish and lures that match the bait in the lake should be used. If there is no current a smaller sliding egg sinker on the line works well. While striped bass do eat these baits they are opportunistic feeders that eat bait regardless of its size. The Sebile Magic Swimmer has a fish-like appearance and jointed body for life-like action. Striped bass are commonly found in rivers along the northeast from late April until the end of May. First, is it has a very strong scent. I caught a huge fluke while trolling for striped bass which meant the rig was really close to the bottom! This rig is best used with 2-4 inch chunks of cut bait such as bunker, herring and mackerel. Eel jigs can be very effective around rocky jetties and fishing piers. Having a small and large version of the lure can come in handy depending on the fishing conditions. Technically this is a freshwater bait but it is effective in saltwater as well. If fish are high in the water column this lure can also be trolled. Some striped bass stay year-round in all of these areas and are known as resident bass. Color options are motor oil, camouflage, natural, new penny, white, and bloody. The video below is of anglers surf fishing for stripers in New Jersey in the fall. Size options are 6 inches 3/4 ounce, 7-inch 1 ounce, 8-inch 1-1/5 ounce, and 9-inch 2-1/2 ounce. Color options are chartreuse, yellow, and white. If you made it this far you must really want to catch striped bass so I will tell you my favorite bait for striped bass which is a live bunker. Below is s video of anglers surf fishing with topwater lures for striped bass in Montauk New York. Bait such as clams, fresh bunker, eels, or bloodworms are placed onto the hook. If striped bass are feeding on grass shrimp on small minnows a fly can actually be the most productive bait. For shallow running plugs black is a great choice at night. There are also floating and fast-sinking versions in sizes from 3-3/4 inches 3/8 ounce to 9-inches 5 ounces. Updated Jan 13, 2021; Posted Jan 13, 2021 . This striped bass was caught from a pier at night. If so there is a very good chance that you are about to catch fish. There is a corkscrew on the back of the bait to add a teaser tail. To make the fishing time more productive it is common to fish three rods at different distances from shore. Casting plugs, spoons, and jigs along the edges of the bunker school is one option. Do not get to close to clam boats but they are fishing on clam beds which is also where stripers hang out. We’re lumping these two types of fish together because they’re extremely similar and usually are equally effective. There are other line-to-line knot tying methods but the double uni knot is the easiest to tie. A half-ounce jig with a 4-inch body is a good combination to fish in water less than 20 feet deep. A circle hook works well with all of these baits. It can also be cast and allowed to sink like a vertical jig and then retrieved. Tying the braided line to the leader line is best achieved with a line-to-line double uni knot. Global Fishing Reports participants in affiliate marketing programs. Features include 3D eyes, durable soft-vinyl body, Mustad hooks, and ultra-realistic foil core. The striped bass are migrating in the fall from the northern waters of Maine and Massachusetts down to Virginia for the winter. This is a slow sinking lure that can be twitched or retrieved with a subsurface walk the dog style. This lure is rated for saltwater use. Some common lures used include the red devil, artificial eels, shrimp, bloodworms, surface baits, artificial minnows, and gaspereau. They make great fish tacos, fried fish fillet’s, and even on the bbq in a butter boat (aluminum foil with butter and seasonings). The second reason Gulp works well is its action in the water. The extra bodes are handy if bluefish are around which frequently tear up soft plastic baits. The video below provides more information about the Mag Darter. These spoons are made of stainless steel and are very durable. On bright days and clear water white and chartreuse are good colors. Key features of the jig include a black nickel chemically sharpened hook, 3D eyes, and chip-resistant paint. I think this 12-ounce Mojo daisy chain is one of the ultimate striped bass lures. The anglers are using surf fishing reels. 30 Best Striped Bass Lures and Baits in 2020, Here Are the Best Striped Bass Fishing Lures and Baits, 13. The second way to catch live bait is with a cast net. This is another good jig to use when there are small baitfish like spearing in the area. Below I show a video catching bait with my dad and friend Ryan. Above the barrel swivel is a slider that has a clip for a pyramid lead weight. It comes in sizes of 6-inch 1 ounce and 7-inch 2 ounces. Striped bass can be caught in the river using jigs, plugs, baits such as live herring, cut bunker, sandworms, and bloodworms placed near the bottom. Some anglers use a bunker spoon with an 8-ounce mojo or bucktail jig to get the spoons deeper. This Ronz Big Game Jig is made to catch big fish. If the boat is traveling into the current a slow 2 mph troll is good speed. That being said, one of the best ways to cook striped bass is in a cast iron pan, seared with just a little salt, pepper, butter and lemon. This bait is 6-1/2 inches long, weighs 1-1/2 ounces, and is slow-sinking. Circle hooks are required by law in many locations and these hooks are a great way to catch and release striped bass safely. This helps keep the rigs deeper in the water. These are great jigs by themselves but this setup comes as a tandem rig so that two baits can be fished on a sinlge pole. Often times you have to follow the bait to hunt them down. Some striped bass are hatchery fish but there are areas where freshwater striped bass spawn naturally. When running fish charter in Alaska it is common to catch yelloweye rockfish, black rockfish, quillback rockfish, and dusky rockfish. This Blue Water Candy is a four-arm umbrella rig with a center stinger swim shad. The slower the boat goes the deeper the baits will settle into the water. For striped bass it is typically placed on a jig. Bunker, also known as menhaden, is a great bait to use when fishing for striped bass. Winter Fishing for California Yellowtail . In the Delta, threadfin shad are probably now the most common bait. Using the head can be especially beneficial in catching a large striper. When anchoring up and fishing with clams and bunker the motion of a jig near the bottom can be beneficial. Features include 3D body, durable soft-vinyl body, and black metal hooks. Home » Best Saltwater Fishing Lures » 30 Best Striped Bass Lures and Baits in 2020. When they do this, the birds like to come down and get the small school fish on the surface. The video below provides more information about the Majic Swimmer. If the umbrella rigs are not swimming deep in the water add a 16-32 ounce lead stick weight directly in front of the rig. The lure is a good imitation of sand eels, squid, and spearing. When there is some but not a ton of bunker around is when fishing with bunker works best. This jig is designed to catch big tuna and is strong enough to catch the largest striped bass. The history of the striped bass fishery in North America dates back to the Colonial period. 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