Fished for: Striped Bass
Date Fished: 12/27/98
Boat Name: Vina's Surprise
Water Temp:
Water Clarity: 6 Feet Average
Seas: Smooth to slight chop
Weather: Partly cloudy with southwest winds to 10mph
REPORT:
I fished on Sunday, 12/27/98 from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM from Curtis Creek south to Cox Creek.
All fish were caught on light spinning equipment, spooled with 8# or 10# test line or bait casting equipment, spooled with 14# test line using artificial lures. All stripers were released.
LURES USED: soft plastic baits rigged on 1/4 and 3/8 ounce round head jigs and shallow running suspended crankbaits.
TOTAL STRIPED BASS CAUGHT WAS 5. The stripers ranged in length from 17" to 19 1/2". The majority of stripers were caught 5 foot deep. Landed 3 stripers 18" or over.
STRUCTURES FISHED: Shoals, concrete pilings, wooden pilings, discharges, bulkheads and rock piles.
NUMBER OF STRIPERS CAUGHT DURING THIS TIDE:
0 - Incoming
5 - Outgoing
0 - Still
BIGGEST STRIPER (19 1/2") CAUGHT ON: BASS ASSASSIN, Split Tail Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Rainbow Trout, #STS39332. This lure was fished on a 1/4 ounce round jig head. This striper took the lure off the bottom when it was still. This lure caught a total of 2 stripers the other one was 18" in length.
MOST PRODUCTIVE LURE: SMITHWICK, Suspending Rattlin Pro Rogue, Suspended Crankbait, 5 1/2", 1/2 oz., Model SDRC 1200, Blue Back/Silver Sides.
(3 stripers-one was 18").
MOST PRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUE: Jerk & Stop (Suspended Jerkbaits) -cast the lure out, jerk it down, the depth depends on the lure. The lure is now suspended at its given running depth. Keep your rod tip parallel and just above the surface. Move the lure in jerking motions approximately 3 feet each time by moving your rod tip 45 degrees. Take up the slack-immediately-while moving your rod tip toward the lure. What happens here is the slack is taken out of the line and the lure does not more horizontally, it just suspends. This is when the striper usually hits this type of lure.
Repeat this again and again, until the lure is back at the boat.
OTHER PRODUCTIVE LURES THIS TRIP:
Installed Smelly Jelly Saltwater Attractant, Ell, C407105 on all lures and the soft plastic baits were fished on Cabin Fever Tackle round jig heads.
FISHING TIP:
During the colder months is a good time to replace all the barbed treble hooks on your lures with barbless treble hooks. These replacement hooks should be strong and sharp. I strongly recommendation Eagle Claw Conservationist hooks made exclusively for Bass Pro Shops. See the 1998 Fishing Specialists Catalog (the large one), page 218 upper left hand corner.
PRODUCTIVE LURE WEBSITES:
Bass Assassin Lures - www.bassassassin.com/
Cabin Fever Tackle Jig Heads - www.cabinfevertackle.com/BALLJIGS.HTML
Smelly Jelly Fishing Attractant - www.lonekeep.com/srmo/access/scent.html
Happy New Year & Good Fishing In 1999,
Tom Hughes
Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association
Freelance Writer & Speaker