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Prior to this morning, I had caught over 70 stripers in 2018 but none from my kayak and none on the western shore until today, the second day of the seventh month of year. That fact in itself is an indicator of how poor striper fishing has been for me (and others) on this side of the Bay Bridge. I’ve had much better days in years past, but my standards have lessened considerably in 2018. I was grateful for today’s catches because they have been so rare for me in my kayak.
Here’s where I was fishing:
P1030830.jpg
Those are the Greenbury Point radio towers. I fished from the towers to Hackett Point. I did a little trolling and a little casting. I lost count of the schoolies I caught. Here are a few:
P1030840.jpg P1030846.jpg P1030850.jpg
Schools of baitfish were a common sight. You can see a school here:
P1030835.jpg
I carried 4 rods and caught schoolies and white perch with each – a 1/8 oz. bucktail jig spinner, a 1/8 oz. jig spinner with a grub, a ½ oz. Rat-L-Trap and a 3/8 oz. jig with a 3-inch paddletail. I caught many of the stripers side-by-side with white perch.
Here was a particularly productive area for both white perch and stripers:
P1030838.jpg
I caught several 10-inch perch from this spot and this 11-incher:
P1030837.jpg
I lost another perch boat-side in this area that I estimate was 12 inches. It had hit the Rat-L-Trap.
It was classic perch habitat that I seek no matter where I fish – shaded water rimmed with structure.
But classic areas don’t always produce. Here’s another:
P1030860.jpg
Phragmites at the waterline are usually great spots for white perch and stripers. Add an active feeding bird to the mix and you know baitfish are present which should attract perch and stripers. However, I caught none in spots similar to these today.
But I did catch one decent striper. This 20-incher hit my 3-inch paddletail:
P1030851.jpg
I caught it while trolling my way back to the launch.
I launched at 0800 and was off the water by 1100. Indeed, it was hot, but there was a little breeze and the water was cleaner than I have seen it on the western shore in a long time.
So again, not a terrific outing, but encouraging given the frustrations many of us have faced in tidal waters this year.
Here’s where I was fishing:
P1030830.jpg
Those are the Greenbury Point radio towers. I fished from the towers to Hackett Point. I did a little trolling and a little casting. I lost count of the schoolies I caught. Here are a few:
P1030840.jpg P1030846.jpg P1030850.jpg
Schools of baitfish were a common sight. You can see a school here:
P1030835.jpg
I carried 4 rods and caught schoolies and white perch with each – a 1/8 oz. bucktail jig spinner, a 1/8 oz. jig spinner with a grub, a ½ oz. Rat-L-Trap and a 3/8 oz. jig with a 3-inch paddletail. I caught many of the stripers side-by-side with white perch.
Here was a particularly productive area for both white perch and stripers:
P1030838.jpg
I caught several 10-inch perch from this spot and this 11-incher:
P1030837.jpg
I lost another perch boat-side in this area that I estimate was 12 inches. It had hit the Rat-L-Trap.
It was classic perch habitat that I seek no matter where I fish – shaded water rimmed with structure.
But classic areas don’t always produce. Here’s another:
P1030860.jpg
Phragmites at the waterline are usually great spots for white perch and stripers. Add an active feeding bird to the mix and you know baitfish are present which should attract perch and stripers. However, I caught none in spots similar to these today.
But I did catch one decent striper. This 20-incher hit my 3-inch paddletail:
P1030851.jpg
I caught it while trolling my way back to the launch.
I launched at 0800 and was off the water by 1100. Indeed, it was hot, but there was a little breeze and the water was cleaner than I have seen it on the western shore in a long time.
So again, not a terrific outing, but encouraging given the frustrations many of us have faced in tidal waters this year.
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