Pencil Poppers for Big Stripers in New England

Despite my advice in the last post to fish deep for summer stripers, there are still some tactics from the spring that will work. One of my favorite tactics that I carry over from the spring is first light pencil popper fishing. Although summer stripers combat the hot summer sun by heading to deep water, they still spend their nights prowling the shallows for baitfish, crustatceans, and other prey. Fishing pencil poppers in a shallow boulder field, or even in deeper water like at the Cape Cod Canal, at first light can be a great way to catch large striped bass.

One reason why I believe pencil poppers (and spook baits alike) work so well at first light is because large profile baits, like pogies (bunker/menhaden) and snapper bluefish come into the areas as well, and the stripers are tight on their tails. Pencil poppers and spooks mimic these baitfish extremely well.

Due to their popularity, there is a wide selection of pencil poppers on the market today, ranging from inexpensive plastic models, to pricey custom built wood plugs, and even build your own plug kits. My favorite pencil over the past few years has been the Salty's 2.5 oz canal style lure kit. Not only do these plugs perform well, but it is also pretty fun painting and assembling them yourself.

Other great pencils include those from Left Hook, Afterhours, Guppy, Gibbs, and Cape Cod Tackle. For spooks it is tough to beat the Tattoo Sea Pup.

Next time you're out slinging eels all night, try to stick it out to first light, and clip on a pencil popper or spook. I prefer to work these lures slower and really emphasize the side to side movement of both, even though conventional pencil popper fisherman insist on whipping the tip back and forth to create a spastic movement. Both methods certainly work.

Here is a 44" striper I caught mid July last year on a pencil popper at first light. May have broke 30lbs, but it was fairly skinny. Not bad considering I had caught nothing throwing rigged eels most of the night.

-S.B.

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.

Bonito and Albie Fishing This Summer

Living up on the North Shore of MA makes it really hard to put in the time needed to effectively target and catch these speedsters. However, for those on the Cape and Islands, Buzzards Bay, Southern RI from Little Compton to Watch Hill and into CT, Albie and Bonito fishing is beginning to heat up. Anglers hurling small shiny tins like Deadly Dicks, Yozuri L-Jacks, Maria Jigs, and Pt. Judes at inlets, outflows, jetties, breachways, even open beaches will all have a shot at a bone or albie from now until October, assuming the bait is there to keep these fish feeding. I truly envy those who can target these speedsters every day.

I do however, get to fish for bones and albies almost excusively when I fish the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby each year, and one lure that I love to use is the Spofford's Needlefish, originally made by Arnold Spofford on the Vineyard. Since Mr. Spofford's passing, these lures have become difficult to find, especially off the island of MV, so I suggest buying them up when you find them. The slim profile of these needlefish mimic sandeels and silversides perfectly, and draw some incredibly viscious strikes. I wrote an article in the August 2010 On The Water NE edition about using these baits for albies and bonito, so if you have that issue, you should take a look back at it.

Even though the Spofford Needle looks simple, and is not as flashy as the newer metal lures on the market, there is not doubting their effectiveness. A small selection of fishermen on the Vineyard and Nantucket know how well these lures work and use them excusively for bones and albies.

I recommend trying one of these if you can find them, or even using the smallest Super Strike or Choopy needles. Fish them with a fairly quick retrieve and impart action with the rod tip. I prefer to hold my tip down and to the side and impart the desired action by twitching the rod. When done correctly this will mimic a fleeing baitfish perfectly.

Don't forget the other topwater baits too. Jumpin Minnows, Tattoo Walking Sticks, and small pencil poppers all work extremely well.  Next time you're out fishing for funny fish, make sure you bring along a few topwaters. You won't be disappointed.

Tight Lines,
S.B.

The Heat of Summer for Some Hot Action

We've reached the second week of July, and judging by the recent heat wave, summer is definitely here. For a striper fisherman, this means that your success will improve as you go deeper or darker, and those day time blitzes that we all love will take a break until the fall migration starts.

With this heat comes the arrival of funny fish in our waters. Bonito, False Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, and the occasional King Mackerel and Jack Crevalle will make their way into New England waters and drive fishermen crazy until October. This is one of my favorite times of year. If you've never hooked into a fiesty bonito or albie I highly recommend you try to this year.

Targeting funny fish can be downright frustrating. Though these fish can put the feed-bag on in a downright crazy blitz, it is more likely that they'll pop up in one spot for a quick snack, then before you can get a cast off they're 200 yds away. Then when you finally do get a cast into a feeding school, they shun your offering away.

This is what I find most fun about funny fishing. Oh ya the screaming drag and incredible fight on light and fly tackle really don't hurt either. They will test your fishing IQ, fishing etiquette, your knots, your endurance, and more, and very rarely will they weigh more than 10 lbs while doing so.

I am a firm believer in topwater baits for funny fish, specifically albies. My go to lure is a lime green spoffords needlefish. These lures were made by Arnold Spofford on MV and have become difficult to find. I advise grabbing all you can when you find them (just save some for me). These topwater baits mimic sandeels and silversides perfectly and draw strikes from even the most finicky of albies and bones.

Stay tuned for some more info on targeting bonito and albies. Yeah, I know this is a striper blog, but I will make an exception for these speedsters.

New England Striper Season Is Here

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. What is also indicates in the start of the striper season - at least in my mind and in my geographic area. Even though stripers (of quality and of quantity) have been caught throughout souther New England and Cape Cod, I feel like Memorial Day is a good time to start hunting trophy fish, particularly in my area now which is now Boston Harbor and the N. Shore.

Look for the Canal to have reports of large fish (especially during the breaking tides this weekend), and also the North and South Rivers. I also assume that large fish will start being hauled from the river on the North Shore as well.

Use big baits as herring and mackerel will be on the menu. I like to use 9" sluggos and hogys, loaded red fins, sebile magic swimmers, and big pencil poppers this time of year. Don't forget the spooks and glide baits either.

Go get em!

Warmer Temps, Herring, and Fresh Stripers

Temperatures are finally on the rise. Despite the frost on my windshield this morning it appears that the never ending winter has finally receded. Flowers are rapidly popping up through the soil, flower buds are appearing on shrubs, bird chirping is increasing everyday, and herring are showing up in runs and entering the ponds all along the east coast.

I love the Spring. After a long, cold, snow-filled winter, the spring is an enormous breath of fresh air. It is time to start casting at your favorite early season spots, as fresh stripers are rapidly moving into CT and RI waters, with Cape Cod seeing fresh fish in a week or two.

Though I need to wait a little longer until fresh stripers reach me up on the N. Shore of MA, I have been out scouting some spots, and seeing how the winter storms changed our beaches and rivers. I encourage you to do the same, and why not bring a rod along with you.

Still Cold

Since ice fishing isn't really my cup of tea, we've reached the 3rd month of the year and I hadn't been fishing yet, until yesterday, when I made a half-hearted attempt at nabbing a holdover trout on the Cape. Well really, it was more of a scouting mission; however, I did manage about a solid half hour of casting in 20 degree temps to catch a 10" holdover brown. Man was it SWEET! The 2011 fishing season has officially begun for me.

As some anglers get in their last ice trips of the season, others are pursuing opportunities on the open water for trout, bass, pickerel, and panfish. Some are even harassing holdover stripers, anxiously awaiting the return of the fresh striped bass in about a month's time. Until then, I have some more plugs to build and jigs to tie, but hopefully as it gets warmer, I'll find some time to hit the sweetwater. Here's to our dreaming of stripers nearing reality.