Deep Water Near Shore for Summer Stripers

Targeting stripers in the heat of summer from shore can be tricky. One way to improve your odds is to find deep water close to shore. Now this doesn't have to water that is 60 feet deep, but look for areas where depths of 15 feet or more can be found close to shore.

One spot that I've had some success at on the North Shore has water that is between 15 and 20 feet deep immediatly off the rocks at low tide. This also means that as the tide rises there are some great points and troughs for bass to hunt prey and still have some deep water nearby. The image on the right shows a rocky outcropping at low tide. I was standing on a similar point and had depths of more than 10 feet right off the tips of my toes. This creates an excellent bass habitat, but also presents a safety concern. I encourage not wearing waders in such scenarios as one false step, or slip, can land you in some deep water. I prefer to fish these areas in the summer, which also allows me to wear a bathing suit, neoprene socks, and studded wading boots. This way, if I happen to fall in, I will not have to worry about waders filling up with water.

A great way to target areas like this is with bucktail jigs. I almost always carry Andrus Jetty Caster bucktails between 3/4oz and 1 1/2 oz, regardless of where I am fishing. Match them with a pork rind strip and you've got a deadly bass catcher. I stick to three colors: white, black, and yellow. Usually white will work day and night, but sometimes black seems to produce better on really dark nights. I really only use yellow if the water is murky or if fishing white water. Yellow seems to stand out better in these circumstances.

Here is a football of a fish taken at the spot pictured above on a 1oz bucktail near the bottom of the tide. Make sure you remain safe on the rocks, pick a good landing spot before you begin fishing, and keep an eye on the tide, swells, and current.

Find deep water near shore and you should find some fish. These areas are filled with prey, both of the fish and crustacean variety. Low light or no light periods are the way to go this time of year. Tight lines.

Fish Soft Plastics Deep for Summer Stripers

As water temperatures rise, bass will seek deeper water. This statement is true for the entire striper coast. In my home waters of Boston Harbor and the North Shore, this usually begins to happen around early July. Although there has been some great blitzes (from what I hear) in my area recently, I can guarentee that the best way to target bigger fish is to get down deep, preferably anywhere from 30 to 60 ft deep. One of the best ways to target these fish is with soft plastic shads, such as the Tsunami or Storm shads.

Although stripers will frequent water deeper than 60 feet, I find that targeting them becomes more difficult and less fun. Targeting stripers that deep requires heavy gear and heavy lures, which can be very effective, but it takes a lot of the fun out of it in my eyes. I have, however, caught stripers on vertical jigs meant for tuna in 100 feet of water or more. (expect a blog on vertical jigging for stripers at a later date!)

Finding deep stripers is not an easy task, but if you have even a bottom line fish finder, and knowledge of structure and channels in the area, you will be able to find them. Focus your efforts around humps, rock piles, and soft structure (sand) that creates an ambush point for stripers. Find these areas and simply drop your soft plastic shads down to the bottom. It helps to use a shad that weighs around 2oz and braided line to help reduce line drag. Often times, the vibration of the paddle tail on the shad is enough to draw strikes. I've caught numerous big stripers out of the same school simply by dropping my swim shad down and letting the tail do the work. If fish are there, and your shad is in front of them, it is a good chance that they'll grab it.

Tsunami also makes 'Deep Shads" which are heavier and will hold bottom in water 50ft or more, assuming the current speed is moderate.

Next time you're out on the water try finding some deep structure and dropping down a soft plastic shad.

-S.B.