Kipto/HRBT Sun, 11/6

[tufnik]

Several deep holes? Didn't know that. Hmmm......you got me motivated.

[mmanolis2001]

Tufnik,
I think I may have met you at the HRBT Sunday night. My trip report is here:
http://tkaa.org/index.php?topic=2791.0

Reading your report, and if you are the guy I think you are, I may be able to offer you some advise that can help you do better on your next trip to the HRBT light line.

At the HRBT, the stripers cruise up and down the bridge just inside the darkness, hitting bait illuminated by the lights. If you approach the line from the downstream darkness, the stripers are silhouetted against the lighter backdrop. When things are good, they will stack up in the line so thick they brush up against each other. Other times, like Sunday, they are more scattered.

The key to catching them is not to spook them. When they are visible, they are actively feeding and can be caught by casting into the light in front of the visible fish. If you get too close to the line with your kayak, it puts the fish down for 15 minutes or more in a particular spot. The same thing happens if a kayak, or much worse, a motorboat, trolls past in the light. It is simply infuriating to be stealthily fishing from the darkness, casting to 20 fish in front of you, and have a motorboat go trolling by. The fish vanish, and that spot goes dead.

As bad as that is, for the most part, the motorboaters simply don't know any better. That has been the accepted way to fish for stripers at the bridges for decades. And, it does produce results. Trolling can get you a handful of fish a night, so trollers think they are doing pretty good. What they don't know is that kayakers can catch 20 to 30 fish each, in a night, by being stealthy.

Being stealthy means staying in the dark, at least half a kayak length back from the light. Never let your kayak protrude into the light enough to make a shadow, or you will spook the fish. Do not troll down the lighted side of the upstream bridge, or you will spook the fish. If you hook into a fish and allow it to pull you into the light, that spot will be ruined, so it is often better to let the fish take line, or even break off, than to follow it into the light. If you do have to go into the light, (to free a snag for instance) paddle straight away from the bridge until you get to the darkness, turn parallel to the bridge and paddle until your lure comes free. To return to your spot, go far from it, go directly under the bridge to the other side, and approach your spot from the darkness.

During the best times, the stripers will be stacked up, facing out into the darkness. They will hit just about anything you throw in front of them. Those nights are just glorious. On not so good nights, they are more scattered, and are cruising, swimming parallel to the bridge. These fish are more easily spooked and take more work to catch. That's when lure selection, presentation, and stealthiness matter most.

I hang on the WKFA and TKAA forums. When you head down our way, post your upcoming trip. Maybe we can hook up some time.

cheers,
Todd F.

Very good info here. Thanks for sharing this.

Question.
When you are approaching the fish from the downstream side are you casting into the light at angles and letting the bait push or swing out in front of the fish with the current? I have not fished there but from what you are describing it sounds like the fish stack up in the shadows facing upstream a few feet back from the light line. Is there a secondary shadow line created by the bridge allowing for a less obvious splashdown?

My only night bridge fishing has been from the top down at OC and that requires a different approach.

Thanks again for the info.

[Pinch]

The fish are right in the shadow line. The bigger ones are deeper or further back in the shadow. Remember you need to fish with a surface or sub surface presentation. Cast just in front of there face and get reaction Strikes. Take your time and observe the up current side of the shadow line. You will become adjusted and start seeing fish everywhere.

[tufnik]

I think you have to pull it a bit (or twitch it) faster than the current to show it's "alive and swimming." Otherwise, it would seem to be just suspended. Twister tails wouldn't wiggle and topwaters wouldn't make noise. On the other hand, maybe the fish attacks by sighting in on just the silhouette.

[ToddF]

Presentation varies from night to night, depending on how the fish are feeding. You just have to try everything. I usually start by tossing the lure right in front of their noses. If they aggressively feeding, this produces strikes. If that doesn't work, cast to the side, and pull the lure across in front of them. Next try casting farther and farther out from the line, so the lure drops deeper when it gets back to the "shadow wall". Eventually, you cast far enough out that you are bouncing the bottom back to the line.

Then there are variations of location: working the lure on top often works right below the light pole, between the pilings. Working the lure deeper often works right in front of the pilings.

Then throw in switching lures: paddle tails; minnows; twister tails. And colors: white, chartreuse, translucent, dark, fish patterned.

The possible permutations are endless, and the successful combination can be different from night to night. You just have to cycle through them until you find the one which works that particular night. Sunday night, my Dad and I spent 2 hours casting to plentiful fish, with very sporatic catching. Then we found the right combination, and each caught five fish within half an hour.

To make it easier to try different baits, I rig 4 rods ahead of time with the lures I want to try, and make a few casts with different presentations with each rod. Usually, I can find the combination to produce fish fairly quickly. My favorites are: 1/8 oz jighead with white twister tail, 1/4 oz jighead with Fin-S minnow, Tsunami translucent minnow (1/2 oz), 4" Storm style paddletail. If I'm with a fishing buddy, we try different lures until we find what works, tell the other guy and give them some baits if they don't have any, and then sit back and pull them in.
Todd F.