Rockfish, Rain, and Dawn...`

[manlystanley]

I launched in the Mid-Severn at 05:00 today. Pouring rain. Got no bites till it stopped raining at around 08:30. I am thinking that Rock fish are sight feeders and need light to start to hunt. Is this true?????

So, I'm thinking that if it is raining at dawn, that a rock fishes 'dawn' is actually around 8:00ish.

What do you guys think????

[Jimbo]

I launched in the Mid-Severn at 05:00 today. Pouring rain. Got no bites till it stopped raining at around 08:30. I am thinking that Rock fish are sight feeders and need light to start to hunt. Is this true?????

So, I'm thinking that if it is raining at dawn, that a rock fishes 'dawn' is actually around 8:00ish.

What do you guys think????

It's relative, but I don't think much light is needed. The only thing I can speak with certainty about is my experience. With respect to light only, in my experience, rain, overcast sky night, etc., are the best times to fish. The darker the better.
I'm sure others will be happy to further pontificate on the lack of your success.



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[Shady]

I've caught them in the middle of the night. They generally feed more in relation to tidal movements

[J.A. Veil]

I agree that stripers will feed at low light or even in the dark. Rain does not affect the fish -- just the comfort of the fisherman. My largest Severn striper (37") came on a grey drizzly day in April 2016.

Your lack of success in a Severn location may have more to do with the stripers not being there than on the amount of light. Better luck on your next outing.

[ronaultmtd]

Biggest striper I ever boated was right after midnight trolling a Alou cow killer eel on wire line at the CBBT in early December...tides have everything to do with success... and it was a bleak, cold, drizzling night...

[Mark]

One of the rules of thumb of fishing, and not just for stripers, is to use dark lures on dark days when fishing in the upper portion of the water column.

That sounds counterintuitive until you realize that at dawn and dusk and also on cloudy days and on moonlit nights the sky is still brighter than the environment of the fish we are trying to catch. Consequently, the theory is that a darker colored lure presents a more definitive silhouette against the brighter sky than a lighter colored lure.

I often use darker colored lures in lowlight. Do I catch fish in lowlight because I use darker lures? Who knows? What I do know is that stripers and other fish species do indeed feed in lowlight. Some fish do not. I've read that neither snakeheads nor pickerels feed in lowlight.

I think sight is important on bright days too when colors are more distinct. We’ve each encountered days when a certain color of lure out-fishes another color. That clearly indicates sight is important.

The first attractant may be the vibrations and/or noise from a paddletail, crankbait, spinner or popper.

But sight has to be a factor if for no other reason than I have caught one-eyed stripers but I’ve never caught a blind one!

[manlystanley]

Everyone: Great advice, thanks. A couple of questions:

-- What tide is best for strippers? I launched almost exactly at high tide. Is a moving tide better? Incoming or outgoing??

-- If I use darker lures for dark days, what type of lures would you all recommend? Should I keep them in a tandem rig?? I have always heard to use white or chartreuse Jig/swim baits. Does this change on dark days???


Thanks,
Stan

[Mark]

Stan,

I think a moving tide is always better than a slack tide. My preference is falling because I like to cast and a falling tide gives me more water to work with as I cast to tight quarters and shorelines.

Flies: I use black or dark green poppers in low light or black over white or black over grey Clousers, and dark olive and black wooly buggers.

Lures: I use dark brown, dark green or black bucktail jig spinners and I'll find the darkest colored paddletails I carry -- perhaps reds, browns or dark golds. I have some black over gold crankbaits but I rarely use them.

I don't fish tandem rigs but if I did I'd try a dark lure and light lure to see if the fish prefer either.

[mchottie]

What tide is best for strippers?
Thanks,
Stan

Stan,

I prefer mine in very low light, walking out to loud vibrant music with minimal fog from a fog machine, wearing leopard print and clear 6" stiletto heels

[Jimbo]

Stan,

I prefer mine in very low light, walking out to loud vibrant music with minimal fog from a fog machine, wearing leopard print and clear 6" stiletto heels

Pole optional...


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[CaptCHawk]

Don't forget to include the wind in your results. The old saying "when the wind is East they bite the least" has been proven many times. Sure affected what should have been a good perch bite Wednesday. Lots of taps, but not many hookups.

[summersoff]

Most of the best fishing is at night when the cows are lurking. The darker the better, new moon being the best. I usually leave the beach when the light comes up.
The best tide depends on your location. For me the bottom of the outgoing is the golden time when the baitfish are being pulled from their hiding places.
You can easily see the contours of the bottom by how the water is moving, thus exposing the lazy fat stripers feed stations.

[manlystanley]

Concerning 'Strippers': I'm a math major....So can't spell. I got a good laugh though.

Everyone: As always, great advice. Without you guys, I'd start to think that overcast days are the worst ones to fish....

So, I'll try out your suggestions of: Tide, Color of lures (use one light, one dark), Watch wind, etc.


You guys will make a decent fisherman out of me yet! Thanks so much.

I'll be going out next week, I'll tell you how it goes. I'm on a special assignment from work. I hope to start going twice a week after this thing ends.


Best Regards,
Stan