For fisherman, it's hard to think heaven could be better than the striper coast. From Martha's Vineyard to Cape Hatteras, catching striped bass is one of the thrills of the sport. This native fish moves through the salty ocean and bays, but migrates up fresh-water rivers to spawn.
The first European settlers found America's waters teeming with large silvery fish that made wonderful eating. Also known as rockfish, they are now the state fish of seven east coast states. Spending most of their lives in the Atlantic, these powerful swimmers swim into bays and rivers to spawn. They have been successfully introduced to the San Francisco area of the Pacific as well as to many freshwater rivers and lakes.
Although their life cycle was spent mostly in the salty ocean, the 'rockfish' swam up freshwater creeks and rivers to spawn. Still, when they were stocked purely as recreational fish in landlocked lakes, they proceeded to reproduce. In places where over-fishing reduced populations to perhaps zero, like the St. Lawrence River in Canada, they have made such a strong comeback that they are no longer a protected species.
These fish really move around. They can be caught forty feet down in the ocean and in shallow wetlands. They grow to an immense size, with the largest recorded one weighing in at 124 pounds. The record catch with a rod was a striper caught with a live eel as bait in Long Island Sound. It weighed almost 89 pounds. A 78 1/2 pounder was caught with an artificial lure off the beach at Atlantic City.
It's no surprise that tips on stalking these, getting them to bite, hooking them, and landing them are plentiful. One of the first online tips is to use a fish finder, since the schools move around in the oceans or bays and have no regular 'stomping grounds'. You can also watch for flocks of seagulls circling a patch of disturbed water. This means that the bass are chasing feeder fish to the surface, which makes a feast for the birds as well.
They will take a wide range of baits. Popular ones are live eels, sandworms, clams, herring, bloodworms, mackerel, and shad. They will take live or dead bait, but it has to be fresh. Artificial lures work as well. Check online for proven techniques for using a rod and reel or for trolling.
The stripers feed day and night, but dawn and dusk are when they are most aggressive. They like cool waters, so they move in deeper waters on sunny, hot days. On a cool evening, they may be sighted swimming only a foot or two below the surface. Moving water stirs up the sediment that their prey feeds on, so that's where they congregate. They like bridge pilings, rock outcroppings, and the mouths of creeks and rivers.
A bass can fight for as long as twenty minutes before giving up. The average catch is from 8 to 40 pounds and 2 to 3 feet in length. The meat is firm, white, and mild in flavor. Every region has its favorite recipes and ways to cook this delicious fish.
Whether you call it the Atlantic Bass, the rockfish, or the striper, this is the perfect recreational fish. You don't have to have a boat; remember that record-setter caught off the beach. However, drifting down on a patch of water roiling with bait fish and shadowed by screaming birds, and then hooking a big one is a thrill you'll never forget.
The first European settlers found America's waters teeming with large silvery fish that made wonderful eating. Also known as rockfish, they are now the state fish of seven east coast states. Spending most of their lives in the Atlantic, these powerful swimmers swim into bays and rivers to spawn. They have been successfully introduced to the San Francisco area of the Pacific as well as to many freshwater rivers and lakes.
Although their life cycle was spent mostly in the salty ocean, the 'rockfish' swam up freshwater creeks and rivers to spawn. Still, when they were stocked purely as recreational fish in landlocked lakes, they proceeded to reproduce. In places where over-fishing reduced populations to perhaps zero, like the St. Lawrence River in Canada, they have made such a strong comeback that they are no longer a protected species.
These fish really move around. They can be caught forty feet down in the ocean and in shallow wetlands. They grow to an immense size, with the largest recorded one weighing in at 124 pounds. The record catch with a rod was a striper caught with a live eel as bait in Long Island Sound. It weighed almost 89 pounds. A 78 1/2 pounder was caught with an artificial lure off the beach at Atlantic City.
It's no surprise that tips on stalking these, getting them to bite, hooking them, and landing them are plentiful. One of the first online tips is to use a fish finder, since the schools move around in the oceans or bays and have no regular 'stomping grounds'. You can also watch for flocks of seagulls circling a patch of disturbed water. This means that the bass are chasing feeder fish to the surface, which makes a feast for the birds as well.
They will take a wide range of baits. Popular ones are live eels, sandworms, clams, herring, bloodworms, mackerel, and shad. They will take live or dead bait, but it has to be fresh. Artificial lures work as well. Check online for proven techniques for using a rod and reel or for trolling.
The stripers feed day and night, but dawn and dusk are when they are most aggressive. They like cool waters, so they move in deeper waters on sunny, hot days. On a cool evening, they may be sighted swimming only a foot or two below the surface. Moving water stirs up the sediment that their prey feeds on, so that's where they congregate. They like bridge pilings, rock outcroppings, and the mouths of creeks and rivers.
A bass can fight for as long as twenty minutes before giving up. The average catch is from 8 to 40 pounds and 2 to 3 feet in length. The meat is firm, white, and mild in flavor. Every region has its favorite recipes and ways to cook this delicious fish.
Whether you call it the Atlantic Bass, the rockfish, or the striper, this is the perfect recreational fish. You don't have to have a boat; remember that record-setter caught off the beach. However, drifting down on a patch of water roiling with bait fish and shadowed by screaming birds, and then hooking a big one is a thrill you'll never forget.
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