Big Stripers

Fished with Ken, Mike, and friends yesterday in the ocean. It took a while, but we found the big stripers feeding well. We were trolling and we caught four big stripers from 25-31 pounds. We also released a 27" striper as well. We pulled the hook on three others. The quality of the fish this year has been great. Pro Tip: You're not fishing if you're not trolling your striper gear on the bottom. In deep water this means slowing down and letting out more line. Braid is a big help in accomplishing this.

23 Pound Striper

Fished with Jim and friends yesterday in the ocean. We ended up finding one nice striper on the troll. It weighed in at 23 pounds. Lots of bait and whales around. Pro Tip: Your trolling speed matters. Sometimes small adjustments slower or faster make a huge difference. Pay attention to differences in down sea versus up sea speeds.

Striper

Fished with David and Fred yesterday in the ocean. We trolled one nice striper that was 23 pounds. The fish have been big but the numbers have been down. We hooked and lost another big fish in a micro blitz that was extremely short lived. Pro Tip: Have small jigs on hand. When fish come up to the surface, a small soft plastic may be the only thing they eat.

Big Stripers

Fished with Rich and friends yesterday in the ocean. We headed out and found a few big stripers. We hooked four big bass on the troll and landed two of them. The biggest fish was 42" and around 35 pounds. The other was 26 pounds. Both were released. We moved into the bay and caught and released one 26" bass on a spot. The fishing has been getting better slowly and it should bust wide open any day. Pro Tip: The edges of structure frequently hold fish. When trolling, a pattern that moves from shallow to deep or deep to shallow is frequently productive.

45" Striper

Fished with Doug on Saturday out of Sea Isle. We headed out in the ocean looking for stripers. The conditions were a bit tough and there fish are not here en mass as of yet but we did catch one that was 45" and about 38 pounds on the troll. We released the fish. We pulled the hook on two or three others. It's not great, but it's a start. Pro Tip: Constant pressure, instead of pumping and winding, keeps fish on the hook better when using heavy lures like umbrella rigs or mojos. The inherent weight of the lure can and will shake the hook loose if you pump and wind.

Montauk

More picks from my last trip to Montauk. It was a great albie season up there this year. Can't wait for the stripers to show up in force in the ocean here at home. Any day now....

Back Bay Stripers

Patty and I snuck out at sunset last night. The fishing in the bay has been terrific for smaller stripers. We caught a few on jigs and headed in. The bay striper fishing will continue for a while. The ocean bass fishing is just getting started!