If you live in New England and you fish than chances are you’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of Striped Bass into your waters. I typically don’t catch my first Striped Bass of the season until late April or early May. So, instead of letting cabin fever get to me I have started to use this down time to my advantage. I like to take this time to get ready for those first arriving Striped Bass. If I can get ready now I won’t have to waste time scrambling around looking for stuff when they get here. Here are the essentials I always make sure I have ready for when those first fish get here.
Small plastics- I always make sure I have plenty of small plastic lures. These are typically my most productive baits this time of the year. Good choices are: Egret Baits - Mambo Mullet - 3.5", Logic Lures - Scented PlastiX - Flutter Tail and DOA Lures - CAL Shad Tail. I like to go with lighter colors with these lures.
Jig Heads- Of course you will need jig heads to make sure you can get these lures out and into the strike zone. I like to carry many different weights and sizes of jig heads to be able to adjust for the conditions. Some great choices would be the DOA Lures - Jig Heads and the Egret Baits - Beerbelly Jigs.
Hooks- Sometimes the conditions will allow you to use these small plastic lures with no weight. If I find myself in calm conditions where long casts are not necessary I will substitute a jig head with an Owner TwistLock 3x either weighted or weighted.
Hard Baits-I always have an assortment of small crankbaits and poppers with me as well. I like lures 5” or less early in the season. Lures such as: The Tactical Angler Crossover’s, Heddon-Zara Super Spook Jr, MirrOlures, Rapala Skitter Walk, Yozuri Crystal Minnow, and The Egret Baits Zombie. Again, I like to stay with lighter colors for these as well.
Teasers- I love using teasers this time of the year. A teaser is a smaller lure,usually a fly, tied ahead of a larger lure. I will attach my main line to my leader with a swivel and have my larger lure at the end of the leader. I then tie another, smaller leader to the same swivel. This leader is typically 3-4 inches and I will tie a fly to the end of this smaller leader. You will be surprised how many fish would rather go after the fly. I have also got many double headers this way as well. Reels & Tackle have many great hand tied flies with my favorite being the Chartreuse and Yellow.
Small plastics- I always make sure I have plenty of small plastic lures. These are typically my most productive baits this time of the year. Good choices are: Egret Baits - Mambo Mullet - 3.5", Logic Lures - Scented PlastiX - Flutter Tail and DOA Lures - CAL Shad Tail. I like to go with lighter colors with these lures.
Jig Heads- Of course you will need jig heads to make sure you can get these lures out and into the strike zone. I like to carry many different weights and sizes of jig heads to be able to adjust for the conditions. Some great choices would be the DOA Lures - Jig Heads and the Egret Baits - Beerbelly Jigs.
Hooks- Sometimes the conditions will allow you to use these small plastic lures with no weight. If I find myself in calm conditions where long casts are not necessary I will substitute a jig head with an Owner TwistLock 3x either weighted or weighted.
Hard Baits-I always have an assortment of small crankbaits and poppers with me as well. I like lures 5” or less early in the season. Lures such as: The Tactical Angler Crossover’s, Heddon-Zara Super Spook Jr, MirrOlures, Rapala Skitter Walk, Yozuri Crystal Minnow, and The Egret Baits Zombie. Again, I like to stay with lighter colors for these as well.
Teasers- I love using teasers this time of the year. A teaser is a smaller lure,usually a fly, tied ahead of a larger lure. I will attach my main line to my leader with a swivel and have my larger lure at the end of the leader. I then tie another, smaller leader to the same swivel. This leader is typically 3-4 inches and I will tie a fly to the end of this smaller leader. You will be surprised how many fish would rather go after the fly. I have also got many double headers this way as well. Reels & Tackle have many great hand tied flies with my favorite being the Chartreuse and Yellow.
Line and Leader- I will always check my braided line for any sign of fraying and if needed I will replace my line. I like to use 30 pound braid in a low visibility color such as green. I use fluorocarbon leaders usually 15-20 pound test.
Terminal Tackle- I absolutely love Tactical Angler Clips. For this type of fishing I use their smallest size, which is 50 pounds. These clips are great for quickly changing lures. Another thing these clips are great for is quickly changing your fly teasers. Instead of tying the leader for the fly to the swivel tie a 50 pound Tactical Angler clip to the end of it. Then, when you want to use a fly just attach the clip to the swivel. This makes swapping out the fly teasers quick and simple. Also make sure you have plenty of swivels.
Miscellaneous- Other items I like to have with me is a good pair of scissors for cutting braid. A great choice is The Logic Lures - CeramiX Braid Scissors. You also want to have a good pair of pliers so you can get the hook out of the fish and release it quickly back into the water. A good choice is The Boomerang "The Grip" Pliers. These pliers also have a split ring opener, crimper steel line cutter and holster. It is also a good idea to have a pair of Fish Grips, especially if you will be in a kayak. These will help keep your hands clear of any hooks. You will also want a bag to put this stuff in. A nice choice is The Tactical Anglers - Assault Pouches. Grab a couple of these to keep yourself organized.
This list is a good starting point for early season Striper fishing. Eventually you will figure out other things that you need and can add to this list. Take advantage of the offseason and make sure you are ready when the Stripers show up.
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