Article On Striper Fishing With Live Eels In The Chesapeake Bay
Many methods come from many different regions. Within places with deep water over underwater reefs, many are generally fished with a good sized sinker along with three way swivel. The primary line is usually connected to the three way. 18" of forty lb floro in addition to a 6/0 circle hook go to the middle eye. The sinker is actually attached to 2' of 20lb test as well as a breakaway rig, just like the one being used in many bottom hi-lo rigs. Circle hooks function best regarding this kind of set up given that the bait is in many instances taken before you feel the bite. Heavy tackle is the key here. Up my way, eels are generally drifted, trolled and plugged.
Whenever drifting eels, below water mussel beds, the river mouth, under water reef, rock piles as well as sandbars create decent ambush points. 20 - 30lb test line, as well as a 18-24" length of 25lb floro carbon leader, along with a 4/0-6/0- hook may allow you a shot at a good striped bass. A small rubber core sinker may be added if you feel the eel isn't getting to the fish, but we feel this unnecessary most of the time. I combine trolling and plugging. When fishing the river, 20 lb test will be as light as we go. The eels are generally trolled with the tide. Only fast enough to make headway speed, start looking for creek mouths, mussel beds, and grassy banks. While trolling, a second eel is cast and gathered up ahead, having fantastic results. Be certain you reel all the way to the boat. I cannot count the baths I've seen guys get when they lifted the bait as a striped bass made a final effort to snag the eel. Fishing the beachfront, I will go lighter if the striped bass are unsettled and the water is loaded with striper. The method is similar. We troll the sides of sandbars and plug the eel towards the surf line on beachfront rock piles like we have here. We use the electric motor to work the boat in and about the rock while we plug the eels in to the bones. For the amateur, get a couple of buckets that fit into one another, drill quarter inch openings to let the water out and put in a bag of ice. Dump your eels inside it. They will take a nap until they hit the water. Handle them using a coarse dry rag. We like the regular shop hand towel. Some occasions eels like to ball up and knot your line. A sudden smack on water will take the fight out of these the majority of the time. Sometimes a good beating is in order. As long as that eel curls his tail, he'll reel in striper. Any time switching from place to place, we like to lay down the rig to keep the eel from balling up. Examine your leader regularly. When you break off a sizable striper, it is not the time to find a knot. From shore or fishing boat, a live eel is going to be your best ticket to a large night time striper. Eighteen inches is about as long as you need. Everything longer than that is tough to cast and not really needed. Most individuals choose hooks that are simply too large. The bigger the hook the tougher it is to set.
The way in which you fish the eel will depend on numerous factors from water level to tidal flow, as well as, the region of the water column where the striper are generally feeding. A weightless eel can find its way to the bottom up to about twenty feet except if the tide is really ripping. Once your tempter has reached the ideal area, if the tidal current is sufficient, the eel can be allowed to drift, sustaining a tight line to keep it from becoming a problem.
From a sandy beachfront, wade out and cast parallel to the beach. Work the eel slowly and gradually along the beach shore. Where offshore bars tend to be frequent, an eel tossed directly into the breakers and slowly worked back may often times get savage strikes.
The less time expended on gimmicks the better. My partner and I rarely even use a rag. Most often, I merely hold the tiny animal, jamb my thumb under its jaw, thus rendering the eel limp. It will return to life as soon as you relax your hold. It will take practice. Clearly, whenever the shore is loaded with mung, you can't fish the most flourishing area.
Eels are generally, under most circumstances, a night time bait, but I also have done well with them during the day, mostly during the fall run. That's the great thing about striped bass - they don't browse books on exactly what they are supposed to do! On the contrary, we remember being told that herring were just effective after the sun came up. I recollect one summer excursion when my partner and I got all our herring by 2:00 (AM). Long tale short, we ended up out of bait when the rest of the crew came out. We begged some extra bait from them, under the pretense that all our bait had died. Wow, were they upset once they found out how many striped bass we snagged! Moral of the tale, don't restrict yourself to one particular method. Consider something different even if it appears crazy. If I had a dollar for each striper that I caught that was not thought to be where it was or eat a specified bait or feed on a particular tide, I'd personally stop working and go somewhere hot and find myself a striper or two! Truth be told, there is much more to it than the things I have included in this article.
If you enjoy fishing of all kinds, including striper fishing, then Chesapeake Bay Sports Fishing is for you. This site will provide some suggestions and tips on successful striper fishing. Plan a with your friends, family, or business clients. Also, go to this site for and fun information.
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