Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

[kfa4303]

Hi all. I was thinking about trying my hand at some striped bass fishing here in North Florida. I've never done it before, and I'm not real sure what to use/how to fish for them. From what I've read they actually prefer cooler temps and can/will eat just about anything from jigs to shiners, but I wasn't sure what the best starter method is. I read that they run towards shallow water in the cool months while most other fish around here are running for deeper water to escape the cold. I don't mind using live bait and practice catch and release, so I don't want or need to keep the fish. Just want to get in some freshwater fishing during the winter while the coast has cooled down. Thanks for any tips.

 

[MRS]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

Not sure about there but here in Ca. we use cut baits anchovies sardines or if can get some live shad that is the sweet bait for stripers. You might want to check out (stripers247.com) good luck on the striper hunt...

 

[aspeck]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

Here in central PA the preferred food is an 8 or 9 inch trout. Will also use live shad for them. Live bait is dropped to depths of 40 or more feet, depending on where they are schooling, sometimes 80 or more feet, and allowed to swim freely.

When the stripers are in a feeding frenzy, I have used large shad raps and 3/4 oz white bucktail jigs with a 5 inch white trailer. Make sure the jig has red eyes and a red collar ... the little bit of "blood" seems to make a big difference.

Find flats with a drop-off nearby where the stripers can "corner" the shad or other baitfish. It is always exciting to be in the middle of a feeding school ... first time I was so nervous I couldn't change lures or cast ... now I always have a rod ready, just in case.

Oh, and those bad boys will fight themselves to the point of death if you allow them to, so make sure you use heavy enough tackle that you don't fight them to death!

Don't know about the "Florida Freshwater" ones, but that is how our PA ones act ...

 

[avaryj]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

Are strippers good eating? I catch'em here at Lake Texoma but I have never put any in the frying pan. I only eat the Channel Cats and was wondering.

 

[MRS]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

All white meat just cut out the red strip of the fillet and fry up.... We like them.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

I'm guessing your talking about the St. Johns River.

Stripers are anadromous fish. Meaning that they spend most of its life in the sea and returns to fresh water to spawn.
They spawn in the Spring when the water temps hit roughly 60 degrees so I would imagine that the fish you're seeing have come in from the ocean on a spawning run. Locally, we see them start seeing them arrive in the Chesapeake to spawn late February, early March so January into February time frame would be just about right given the higher water temps down there.

The trick to catching Stripers is to find the water temps they prefer, 40 ? 65degrees, then find a food source, i.e. bait fish. Stripers will readily take live, cut and artificial baits. Quite often we?ll troll until we find a concentration of fish then change over and use artificial baits to vertical jig them.

Another popular local method is to live line. We catch live Spot (Leiostomus xanthurusthen) go out to the favorite striper hole and fish live Spot behind the boat. To live line, we use a 6/0-8/0 circle hook and hook the spot thru the dorsal fin, the eyes, or the nose and let them swim free behind the boat. If there are any Stripers around it doesn?t take long before your Spot is devoured.

Vertical jigging is my preferred method when I?m not trophy hunting. To jig Stripers you need nothing more than your typical LM bass fishing outfit. A 6?, fast action, med-hvy rod with a 2xxx or 3xxx series spinning reel with #10 braided line will catch just about any Striper that swims..

Here is a good website that describes give you the in and outs of vertical jigging Striped bass.
http://www.chesapeakelighttackle.com/2009/01/31/light-tackle-jigging-the-basics/

 

[Basshunter22]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

Not too sure about stripers in Fl, but in NC late fall and early winter is the time to head back in to the creeks (major tributaries). Find the bait and they will be close by. I like artificials like jerk baits, rat L traps, and bucktails for deeper fish.

 

[R Socey]

Re: Does anyone have any freshwater, Striped Bass, fishing tips?

Stripers in MD sweetwater like cool water, low light conditions. They stay close to the shad schools - tight schools of prey means active predators. Find the forage, and match it - good luck - waiting for the pics.