Bass Fishing Tips And Tackle
Tips For Better Bass Fishing
The Striped Bass
The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is also called a striper or sea bass. It is a native of North America so is much sought after here in the U.S. first as a gamefish and second as table food. Primarily it is a silver color, but can be a bluish or brownish, with a series of dark lines on both sides that run horizontally the length of the body. They have been known to reach a length of 60 inches or more and weigh over 70 pounds. A striper that size would surely be a trophy and it's age would be over 25 years old. Fish that big are definitely not common so don't expect be catching that size every time you go out.
Stripers live in salt water but travel to fresh water to spawn usually around April, May and early part of June. A large mature female will discharge millions of eggs in the open water and the male will fertilize them. Both the female and the male will swim off after spawning, leaving the eggs to drift in the current and hatch completely on their own later.
The smaller stripers tend to swim around in schools with the larger ones staying in a much smaller group. Their main diet is alewives, crabs and herring. The average size of an adult fish is 4 pounds to 15 pounds.
Sportfishing for the striped bass is extremely popular and you can fish for them in a variety of ways. Flyfishing, surfcasting and jigging or trolling from a boat are some of the best. If you are flyfishing, try using a large herring imitation fly and cast it into a school of feeding stripers. When you are trolling from a boat, try fresh cut bait or eels using a stout boat rod. You can use plugs, jigs or lures when surfcasting and if you have waders on, be sure to have a wading belt to prevent any water going over and into the waders. You'll need a sturdy rod that is also quite long.
A good place to find the striped bass is around rocks and drop-offs. Anywhere there is strong current or turbulent water, you are likely to find them. You can have some luck in early morning and early evening, but fishing at night is the best time as the sea bass is a nocturnal feeder. If you decide to fish at night, be extremely careful and make sure to bring a flashlight that you can wear around your neck or on your head. You don’t want to be fumbling around trying to get a flashlight that’s somewhere inside your waders when waves are crashing around you!
Be sure to practice good fishing etiquite when you’re out fishing for these striped bass and also make sure you know the fishing regulations where you are going. Some places have a size restriction so if you aren’t sure if it’s a legal keeper, let it go to be on the safe side.
Stripers live in salt water but travel to fresh water to spawn usually around April, May and early part of June. A large mature female will discharge millions of eggs in the open water and the male will fertilize them. Both the female and the male will swim off after spawning, leaving the eggs to drift in the current and hatch completely on their own later.
The smaller stripers tend to swim around in schools with the larger ones staying in a much smaller group. Their main diet is alewives, crabs and herring. The average size of an adult fish is 4 pounds to 15 pounds.
Sportfishing for the striped bass is extremely popular and you can fish for them in a variety of ways. Flyfishing, surfcasting and jigging or trolling from a boat are some of the best. If you are flyfishing, try using a large herring imitation fly and cast it into a school of feeding stripers. When you are trolling from a boat, try fresh cut bait or eels using a stout boat rod. You can use plugs, jigs or lures when surfcasting and if you have waders on, be sure to have a wading belt to prevent any water going over and into the waders. You'll need a sturdy rod that is also quite long.
A good place to find the striped bass is around rocks and drop-offs. Anywhere there is strong current or turbulent water, you are likely to find them. You can have some luck in early morning and early evening, but fishing at night is the best time as the sea bass is a nocturnal feeder. If you decide to fish at night, be extremely careful and make sure to bring a flashlight that you can wear around your neck or on your head. You don’t want to be fumbling around trying to get a flashlight that’s somewhere inside your waders when waves are crashing around you!
Be sure to practice good fishing etiquite when you’re out fishing for these striped bass and also make sure you know the fishing regulations where you are going. Some places have a size restriction so if you aren’t sure if it’s a legal keeper, let it go to be on the safe side.