Striped Bass is an aquatic creature and part of the Moronidae family; they can also be called rockfish, stripers, or linesiders.
Stripers have caused a lot of attraction among tourists, fishermen, and those who are interested in aquatic creatures; everyone wants to catch them striped Bass, regardless of where they are fishing.
Striped Bass are beautiful fish; Catching them can be a difficult task.
Bottom fishing is quite different from bass fishing; Linesiders are aggressive feeders, especially when lots of bait is around.
Rockfish are very easy to spot from shore because they love jumping and splashing as they feed.
Striped bass fishing
Stripers are unique compared to other fishes; they breed in freshwater and move to the saltwater where they spend the adult part of their lives.
If they can’t reach saltwater due to environmental challenges, strippers can live solely in freshwater, like the largemouth and smallmouth bass.
They have an excellent sporting quality; this makes them unique. Striped Bass is powerful and fast.
They can be often caught with large plugs, jigs, gizzard shads, live baitfish, deep trolls, cut bait, and so on. Stripers will give chase when artificial baitfish is spotted.
Striped Bass move to freshwater during spawning season.
They enjoy clear water. Fishing striped bass in the clear waters is an advantage; it allows you to catch them easily. The water temperature that is preferred by stripers is 75° or 65° at most.
They are predatory, and often eat smaller fishes. Stripers also feast on crustaceans, insects, and foods beneath the lakes. The temperate Bass move in groups; this makes it easier for anglers to catch many stripers when they use the right strategies.
According to research, early morning is the best time to catch striper, or during the evening, you can be lucky during the wake hours.
The fastest striped bass ling a long time ago and the largest world record freshwater striper weigh about 125 pounds, the largest world saltwater striper weighed around 78 pounds and 8 ounces; it was caught in Atlantic City River, New Jersey.
You are hunting for Striped Bass in Lake Ouachita, used rubber balloons, gizzard shad, live baitfish, deep trolls, etc. to catch Striped Bass.
According to research, striped Bass hide in deep waters along the rocks, valleys, and deep areas of the lake.
Striped Bass will swim close to the shore when boats and the sun are at bay. Stripers prefer to stay in cool water, unlike other Bass.
Anglers use different types of fishing tactics to catch this striped Bass. The fishing equipment used for this is cable wire, curly tail trailers, mono, spreader rig, minnow plugs, twister tail, bucktail jigs, baitfish, and so on.
Late evening and early morning are of favorable times to catch stripers.
The striped bass fishing experience
Catching these striped Bass can be both challenging and fun. There are different ways of catching this fantastic animal, either by casting, trolling, or even bottom fishing.
In some areas, stripers do not reproduce and are quite scarce, so in this situation, it requires the right strategies, extensive game management, and stocking for you to catch them.
The perfect months to catch these fish are late March and May. This is because striped Bass will be preparing to spawn, so they begin to feed aggressively.
Bait – Using the right type of bait is very important to catch this striper, though the same bait used for regular fishing can also be used to catch a striper.
Try spending your time looking for the right bait, because when you have the right bait then catching striped Bass won’t be challenging.
Tackle – Knowing the tackling required for striped bass fishing is essential. Fishermen catch this hard-fighting fish with different tackles and methods.
Some who prefer to fight it out with the fish use light tackle while those who don’t want to stress themselves use heavier tackle.
When it comes to catching striped Bass, you might find yourself hooked by this incredible experience.
No other way to describe the excitement when you hook into these aquatic monsters and discover that you are for a fight.
How to catch striped bass
Using a fish-finder
- You have to make your boat equipped with a fish finder; it will reduce your stress finding the Striped Bass.
- Secondly, you must know how to operate the fish finder; this helps you know where the striped Bass has gathered.
- Stripers can be unpredictable; they are usually found at different depths and locations depending on the time and weather. Using a fish-finder makes it easy to know their location and the depth at which they are holding, which will allow you to launch your bait at the precise position.
Identifying the right bait
- Striped Bass are aggressive feeders that can be easily attracted to a different kind of bait.
- Examples of the right bait are mackerel, herring, nightcrawlers, menhaden, clams, eels, squid, anchovies, bloodworms, shad, and sandworms all make great bait for catching Striped Bass.
- For different locations you intend to fish in, you have to know the right bait to use. If you’re not familiar with water, consult a local bait and tackle shop to inquire about the right bait to use.
Choose your tackle, rod, and reel wisely
- Any rod and reel should be able to catch Striped Bass, but it should be heavier than a light spinning outfit.
- Knowing the type of fishing you intend to do will depend on the rod you will use. Are you fishing in saltwater or freshwater? Are you using a boat or not? Or Are you fishing from a bridge, jetty, or on the surf? Knowing the answer to this question will determine the flexibility, weight, and size of the rod.
- The type of reel used for this kind of fishing is arguably more important than the rod; the preferred option is the saltwater spinning reel, as long as it’s capable of pulling 25-30 pounds of fish.
- As for the line, using a 10 to 20 pounds (4.5 to 9.1 kg) test monofilament line is preferable for people who intend to catch bigger fish. The hook must be sharp and should be f 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) minimum between the point and the shank, to prevent catching small striped Bass.
Look for a favorable fishing condition
- Although this fantastic creature can be caught all year round, in almost any weather condition, you can slash the odds of your fishing successfully if you fully understand how this creature behaves.
- Striped Bass like migrating and prefer water temperatures between 45° and 65 °F and Celsius (7°C and 18 °C). If you are fishing above or below this water temperature, then your chance of catching striped Bass is low.
- On a sunny day, the stripers may dive to down as low as 40 feet (12 m) to find the more suitable temperature and oxygen levels. Well on a cooler day, they are 1-2 feet below the water surface.
- Striped Bass are prone to feeding whenever there is movement on the water due to the strong breeze or changing tides. Stripers like to bite whenever the water is fluctuating, so this is the best time to launch your bait.
- Stripers feed more at dusk and dawn, where they feast on smaller fishes due to the cover of darkness. Therefore, there is a high tendency for you to catch striped Bass at these times.
Conclusion
For beginners, you should have more basic tools for fishing to get started.
It is advisable to start with artificial bait until you experienced enough to know the behavior of the bass fish. Both beginners and professionals use Spinnerbait.
The first thing to know is how to read the map through the fish finder. This way, you would know the exact location of the Bass and the depth.
You should also consider the weather condition when you watch to catch Striped Bass. You have to identify the practical place where stripers are usually active during cold, early spring, and late fall periods.
The hollowness and the depth of where you are about to fish also serve as a key factors in knowing the right location.
It’s an amazing experience catching these beautiful creatures called striped bass fish and watching them jump and dive out of the water is a beautiful scene. Even just staring at these beautiful creatures, is a wonderful feeling.
