SLOW RIDE FOR STRIPERS LIP GRIPPER
[TACTICS]
TROLLING SWIMMING PLUGS OVER SHALLOW WATER IS THE TICKET FOR BIG ROCKFISH
“H
ow many fish did you catch today?” a tired-looking powerboater called as I paddled back to the launch ramp, “I don’t think there are any striped bass here.”
“Two-, maybe three-dozen,” I replied. “What? You got lucky!” he called back. Maybe I did get lucky to find the first fish, but the next 20 were the product of
trolling swimming plugs through shallow water. I paddled up to the boater and showed him photos of my fish—the biggest over
40 inches. He was incredulous. I explained to him that striped bass move into the shallows of the Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna and Severn rivers where I find them in three to 12 feet of water along weed lines, ditches, rip rap shorelines and channel edges, especially when the current is ripping and birds are working over schools of bait. “These structures serve as travel routes for baitfish,” I told the guy. “My kayak allows me to troll over the fish without spooking them.” I even showed him my GPS screen marked with hotspots where I caught fish in
the past or noted a promising piece of structure on the fishfinder. Using a GPS with my fishfinder is key to locating the fish and high-definition Down Image sonar on my Humminbird 788 HD DI allows me to decipher grass and other structure from fish marks. The GPS also helps me maintain speed at two to four miles per hour, perfect for pulling these lures. To rig my kayak for trolling, I mounted a pair of Scotty Powerlock rodholders in
front of the cockpit so I can keep an eye on my rod tips for the slightest indication of a bite or a snag.
“Finding the fish is the hard part,” I told the guy, “fooling them is easy.” I hand- ed him one of my medium action rods spooled with 30-pound test braided line and rigged with a two-foot leader of 30-pound fluorocarbon and a Yozuri Crystal Min- now. “I like that one when the conditions are calm,” I explained. For rough water, I showed him a Bomber 15A with a larger profile and deeper vibration. I even shared my favorite lure: a Lucky Craft Pointer 100, which seems to work in any conditions. After sharing every detail about trolling for striper with the boater, I pulled my
kayak onto the launch ramp and went to get my truck. As I walked away, I could hear the re-energized boater calling his friend. “Hey, a kayak angler just showed me his secret spots,” he said into the phone, “we gotta go, now!” I chuckled. Even with the right places and the right lures, he won’t catch those fish without a kayak. Alan Battista is the author of Light Tackle Kayak Trolling the Chesapeake Bay.
He takes frequent breaks from rockfishing to work as a radar systems engineer. DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch video action of Alan Battista slow trolling for big
striped bass. READER TIP SEND YOUR READER TIP TO
editor@kayakanglermag.com
RODE THE LIGHTNING M
A short section of bungee allows the anchor cord to absorb waves.
A one-inch swivel keeps the line from twisting and breaking. PHOTO: GRANT JAMES
36…KAYAK ANGLER
TROLLING FOR STRIPED BASS. PHOTO: JEFF LITTLE
BEAT THE BOATERS BY SLOW
ANCHOR LINE SYSTEM IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE BY GRANT JAMES
y buddies in the Just Kayak Fishing club of Cape Town, South Africa, have devised a com- pact anchor rode that allows an angler to anchor in 15 to 150 feet of water. Start with
180 feet of quarter-inch nylon anchor line. Carve a foam crab-pot float into a dumbbell shape and wrap the line around it. This keeps the line and float in a compact package. A one-inch swivel is clipped between the anchor rope and a three-foot piece of one-inch chain that holds a 7.5-pound grapple anchor. The swivel keeps the rope from twisting while winding it onto the float. To keep waves from jerking the kayak and jarring the anchor lose, I tie a five-foot piece of bungee cord between the float and the clip on my anchor trolley. For sending in his ultimate anchor rode system, Grant James wins a Gerber River Shorty safety knife. Send your tips for making kayak fishing easier, safer and more fun to
editor@kayakanglermag.com.
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