TackleDirect.com recently featured a photo from Capt. Brian Williams of Badfish Charters as the feature image on our homepage. We sat down with Brian to talk spring striper fishing, his home waters of Ocean City, NJ, and his philosophies on chartering.

Q: Brian, you’re known, at least at TackleDirect, for taking incredible HDR images of your clients on the water. Can you tell us a little bit about the image that was recently used as the cover shot?

Capt. Brian Williams: It was a cold, spring afternoon in late April—overcast skies, and perfect conditions for striper fishing.  The fish hit a 3” pearl DOA shad on a 1/4 oz DOA Jig Head. That’s usually my go-to for late April around the sodbanks.

Q: You charter clients in the back bays of Ocean City, NJ. How did these become your favorite waters?

Capt. Brian Williams: It’s a diverse eco system. We have three river systems (Patcong, Tuckahoe, Great Egg Harbor), one of which is one of the longest rivers in the state, converging in one area. This creates not only some of the best fishing with its nutrient rich tannic waters, but also some of the best birding in the entire northeast.  And it’s all a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean!

Q: Your charter is one of very few that prides itself on teaching technical lure presentation. Why is teaching your clients HOW to fish just as important to you as putting them on fish?

Capt. Brian Williams: The client-guide relationship is one that builds from each trip on the water.  To me, it is more important for my client to leave the trip understanding what he was doing, rather than just mindlessly catching fish. It’s not about showing up back at the dock saying you caught fish without a clue as to why that fish jumped on the end of your rod. I want my clients to respect the fish, to understand the processes involved in why that fish ate the offering, and to appreciate exactly what goes into each and every bite from the moment the line leaves the spool, to the moment of the fish’s release. I want them to end the trip seeing the backwaters from different, more educated, eyes than when they started.

Q: Okay, favorite lure and presentation. Go.

Capt. Brian Williams: There is a time and place for every type. Not one does it all, but I have a short list of things I usually use in certain scenarios.

• Inlet rips/whitewater: White Bullet Head MagicTail bucktail 1 1/2 oz tipped with a 240-s red/white rind
• Flats: MirrOlure Top Dog Jr
• Sodbanks:  4” DOA Jerk Bait or 3” DOA shad in pearl on a 1/8-3/8 oz DOA Jig Head. (Slow retrieve)
• Bridges: 4” or 5.5” DOA Jerk Bait with 3/8 oz DOA Jig Head (Slow retrieve, just fast enough to stay tight)

Q: Final question, if you had one tip for spring striper fishing, what would it be?

Capt. Brian Williams: Get out there! And dress warm!

For more information on Capt. Brian Williams or his charter, Badfish Charters, visit: https://ocnjfishing.com/index.html. Thanks for talking to us Brian!