EARN YOUR STRIPES
If catching a huge no bass is dream, look further than a striper
Catch a bucket list bass of your dreams.
IMAGINE GOING BASS FISHING, using the same tackle that you would when angling around the British Isles, only on this occasion it is probable, rather than simply possible, that you will catch a fish weighing into double figures and even 20lb-plus. In fact, depending on where, when and how you are fishing, there is a chance that you might catch one larger than 30-40lb or even bigger. Such a place and such dream fish really do exist. You’ll have to hop on a plane and fly to the north-east coast of the United States and fish for striped bass.
e striped bass (Morone saxatilis), also called Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock or rockfish, is found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America from the St Lawrence River into the Gulf of Mexico to approximately Louisiana. ose found in the Gulf of Mexico are a separate strain referred to as Gulf Coast striped bass.
e overwhelming majority caught by
anglers are taken between Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary which incorporates the tri-states of Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, and the coast of Maine.
ese bass migrate between fresh and salt water, with spawning taking place in the former. As a result, stripers have been widely introduced into inland recreational fisheries across the United States. e current IGFA all-tackle record for a striped bass is held with a fish of 81lb 14oz, caught in Long Island Sound in 2011.
TOP TACTICS
Apart from the prominent markings, striped bass are identical to European bass. Having caught both species I would argue that pound for pound their fighting abilities are identical.
ose areas where striped bass are caught are usually similar to the point of being identical to areas typically fished for bass in Northern Europe, including surf beaches, river mouths, brackish backwaters, offshore tide rips, reefs and sandbanks. Consequently, the tackle and techniques you are familiar with at home will transport perfectly across the Atlantic. Indeed, up until very recently it would have been the case that European-style surf or lure rods are actually more suited to the various fishing scenarios than the tackle typically used by many American bass fishers.
Many anglers fish for stripers using lures rather than natural baits, but both perform equally well. Poppers, skip baits, diving plugs and various spinners and jigs get results, as do soft plastics, which is why the majority of soft plastics that are so popular with European bass anglers can trace their roots back to striped bass.
Fly-fishing is effective for stripers too, but if you prefer to use bait, then live sandeels, shellfish, squid and most other usual baits work well. All of these are widely available in the many tackle shops that you’ll find in those areas where stripers are caught. Of all of the various bucket list species we have covered in this series, striped bass are probably the easiest to catch on a self-guided basis though, of course, you’ll find numerous guides wherever bass are caught.
BEST DESTINATIONS
Starting in the early spring, striped bass move out of Chesapeake Bay in a northerly direction and migrate up and down the east coast of the United States. By April and May, the fish will have arrived off the coast of New Jersey and New York, before continuing north to New England by early summer. roughout the summer months the Cape Cod peninsula, located south of Boston, along with the offshore islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, provide some exceptional striped bass fishing. Late summer sees good numbers of fish in both New Hampshire and Maine. e migration peaks with the onset of autumn when the fish start heading back to the south. Autumn offers some of the very best sport, with the fish going on a massive feeding spree to pile on weight prior to spawning. Once again Cape Cod is an excellent area to fish, along with Montauk at the northern end of Long Island. While fishing the various rips and sandbanks throughout this area at this time of the year you will often encounter what are known as feeding blitzes. If you are fortunate to encounter one of these then the fishing can be truly incredible. Many if not most of the biggest fish of the year are caught during the southerly migration. If you want to fish for striped bass then most trips will start with a flight to either Boston or one of the three major New York airports, from where you can hire a car and head for the coast. If this is your first trip, booking a guide for the first couple of days will undoubtedly pay dividends, as will a visit to a local tackle shop. You’ll find lots of information along with many contacts online.