I put bunker becasue that is what i use most of the time along with macks and clams. But now that i think of it my biggest striper came in on a fluke rig tipped with a squid strip... :? Maybe i should have selected another answer...
In river fishing I have had by far my best reults with clam though I have landed stripers with everything from fresh chunk snapper to frozen shad. My first striper catch last year (36"/18lbs) was actually caught on a high/low weak fish rig with squid, go figure. Clam may not catch the bigest of the bunch but it has certainly been a consistant stripper bait for me. I aslo like useing fresh caught snappers either live and whole if they are really small or chunked if they are medium to large. More often then not though, live snappers catch me blues over stripers. They eat their ownP. Hell, those blues eat anything. I have not enjoyed useing fresh mak as it is a bit too soft and doesn't stay hooked well. Fresh sardines have the same problem, too soft on the hook.
Clam may not catch the bigest of the bunch but it has certainly been a consistant stripper bait for me.
[/b]Aw Livestofish.......Not true my friend.
See me holding up the striper on the homepage?hahahaha, Caught on Clambellies. I don't leave home without em. Thats my only bait of choice...all year round. call me stupid but....well....it speaks for itself.
I have to go with fresh bunker, either whole (get blue fish though) or the heads. I have caught a few stripers in the 40lb class in the raritan bay, all were on fresh Bunker heads. Eels are good, but never got a 40+lb fish on an eel.
I voted for Storm shads because in march the large cows migrate into the chesapeake to spawn. when the trophy season starts on april 16, the rock are chasing large 9 to 12 inch menhaden, so my favorite lure to troll with is sassy shads or storm shads of simular size, tandem rigged or umbrella rigs. when the rock first migrate in they are following the herring in, so I use large bassasasins,crystal minnows, broken back minnows, anything that resembles herring. sometimes I use herring (live or chunks).
Actually Zam.....Storm Shads are my new favorite plastic. I use the 5-6 inchers...mostly the pearle and the ones with the green foil inside(haligraphic). You work those babies the right way and you will be instantly on a fish.
I'm off the beach with alot of great formations in the drink.....i fish a spot that has.....Eelgrass beds to my left..rockbeds with mussels next to that, along with small rocks leading up to big rocks. then that fades into, sandy spots surrounded by big clusters of rock...and eventually into all sand.....now your on my right....and your faced towards where the lake opens up into the sea for maybe 3 times a season.....i hit one of the best herrin runs in my life right there and i was with only one other buddy...we had to leave that day because our arms were about to fall off. when that mouth is raging, like last year, it can be 65 feet accross and unpassable without waders and even then, its shady. i've caught alot of big linesiders...sitting in about 4 feet of water, where the water is emptying out....just waiting for something to swim on by....then WAP !! and you see the tail break......i think i just spotted, hahahahhaa.
The 5-6 inch storm shads were my favorite lure this winter around the warmwater discharges in baltimore/pataspco river this winter. usually bassasasins are the best, but this year storm shads seemed better
i answered cut mack, but that's only because it's my tried and true for year round here on the housatonic river. my largest?... pulled in a 36" on a jetty on long island sound using live bunker. most fun?..... live eel off a jetty at sunset/high tide in august!
but for me, cut mack... any season. it may not produce the most, or the biggest, but it's the most consistent.
I've blown so much money on eels and have NEVER (REPEAT; NEVER) caught a single thing that I now intend to trap my own eels whenever I feel so inclined. I haven't completely given up on them, but It has been two seasons with eels and never a single nibble. Storm shads are my go-to plug. When all else fails, slap on a pearl colored swim shad, and you will catch the smaller ones.
Eel....... Some theivin' bastage stole my 2 eel traps.... hope he gets a 50 within sight only to have it break off. gotta find a better hiding spot. Clam / worm ...spring live bunker / bunker noggin...fall
From the SURF bunker....caught nothing but skates and dogfish with clam bellies.........In the BOAT I have used.sandworms drifting ........but Im still new at this and will be trying some other stuff...come the springtime!!
Love to catch 'em on eels because I seem to get the bigger ones with the eels. But I use just about everything, especially clams, and bunker (Chunks and live). I also like the way the snakes look in my live well. :bluegrin:
i plug ,jig, and use soft plastics 90% of my time on the water.but i do love the strike when eel fishing ,unmistakeable,like a freight train
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