Basics of Saltwater Striped Bass Fishing Using Light Tackle

Striped bass for some reason, be they of salt or freshwater origin, hold a certain fascination for any angler. There are many kinds of striped bass and all have a gorgeous nature about them. Anyone who has ever caught a striped bass, rockfish, a linesider or a regular striped bass will stand in amazement of their catch’s body, glimmering in the sunlight. Catching one is indeed however, is a whole other story. Many groups affiliated with caring for the environment are causing a stir in the world of legalities, when it comes to fishing for fish that are bottom dwellers such as flounder and scup.

Particular times of the day and when food or bait is plentiful, fish known as bass aggressively feed. Spotting bass feed is easily detected, as you will find their bait trying hard to take to the air to get away from them. Fishing for bass is fairly an easy maneuver, as you need to take your time in get close to them and casting your line. Bass can easily detect you approaching them hastily and cut your fishing for them short. When bass are feeding, you should make your choice of bait similar to what it is they are feeding upon. When your line hits the water, immediately start reeling in your line. Bluefish will hit when you retrieve your line just a bit slower.

Bass hit on bait really well in the early hours of morning, and will mostly be found around submerged stumps, trees, rocks or other underwater structure and where the water isn’t to deep. They prefer areas of waters that have a gentle current so they can feed on bait that is caught in it. If you are fishing in less than a visible situation, then your choice of water plugs can be beneficial. Bass also feed better if the day holds less than sunny conditions. Plugs that stay on top of the water or if they are white in color will suffice. A plug should be used in a way that will communicate to a fish that it has an injury. Fake the fish out, by stopping the plug abruptly and then retrieving it as if demonstrating to the fish it is bait in distress. Fishing will be exciting ten-fold, when you witness a plug being hit and then reeling it in. There’s nothing more fitting!

When light levels reach their their capacity, the plugs may not do such a great job and the fish will usually search for an abode in deeper waters. The waters currents will be beneficial in drawing bass to hit your line, but if the water has next to none, then they will not bite as well. If you are not fishing while anchored and using plugs that are constructed as light weight, you will do well to drift over areas that the bass are most likely to be feeding from and make sure the engine is turned off. Now, try to gauge what depth the fish are being found in. If the fish are hanging out in a depth of about thirty feet, great! Now, let fifteen seconds go by, then start reeling it in. Try retrieving your line quickly then slowly, try the insect that is injured method, try it different ways, and see what the are going after. If you are about to catch one, but you missed hooking it, try other methods next time.

The insect injured method works well for many in getting fish to hit and they will hit this method continually. When a fish hits, you naturally want to hook him instantly, but bluefish are mostly the only fish that will hit in this manner. A bass however, will not hit with this method much. Bass love to be the clean up machines while the bluefish hit repeatedly. In other words, the bluefish are not very clean hitters and will leave food in their wake.

Many wonder what soft plugs they should use. Determine what bait they seem to be feeding on and use the appropriate plug to match that particular bait. You will do well to pick zooms or such like them in green and white colors when fishing for sand eels. If you like fishing for shad and find that the fish are feeding on a submerged structure, then just match your bait for them to whatever they are feeding on. If you find that shad are hitting on herring, pick a zoom that is of the same matching color and make sure it is the same in length as what they are feeding on.

You can try bass fishing using the another method known as trolling. However, you will struggle sometimes in what method to use when they are not biting. Using weights, and rods that are wire lined will work well with this method in that bass go deep once light levels have risen. A weight will let you reach their level. Fishing at the Rhode Island south shore, one will find that there are a whole lot of submerged rocks and the water levels are fairly nice in depth. You can use a rod that has a massive amount of line on it,just make sure your weight will get the line to the bottom. Shouldn’t be to hard considering the water depths are deep but not too deep. Use the trolling method and use bait that is of the tube or worm nature. Only use this bait if you are not successful in getting the bait down far enough to reach the fish and this will work better. Troll at a speed that works, adjusting as you continue to fish. If you change your speed of trolling continuously, you may find that the fish hit better.

If you find them not hitting after a certain amount of time gone by, then you rod’s line is not at the depth level it should be or the fish have left the area. If the time is exceedingly long without a catch, try moving to a new area or test different methods.

This advice and notations will help you to grasp new and innovative methods and help you to succeed in bass fishing.