The time for spring fishing for striped bass is here. Stripers are schooling up and hitting on area lakes and rivers. You can get in on them bottom fishing, casting crankbaits and jerkbaits, or throwing jigs and grubs.
Bottom fishing for stripers
Striped bass often feed on the bottom in heavy current, near rocks and off of points and other structure. You can use a fishfinder rig with a small stretch (about 14 to 16 inches) of monofilament line as leader. On most rivers and lakes a 1 ounce egg weight is heavy enough to get to the bottom, although in some heavy current you may need more.
Just thread on your sinker and tie on a swivel. Attach your 16 inches of monofilament leader(20 lb test line is good) and tie on your hook, J-style or Kahle hook. The fishfinder rig allows you to maintain contact with the bait and feel the bite without the weight of the sinker which a fixed-bottom rig gives.
Best bottom baits for striped bass are small live shad or other minnows, cut shad or bream, bloodworms, earthworms or other cut bait.
Bloodworms are a great bottom bait that many freshwater striped bass anglers don’t use. Stripers will hit it better than plain earthworms and at times it will outfish live minnows.
Casting crankbaits and jerkbaits to striped bass
Crankbait and jerkbait hard plugs are great lures for schooling stripers. They cast well, have a lot of action, and big striped bass love to hit them hard. You can work the top, middle or bottom of the water column with these lures.
If stripers are schooling up and hitting minnows or shad in a reaction strike they will smash crankbaits and jerkbaits slashed through the water.
Casting jigs and grubs to stripers
Lead head jigs are a great way to reach spring schooling striped bass. Lead heads in 1/8, ¼ and 3/8 ounces are popular depending on the depth of water and the strength of current.
A very popular plastic grub to use with jig heads is the fluke. Flukes in white, pearl white, chartreuse, green and clear with sparkle flakes are all popular. Fish these fluke-type grubs just like hard jerkbaits, working them off the bottom and giving them a slashing action which flashes to bring in the stripers.
Curly-tailed jigs in white and chartreuse are also great for catching schooling striped bass. You can work curly-tailed grubs with a more steady retrieve than straight flukes because the tail gives these lures more action.
You can also use a pull and pause when fishing a jig head which allows the lure to fall back. Striped bass will hit the grub during the pause as it falls.
For more tips on spring fishing see my blog A Dash Of Salty
Comments
Beautiful striped bass you've got there. I've only caught two ever. One was on a crank minnow and one on my favorite crawdad jerk bait, so your advice is excellent.
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