03-21-2006, 12:48 AM
Food:
Striped bass eat a variety of foods, including fish such as alewives, flounder, sea herring, menhaden, sand lance, silver hake, tomcod, smelt, silversides and eels, as well as lobsters, crabs, soft clams, small mussels, sea worms and squid. They feed most actively at dusk and dawn, although some feeding occurs throughout the day. During the midsummer they tend to become more nocturnal. [li]Angling Tips:
Angling after dusk or dawn provides the greatest success most of the season, but night fishing is often best during the midsummer. Anglers are most successful when fishing the shoreline in areas where tidal rips, strong currents or wave action create turbulent "live" water.
When surf fishing the beaches with swimming plugs and live eels many anglers prefer the 10 to 12 foot surf rod and conventional reel spooled with 30 to 40 pound test monofilament line. However, a medium to heavy spinning rod with 12 to 20 pound test monofilament line is considered ideal by many anglers for plugging, jigging or offering bottom fished baits to bass. Lures are attached directly to the line with a snap swivel. When bait fishing, the preferred rig consists of a pyramid sinker attached to a fish finder and about 2 feet of leader with a brightly colored float attached close to the hook. The float keeps bait away from bottom dwelling crabs, dogfish and skate.
Live lining of herring, pogies or mackerel can be a very productive means of taking large bass. A fairly stiff boat rod with a conventional reel is the preferred rig. Bait fish are hooked through the back or snout using either a single or treble hook.
When trolling for bass adjacent to shoreline areas, the rod should be equipped with a high ratio conventional reel and either carboloy, aluminum oxide or silicon carbide guides to prevent line wear. By choosing among monofilament, lead core or wire lines, depths from the surface to the bottom can be trolled. Many lures, including swimming plugs, jigs, tube and worm and umbrella rigs as well as live herring, pogies and eels lend themselves well to trolling for stripers.
[li]Handling:
Stripers should be bled, gutted and iced immediately after capture. If they are iced in a large cooler the melt water should be drained occasionally so the fish do not soak in warming water. If they are iced in a boat fish box, remove the fish box's drain plug. [/li]
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Striped bass eat a variety of foods, including fish such as alewives, flounder, sea herring, menhaden, sand lance, silver hake, tomcod, smelt, silversides and eels, as well as lobsters, crabs, soft clams, small mussels, sea worms and squid. They feed most actively at dusk and dawn, although some feeding occurs throughout the day. During the midsummer they tend to become more nocturnal. [li]Angling Tips:
Angling after dusk or dawn provides the greatest success most of the season, but night fishing is often best during the midsummer. Anglers are most successful when fishing the shoreline in areas where tidal rips, strong currents or wave action create turbulent "live" water.
When surf fishing the beaches with swimming plugs and live eels many anglers prefer the 10 to 12 foot surf rod and conventional reel spooled with 30 to 40 pound test monofilament line. However, a medium to heavy spinning rod with 12 to 20 pound test monofilament line is considered ideal by many anglers for plugging, jigging or offering bottom fished baits to bass. Lures are attached directly to the line with a snap swivel. When bait fishing, the preferred rig consists of a pyramid sinker attached to a fish finder and about 2 feet of leader with a brightly colored float attached close to the hook. The float keeps bait away from bottom dwelling crabs, dogfish and skate.
Live lining of herring, pogies or mackerel can be a very productive means of taking large bass. A fairly stiff boat rod with a conventional reel is the preferred rig. Bait fish are hooked through the back or snout using either a single or treble hook.
When trolling for bass adjacent to shoreline areas, the rod should be equipped with a high ratio conventional reel and either carboloy, aluminum oxide or silicon carbide guides to prevent line wear. By choosing among monofilament, lead core or wire lines, depths from the surface to the bottom can be trolled. Many lures, including swimming plugs, jigs, tube and worm and umbrella rigs as well as live herring, pogies and eels lend themselves well to trolling for stripers.
[li]Handling:
Stripers should be bled, gutted and iced immediately after capture. If they are iced in a large cooler the melt water should be drained occasionally so the fish do not soak in warming water. If they are iced in a boat fish box, remove the fish box's drain plug. [/li]
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