I’m not saying you are a dummy. In fact if you are fishing for stripers we have a lot in common and I think we would get along just great! A beginner striper fisherman is wise to pick up a few tips, however, before heading out onto the water. I would love to pass on a few tips I’ve learned and also give you advice I have gleaned from other anglers in the subject. So take a sip and let’s dig in.
Here are some striper tips for beginners.
- Use live bait if you can
- Make sure to use the right hook
- Proper line is a must
- Use a 6-8 foot heavy rod
- Use Lures that resemble baitfish
- Have a scale and measuring tape
- If using weight use a sliding swivel clip
- Try speeding up your retrieve when using lures
- Fish evening into the night
Feel free to use this on your websites / social media but please give a shout out to Darren Enns and FishinMoney.com
What striped bass tips do most beginners need? They need to size their gear for the size fish they expect will be present where they are fishing and they need to present a bait that the striped bass will be happy to consume. Fishing in the evening and night can bring better success as well.
Live Bait- You’ll have much better luck catching stripers with live bait. Depending on where you are fishing you can even get your bait for free. Some spots have bunker fish that you can snag and then use as bait and this is the way a lot of anglers do it in the northeast. In the wesh in landlocked lakes, shad are plentiful and can be caught with a cast net. Simply hooking them through the nose and softly casting them in an area where there are striped bass will get your line pounded. Lake Mead in Nevada/Arizona border is a great place in the west for stripers.
FREE Printable tackle box checklist HERE
Eels- many fishermen in the east use eels and swear by them. Use these and you won’t go wrong.
River Herring are a great bait but you need to check the current laws in your area before using them. There have been protective laws passed in recent years.
Atlantic Herring Alewife- Also Herring check local laws but if you can use them, the Stripers along the east coast love them.
Live Bunker we covered this one above- The striped bass Love live bunker.
Mullet – along the eastern coast these are used for Striper fishing regularly and are a good bait.
Shad- This is another bait that we mentioned above. Good bait to use for stripers where they occur naturally.
Bluegill or perch This is an option to use as striper bait where they occur naturally .
Using a throw Net This is a good skill to learn if you need to catch shad or other bait fish for catching striper. This takes a little practice but for the serious fisherman this is the way to go.
Snagging- There are special hooks available for this and there is also a learning curve but if you can perfect this technique you will be better off.
What size hook for striper? If you are fishing for the big girls you might want to stick wit a 5/0 to 8/0 hook. This size is good when using live or cut bait for bigger striped bass.
For freshwater and smaller stripers a size number #2 or #4 will do the trick.
You can check out a post I wrote about what hook to use for striper fishing here.
What fishing string to use for striper Monofilament is a good choice as it is less visible in the water. For bigger striper you may want a 20-30 lb test or in some of the landlocked lakes 12-20 lb test could work best.
Use a heavy rod. Striped Bass can hit pretty hard on topwater and when trolling. Even when bait fishing a heavier rod may be better than a rod that’s too light. You don’t want that cow to get away.
What are the best lures to use for striped bass? Well that is a matter of opinion and could change depending on what the Stripers are eating naturally at the time. For instance if they want shad, you might try Storm Wild Eye Swim Shad or if they are eating trout, maybe a lure resembling a trout would be best. Check out my resources page for further examples.
Don’t forget the measuring gear a tape measure and scale is a great Idea. For fishing there are measuring boards that are best to use because they have a 90 degree portion that is beant up on the end and it allows you to put the nose of your fish directly on it and correctly measure your fish. That way you can add a few inches and know exactly how far out of proportion you are exaggerating.
Hey FISHMONGER – make sure to check out my FISHING RESOURCES page.
As far as weighing your fish, there are analog scales and digital scales but fish don’t like to hold still so using the ALLIANCE SPORTS GROU Quarrow Fish Lip Grip 50-lb. Is a good tool because it holds the fish by the lip and weighs them as they dangle from the grip.
Sliding swivel clips. Many anglers fishing for small or huge striper swear by using these. P-Line Sliding Swivels are the type we are talking about here. Dont forget to add a bead between the swivel and the knot on the line that ties to the swivel being used for your leader and hook. It’s used instead of an egg sinker.
47 and 49 pound striped bass caught aboard @driftinndreamin Montauk NY
Don’t give em time to think- Maybe reel in gradually faster if you are casting with little luck. Giving them less time to think about it just may help.
Best striper fishing time- most fishermen will agree low light hours rule.
I think this holds true for many species of fish. As long as I have been fishing I have always had the best luck in the morning and in the evening no matter where i’m fishing. It just is the best time.
If you need to know the Striper regulations in Tennessee CHECK OUT this article I wrote.
So I think we have covered a lot of the first things you should know when starting to learn striper fishing. If you plan on going Striped Bass fishing in or around San Francisco, you should take a look at my article here that describes some good spots to fish there. HERE
If you are wanting to know about using live bait for fishing Stripers check out THIS article I wrote.
Last one, If you happen to be fishing in Las Vegas at Lake Mead you should read MY ARTICLE about that.
