07-11-2013, 01:13 AM
East coast striper fishing is tough in the summer.... Especially once that water gets into the 80's. I fished VA pretty much all of my life for them.
This time of year a good fishfinder is PRICELESS. If you are not marking them you WILL not catch them. They will school up in deep water through the day and sometimes come shallower to feed at dusk, night, and dawn. During these times a broken back rebel (barely being reeled), zara spook, poppers, and the like will produce.
If you cant catch them like that my advice is to go small. Those shad make great baits, but only when they are feeding on them (usually spring and fall). In the summer they seem to feed more on small shad and alewives less than 4 inches. Fish these on downlines and drop them right in there face. Spend time looking for them on the FF, it's crucial. If you want to fish artificial then vertical jig flukes, spoons, bassassins, and other small minnow like baits. Some of my buddies liked pulling umbrellas but I was never into it. You can always check on deep water dock lights at night as well.
When it starts to cool down run planers and those big shad.
You're totally right when you say Hatteras is nasty... I was a Chesapeake man myself but I have seen and heard of its wrath. The striper fishing in the OBX has sucked the past few winters.. I like spring season on the bay much better up in VA. I had a day this spring that was 20 fish, a few hours, smallest was 25".
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This time of year a good fishfinder is PRICELESS. If you are not marking them you WILL not catch them. They will school up in deep water through the day and sometimes come shallower to feed at dusk, night, and dawn. During these times a broken back rebel (barely being reeled), zara spook, poppers, and the like will produce.
If you cant catch them like that my advice is to go small. Those shad make great baits, but only when they are feeding on them (usually spring and fall). In the summer they seem to feed more on small shad and alewives less than 4 inches. Fish these on downlines and drop them right in there face. Spend time looking for them on the FF, it's crucial. If you want to fish artificial then vertical jig flukes, spoons, bassassins, and other small minnow like baits. Some of my buddies liked pulling umbrellas but I was never into it. You can always check on deep water dock lights at night as well.
When it starts to cool down run planers and those big shad.
You're totally right when you say Hatteras is nasty... I was a Chesapeake man myself but I have seen and heard of its wrath. The striper fishing in the OBX has sucked the past few winters.. I like spring season on the bay much better up in VA. I had a day this spring that was 20 fish, a few hours, smallest was 25".
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