Spring Stripers Part II: Crushing Schoolies
The tree is the key. Since my family moved to their current residence in 1999, we have noticed a strange correlation between a crab apple tree in the backyard and the beginning of striper season. Every year without fail, the first day those flowers start to bloom comes the first reported stripers of the year in the Merrimack. Last Thursday, my father texted me one line, "It's time!" and I knew precisely what he meant! Facebook had been relatively active that day with some posts from shore local anglers catching their first run of freshly - lice covered schoolies. Later that afternoon, Dan went out on his boat and caught his first stripers of the year. Almost a week later, the tree is nearing full bloom; we have a string of warm weather and a preferred moon stage. By the end of this week, the schoolie striper fishing should be fire. (In my last article, I predicted things would blow wide open in the afternoon on Friday the 13th!)
Schoolie striper fishing is one of my favorite times of the year. Fishing is relatively easy, and there are days when you can put some serious numbers on the boat. It's a good tune-up for our equipment, boats, and ourselves. Our fishery is a light tackle game this time of year. I want to talk about some light tackle striper setups to help get you started before discussing situational fishing patterns.
Schoolie Striper Weapons of Choice
I base my rods and reel off their primary intended use, and in this case, I want rods that can cast lures in the 3/8 - 1.5 oz range when fishing from a boat. We are trying to mimic small bait such as sandeels, herring, and other small rain bait located in the river; thus, a fast action rod that allows us to throw these light offerings and work lures is of paramount importance. I own a few different models of Temple Fork Outfitter Tactical Inshore Rods that I have been impressed with, not only for their lightweight and action but for how the rod continues to bend deep into the blank when fighting a fish. The tactical inshore series are very crisp and responsive as you direct the dance of a spook across Joppa Flats. I like my 7'0 and 7'6 MH 10 - 20#, 3/8 - 1 oz models for schoolie striped bass fishing. Bigger lures and bigger fish require stepping up a size to the Heavy 15- 30 # model. There are many other capable rod manufacturers, but I would try to keep my specs in the 10 - 20# fast action range with a 3/8 - 1.5 oz rating. Since rod ratings are generally not universal, I like to pull a rod out to see if it has a softer bend once you have a fish on.
For reels, I love my Shimano Stradic FL 5k's spooled with 15# braid. These reels are super smooth, have an appropriate gear ratio, hold plenty of line, and provide tons of power in a small package. All four of mine have held flawlessly through two seasons of taking a beating on our charters, which is rare with spinning reels. The Stradics also make great spinning reels for Albies, Black Sea Bass, Tog, Bluefish, etc. Again, there are many other suitable options at different price ranges. I look for reels that weigh under 11 oz, can reel in 40" per crank, and hold about 250 yards of 20-pound braid. (I backfill my reel with mono, then put on 200 yards of 15-pound braid. Here is a link to a previous blog on calculating the amount of mono needed.)
Generally, spring can bring on some windy days, and the thinner 15-pound braid can knife through the wind better than 20 or 30. When fishing open water areas like flats and the beachfront, the extra casting distance is paramount to cover more water when searching for fish. Conversely, accurate casts are needed when fishing backwater structures, and that's where a fast action rod comes into play to toss lures where you want them.
For the leader, I start with a 3 ft section of 20# Seaguar STS Fluorocarbon tied to the braid mainline via an FG knot. At the end of the leader, I connect a 50-pound Tactical Angler Clip so I can quickly swap out lures and not have to cut the leader to tie knots. If the fish are finicky, I will drop as low as 8-pound test, but I rarely have to drop that low.
Finding the Fish
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