Fishing for Landlocked Stripers
Well…..Let me just say that I am writing this article with the help of an insanely good fisherman. Fresh or Salt water…..Kevin Collins will out-fish just about anyone I know. All kidding aside….the man has an unbelievable talent for knowing where fish will be. His ability to adapt to different bodies of water, temperature, water clarity, weather conditions, and every other variable is uncanny. There have been many times that I have had to just sit back and watch the show…….it’s all you can do. You can’t compete with him….you can’t replicate his attention to detail or his patience, or his methods. You can try to copy, but you will have mixed results at best. He is almost a fish whisperer. It is like he did something incredible in his past life….that affords him the right to hook up monster fish in any\every location.
Really……I live in the low country of South Carolina and I think of myself as a pretty good fisherman. But this dude….will take the wheel of my boat…..bring us to a place that I 100% advise against…wrong tide…wrong conditions…..wrong lure\bait….wrong everything….and land fish (and by “fish” I mean multiple\killer fish). If that does not make you mad….you have no soul. But…..you quickly get over the anger as the amazement sets in. It is just bizarre.
Years ago Kevin and I grew up fishing for Blue Fish off of Rockaway Beach…Cod Fish off of Montauk…Trout in the North Georgia mountains,…we used to hammer fluke and flounder out of Howard Beach (we used to volunteer as mates on a party boat,,,,,,,,,,, tying double rigs, taking fish off lines, clearing tangles, weighing the fish for the pools, and finally cleaning fish for tips). It was a grand entrance into the fishing life that we both pass on to our kids today. Kevin has an insatiable thirst to fish. He will be up before the alarm (always), he will fish well past dark, he will always be the last man standing in the river or the surf……I am guessing by now you know…when Kevin Collins talks…….we all should listen.
So….here are a few tips for land-locked\freshwater Striped Bass (from Kevin himself….along with a few bits of info from me). While fishing in salt water can be similar, we are going to focus on reservoir\large lakes here. Kevin has taken me on trolling trips up in the “feeder” rivers as well as open water drop baiting. We have used umbrella rigs, live thread-fin shad, live blue herring, and artificials. I always suggest finding a great local guide to show you the magic….and the spots before you set out on your own.
Stripers can be both solitary or found in groups. Depending on the time of year you need to get some good local advice before you go out. Seeing a school “corral” up bait fish and “bust them up” is breathtaking. I really can’t tell you how exciting it is to be in the right place at the right time. I can only equate it to coming into a school of Trevally Jacks in salt water………the water boils….total feeding frenzy….you can throw any lure\bait in the middle and they will eat it. It is awesome.
Ok…so here goes:
Rigs:
We use 6 1/2 to 8 foot salt water rods with 12-15 pound test mono-filament line. I like to use a combination of both spinning rods and open-faced rigs (bait-casting). When trolling…nothing beats a reel with a “star drag” in the rod holder. But….just like fishing on salt flats….Always keep a spinning rod set up with lighter line and either a live bait or a lure ready to target surface fish (when you are in a hurry to pin point a cast in front of an exploding Striper….you need your rig ready to go). We go with 4/0-6/0 circle hooks for live bait. Circle hooks will work for you, they tend to hook fish in the corner of their mouths (great for releasing), and are just plain out the only thing to use here. (See below for bait suggestions\techniques\and lures).
Fishing times:
This is where lots of folks will have differing opinions. I feel like I have an inside track…(due to Kevin Collins being the “All Knowing Fish Genius”) so bear with me if I am a bit over confident here…… So….Stripers are moving around a lot. And eating a lot. They are just big predators…..My first bit of advice is that dawn and dusk are peak feeding times. We have had great luck catching Stripers at night as well. Think about it (big predator…ambush….just like sharks….etc…you get it right?). I am not saying that you can’t have tons of success in the middle of the day, I am just saying that I feel that limited daylight will surely increase your chances. In our experience schools of Stripers will go deep in the heat of the day. Look for deep channels that provide some structure on the bottom. A good sonar setup will work wonders here. Having a guide\boat captain that can keep an eye on the screen, and keep you over the school, will make a huge difference. When you are fishing in 100 feet of water to a school that is suspended at the 50 foot depth……they can vanish in moments. You really have to work hard to anticipate their next move.
What to fish with:
Striped bass will gorge themselves on bait fish and then disappear. A school of a hundred Stripers can be busting fish all over the place and seem to “flip a switch”, stop, dive deep, and just go away. Weird, right? This is where you need local advice. Blue Back Herring and Thread-fin Shad are our favorite baits. You can buy these at local bait stores…or you can find them and throw your nets. My advice is to get 3 times the bait you need and keep your live well fresh and aerated. These bait fish don’t do so well in stagnant water. Watch your live well and take care of your precious bait.
Now to hook up your live bait…Regardless of whether you are slow trolling or dropping your bait with down lines…we hook the bait fish up through the bottom lip and through the nose. We feel that this helps the fish swim with your boat and prevents the hook from tearing out. Trolling live bait also has a caveat……let’s talk about planer boards. Planer boards are cool attachments that mimic using “Out Riggers” in salt water. These will help you troll with multiple baits…cover multiple depths…..and a wide range of distance between your lines. Look up “How to use Planer Boards” on You-Tube and you can click on this link for a good pair (just to be up front…I am an amazon affiliate so I can earn off qualified purchases) Planer Boards. I like to have one center bait (or an umbrella rig) on the center\back of the boat. One live bait trolled on both the right and left sides of the boat. And a right and left bait on planer boards pulling out far in each direction. This gives you 5 potential hook-ups at one time. If you troll past a school of Stripers……you are going to get one of them to dance….or like the video below….you may get a double.
Now…here is a hot topic…… Artificial baits……..Swim Baits? Spooks? Spoons? Yes…yes…and yes….Umbrella rigs with plastic swim baits….oh hell yes…..all of these work great. We have had great luck with all of them. Jigging spoons on deep Stripers can be incredibly fun…find them on your sonar….drop down your spoon…jig…and hang on. Check here for a link to one of our favorite spoons the Acme Kastmaster…I use this for Spanish and King Mackerel all the time….super versatile lure!!
Hanging an umbrella rig with some Storm Wild Eye Swim Shad can also be a great tactic to entice both solitary and schooling Stripers….(also….extra credit for free lining a single into a “boiling” school…….you don’t always have to have an umbrella rig).
In the early mornings (or late evenings) you can often find Stripers on top of the water breaking the surface. I have seen Kevin tear into these schools using Surface Lures. His “go to” is a 4 ½ inch Silver and Blue Zara Spook. He will tell you that anything shiny will work really well. Take a look here at our link to Zara Spooks. For these rigs Kevin uses lighter tackle……12 lb. mono with 3 feet of 8 lb. test flouro-carbon leader. I know this seems light….especially when you are looking at fish that can easily weigh over 20lbs….but the lighter set-up will be worth it….trust us…shoot trust Kevin……
Next topic…when fish are on top (or close to the top of the water column) you can live line your bait fish behind the boat for a slow troll. Kevin prefers to free line the Shad (or Herring) hooked through the nose about 50-100 feet behind the boat. Use a 3/8 oz split shot and get ready (Pro-Tip….fish always hit when you are trying to eat your sandwich or get a beer\drink……….). If you are not using planer boards here, it is important here to keep your set-ups to a minimum, no one likes to untangle 4 or 5 twisted up lines after you turn the boat…..also when you hook up to a monster…those other lines will just get in your way.
Later in the afternoon, you can zero in on a deeper school and drop your live bait to them. Follow the same idea as “live lining” but replace the 3/8 oz split shot with an in-line barrel sinker and about 5 feet of 12 lb test flouro-carbon leader. Drop down to their depth, set your drag loose enough to let the fish move…but tight enough to keep them out of any structure below. Watching your sonar\graph here will be the key.
Recently Kevin went out with Clay Cunningham of Catching Not Fishing Charters on Lake Lanier (just north of Atlanta Georgia). I have been out with Clay before a few times and I can tell you that I have never seen a better freshwater Striper Guide. Their trip was a huge success (as always) and there were very few “down” moments on the boat. Right at sun rise they came into a large school of Stipers breaking the surface. The school was about the size of a city block….and just like fishing in salt water….look for the birds….if you see birds swarming over an area….chances are there just might be a school of big fish pushing the bait up to the surface. Kevin and Clay were into this school for over an hour. The fish were hitting everything from swim baits, to Spooks, to live bait. Kevin and his crew caught about 24 fish by the end of the day with about 5-6 “break-offs” and a few “missed fish” (Kevin didn’t miss any…..he assures me….).
I hope this article has helped you get excited for fresh water Striper fishing. Pound for pound I am not sure you can have more fun or catch bigger fish in fresh water. If you are around Atlanta, give Clay at call at Catching Not Fishing Charters. Good luck~!!!
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Double Hook-Up
