joeb631a
Well-Known Member
For where im at its ells , porgies ,big ones for big bass,a small black fish but dont get caught!That depends on the situation, as you know... Hard to not write a small term paper as a response... But I'll do my best haha...
Biggest factors for me in terms of what live bait to use would be the current season, the body of water I'm on, and what bait fish are present?
Bread and butter live bait for most striper fisherman would be gizzard and threadfin shad. I like gizzards 8-12 inches and threadfin as big as I can get them (usually under 6 inches... but I've caught em as big as a dollar bill.) They are pretty good year round for most situations as long as you hold them correctly. I also like alewife, and golden shiner in very specific situations...
If I'm hunting big fish I'm usually in cold water in summer and fall...then the situation changes. The go to live bait then for me would be skipjack herring...they get up to 5lbs and are hard to keep alive... But big fish...big bait... Will make your heart skip a beat when a 40+ striper rips out of the water after a 16 inch skipjack haha....
In terms of artificials... Man... Lotsa ways... Below dams I prefer bucktail jigs over anything else... Topwater like Zara Spooks and the like are great... Also have had good success with lure called the "glide shad" looks like a 9 inch gizzard and swims as if injured. . . It's a killer...
Really the only time I don't use live bait is if I'm bank fishing below the dam, or trolling Alabama rigs.
Not a purist... But close. Lol.
I've said enough
Tossing a piece of bunker out there is good too.
Rebels ,chicken scratches ,needle fish .a hopkins .
Had a Brother who killed many big bass trolling thru Moriches inlet with a bunker spoon, many.
