TOP RUBBER BAITS FOR SPRING STRIPERS

Striper fishing is lit up right now in New Jersey, and it’s just the start of the spring run. While there are varied tactics to catch bass via trolling, livelining, snag-n-drop, etc. jigging bass with soft baits is always an adrenaline juiced affair with jarring strikes and high hookup ratios. Late April through June, stripers […]

Striper fishing is lit up right now in New Jersey, and it’s just the start of the spring run.While there are varied tactics to catch bass via trolling, livelining, snag-n-drop, etc. jigging bass with soft baits is always an adrenaline juiced affair with jarring strikes and high hookup ratios. Late April through June, stripers will be found anywhere from the back bays to the surf to the ocean. Oceanside and inside Raritan Bay, where bunker are the prevalent baits, wide profile rubber baits mimic the bait body style best. Bring an assortment of 4 to 12-inch Storm Paddletail, Hogy Pro Tail Paddle or Tsunami Paddletail shads. The shads are normally pre-weighted with ½ to 2-ounce weights imbedded in the rubber mold of the hook shank. Shads can be dropped to the bottom and simply reeled in slowly to the surface, or they can be jigged in 2 to 3 foot swoops at the depth where fish are marking.In deeper waters, when herring or eels are a main forage, Hogy Pro Tail eels or BKD 10 inch baits matched with larger Kalins leadheads of 2 to 3 ounces dopplegang the right profile. I’ve also recently had luck tipping A Band of Anglers 1-ounce Flying Bucktail with a Dartspin to jig up deeper water stripers from Raritan Bay in the past week as the flashing of the flicker spoon blade on the Dartspin incites the bass to commit. Slim profile rubber baits get the nod when sand eels or large spearing are around. Tsunami or Vision sand eel baits are lights-out offerings as spring turns into summer.In the shallow bay and back river systems, set up with smaller rubber baits that mimic bay anchovies, rainfish and spearing. Break out the 4 to 5-3/4 inch Fin-S Fish, Bass Assassins, Zman Elaztech paddletails and DOA CALs. Match them with a lighter 3/8 to ½-ounce Kalins leadhead or bucktail. Bang them off the sodbanks and around bridge pilings where bass will lay under the overhangs or in the shadowlines of the bridges during dark hours. The key is to retrieve the rubber baits slowly or in a twitch-jerk reel type of retrieve. Spring striper fishing is firing on all cylinders. Reap the rewards with rubber baits! [vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='6118,6119'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

STOP, DROP AND TROLL

Striper season is upon us with the peak of the run set to crash Jersey’s shores in the next month and a half. This time of year, many anglers get pigeonholed into a one trick pony type of mindset where they will only impart one technique; whether it be trolling, snagging bunker, jigging, etc, but […]

Striper season is upon us with the peak of the run set to crash Jersey’s shores in the next month and a half.This time of year, many anglers get pigeonholed into a one trick pony type of mindset where they will only impart one technique; whether it be trolling, snagging bunker, jigging, etc, but successful anglers will know to bring all tackle and gear required not just for one tactic, but to cover all applicable tactics to adapt to how the bass are biting.Case in point, I fished Raritan Bay this week with Matt Pyndus and Mike Brickle and we started by trolling 4 to 24 ounce MagicTail Mojo balls after we began marking fish. After a pass, two rods went down to produce a doubleheader catch of 25-pound bass. Thinking that was just the start, we kept trolling at it for another hour or so, but realized the fish simply weren’t keying in on the big shads anymore, even though we were still marking fish.A quick call to a friend gave us an insight. We broke out some lighter tackle spinning rods where we lanced on A Band of Anglers Flying Bucktails, Storm Shads and Vision eels. Dropping jigs to the bottom, we simply let them drag near the bottom with subtle twitches whereupon we connected one after another with schoolie bass. Other anglers in the area put numbers of well into 40 plus fish per boat by jigging with light tackle while trollers had a rough go at it. That subtle adaptation put more fish in the boat.On the way in, we witnessed gannets diving onto bait schools, so the rods were once again rerigged to switch out to topwater Ocean Born Flying Poppers on the 75-pound TA clips as well as a few bunker snags to see if we could procure any fresh baits. There’s no doubt that some days out one tactic will overshadow the others in producing fish, but be prepared to adapt and switch gear throughout the day from trolling, jigging, or livelining to insure you maximize your catch.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='6088,6090'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

South Florida Fishing Potpourri

Those of us in South Florida find ourselves surrounded by two things during the Spring, thawed snowbirds and a potpourri of species of fish. Those of us in South Florida find ourselves surrounded by two things during the Spring, thawed snowbirds and a potpourri of species of fish. The downside is the snowbirds eagerness to […]

Those of us in South Florida find ourselves surrounded by two things during the Spring, thawed snowbirds and a potpourri of species of fish.Those of us in South Florida find ourselves surrounded by two things during the Spring, thawed snowbirds and a potpourri of species of fish. The downside is the snowbirds eagerness to eat, causing “us locals” to skip out on our favorite restaurants until they head back North, but the upside is the fish have the same agenda. Whether you like inshore or offshore fishing, fishing from the shore or a boat, this is a great time to bend the rod.Inshore, cooler water temperatures keep many fish in the channels and creeks at lower stages of the tide and around docks or closer to shorelines during the higher phases.The can’t miss rigs are the shrimp tipped jig or a jig head rigged with a whole shrimp. I personally like using a 1/4 ounce jig head with a shrimp hooked through the tail bounced slowly along the bottom. This method literally attracts everything in the water, with 15+ species in half day charters not being uncommon. It’s a great method for novice to expert anglers alike, and is perfect for light tackle enthusiasts.We have had some excellent catches of pompano, drum, snapper, mackerel and bluefish with some snook and redfish thrown in for a little extra fun.The offshore waters have also been action packed with bluefish, mackerel, pompano and sharks lurk nearshore while out deeper, we have been landing kingfish, nice snapper some cobia and sailfish. The catches along the beaches have been on shrimp tipped jigs worked slow to medium speed in 8-15ft of water while the kings, sails and snapper have come on mostly live bait, free lined in 40-80ft of water.The catch of the month was a sailfish landed on my birthday with Marc Mills of Daiwa reels, I was able to hook and land the 50-60lb sail on a Daiwa Saltist Backbay 3000 series reel while Marc ran the boat. Thanks, Marc for a great gift!!South Florida is one of the worlds greatest fishing destinations, so come on down and test your favorite gear.Until next month,Capt Mike Haines 305-505-2772[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='6079,6078,6076,6083'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

SPRING TOG TACTICS

Jersey anglers only have a few more weeks to target tautog as the season closes on May 1st, but the bite is bubbling right now. The key is to target shallow water depths as tog are on the migratory move back inshore. Depths right now from 50 to 70 foot are prime and will get […]

Jersey anglers only have a few more weeks to target tautog as the season closes on May 1st, but the bite is bubbling right now.The key is to target shallow water depths as tog are on the migratory move back inshore. Depths right now from 50 to 70 foot are prime and will get even more shallower from 25 to 40 feet as fish move into the back bays by mid-May. For now, the general school of thought is that blackfish mouths are sensitive from overwintering in cold water temps. Soft baits such as fresh clams get the nod to start out on the drop, but always be prepared with some greenies and whiteleggers on hand as well. If using standard conventional gear and dropper rigs, go with a 7-foot Lamiglas 7040CT matched with a Shimano Torium 16 reel spooled with 50-pound Power Pro.My personal advice is to utilize a lighter, more sensitive set up and to get on the jig bite. Jigging tactics allow to feel a light bite, as you can really feel the chew out. A 7-foot Shimano Terramar TMSE70H spinning rod, matched with a Shimano Stradic 5000 reel spooled with 30-pound Power Pro is my go-to jigging set up. Gather up a bunch of 1 to 2-ounce S&S or Magictail blackfish jigs in white, chartreuse and orange/green color patterns to tie on via loop knot from a section of 40-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. Tip the jig with a cut sliver of clam tongue hooked once on the hook, or if using crabs, cut the crab in half, insert the hook through the second knuckle and out the last knuckle on the end so the hook is exposed.Blackfish will generally be on a fickle bite during the early season, so be sure to dial in the chew as it could change day to day. Let them nibble a bit first before you plant the hook, or if you are losing baits quickly, then adjust and hit on the first tap. Spring tog is usually lights out, but get on it now before the short season closes![vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='6071,6072'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

OPENING TROUT TACTICS

Opening day of trout season is set to hit Jersey on April 6th, and streams are loaded to the brim with stockers and hatchery trout. In all my life, I don’t believe I’ve ever missed an opening day of trout season in New Jersey. The day is not only a rite of passage, but it’s […]

Opening day of trout season is set to hit Jersey on April 6th, and streams are loaded to the brim with stockers and hatchery trout.In all my life, I don’t believe I’ve ever missed an opening day of trout season in New Jersey. The day is not only a rite of passage, but it’s a family affair and a tradition that runs generations deep. Browns, rainbows, and brook trout are available in most streams, but don’t overlook reservoirs and clear water stocked lakes as well to target trout. Here’s how to gear up to put a stringer together.Stream fishing is about finding the pools and pockets. Search out the deep holes usually downcurrent of a waterfall or spillover, long stretch runs and undercuts below overhanging stumps where schools of trout pack up to suck down morsels of food as they pass by. If live baiting, light tackle is a must. I use 4-6 St. Croix Ultralight matched with a Shimano Stradic 1000 spinning reel spooled with 4-pound Trilene XL and a size #10 Eagle Claw Baitholder hook with the barbs crimped down. Nightcrawlers, garden worms, mealworms and salmon eggs are all standard stream baits to lance on the hook. If I have enough of a wide span from streambank to streambank, its possible to cast out lures to work through the deepwater.Lures to throw which mimic fathead minnows, shiners and dace include a Hildebrandt Flicker spoon, RoosterTails, Phoebes and even a small Mepps Agila. Flycasters are best suited to employ a 6 to 7-foot, 4 to 5 weight rod, a 6x to 7x tippet and tie on beadhead nymphs, flashback hare’s ears, elk hair caddis or Hendrickson flies, all depending on the hatch in the river at the time. Usual hatches to mimic are mayflies, caddis larvae and other assorted nymphs. Trout are not only morning and evening feeders but will bite throughout the day which makes for a fun, all day event for family and friends to enjoy a refreshing spring day out in the woods and waters. Take a step away from the saltwater for a second to make some freshwater memories this spring. Try for trout![vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='6059,6057'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">