Boat Fishing For Striped Bass
When the sun comes up in the morning the stripers head out to deeper water. Then the stripers are within range of boat fishermen. Follow the birds to the fish, or use your fishfinder.
This section has 5 subsections. Don't miss anything, visit them all!
- Summary of ways to fish for striped bass from a boat
- Boats for striped bass fishing
- Tackle for striped bass fishing
- Lures for striped bass fishing
- Braided Line
Summary - Boat fishing for striped bass
There are many ways to fish for striped bass from a boat.
These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Rob Topham's 39 pound striper
caught in the Delaware Bay in 2003
Rob's grandfather's striper,caught
at Truro Beach, Cape Cod in 1951
1. Dunking bunker chunks. while anchored. The 39 pound striped bass shown on the right was caught from a 21 foot boat while anchored in Delaware Bay. The bait was a bunker head. Chumming was used.
2. You can also fish with clams while anchored. Boat fisherman who fish their local waters often, especially charter captains, get to know where all the clam beds are in their area. In the days after a storm, these fishermen anchor over these clam beds, and fish using clams for bait. They know that the storms stir up the clam beds, and that stripers will be there feeding on broken clams.
3. Drifting bunker chunks or other bait. This is usually done over structure or lumps on the bottom. Success with this technique can be improved by chumming.
4. Live lining bunker. This often involves snagging bunker on the spot, then fishing them live.
5. Drifting over or near rips caused by tidal currents going over structure or lumps on the bottom. The Cape May rips at the mouth of the Delaware Bay are noted for this type of fishing.
6. Jigging with diamond jigs or other lures. This is also usually done over structure or lumps on the bottom. Use your depth finder to locate structure on the bottom.
7. Trolling deep diving plugs.
8. Trolling bunker spoons, surgical tubes with worms, umbrella rigs, or parachute rigs. This normally requires the use of wire or lead core line to get the lures deep. Planar boards are often used to keep lines from crossing and away from the boat.
9. Casting plugs or other lures close to bars, shore points, or jettys.
10. Drifting live eels or spot.. This is most successful in inlets, and on an outgoing tide. Night is usually best.
11. Live lining herring in rivers in the spring.
12. Casting plugs or other lures to the edge of sod banks within the many estuaries along the east coast. This works best in the early hours before sunrise.
13. Fishing near bridge pilings, for example at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Tunnel.
14. Chasing birds, and fishing blitzes during both the spring and fall migrations.
Snag a bunker or throw a pencil popper.
