UNDERSTANDING STRIPED BASS MOVEMENTS

It is mid-summer, the weather is warm, the skies are cloudy, and the wind is just putting a slight chop on the water. All this information is opening and closing the relays in your brain, to come up with the most logical answer for what would be the best thing to do today. Go fishing -only one small problem. Last night your brother called and said, "Something came up, can you umpire a ball game for me tomorrow?" Brotherly love only allows you one choice. "Sure-where and what time?" It will be at Bakers Field, field 2B, at 11 AM and you have all intentions to honor your commitment.

Your phone rings at 10 AM and your brother advises you things have changed and he, can and will, umpire the ball game today. Immediately the relays are clicking again with such ideal weather and water conditions, you rush to put your boat on the water to do some striped bass fishing.

It is 11:20 AM and you are now fishing an underwater mound where you have caught stripers under low light conditions in the past. The tide is outgoing. You are casting into 2 feet of water and you catch stripers for the next hour. The wind picks up some speed, the clouds start to break, and the sun puts some more light on the water. The stripers stop biting so you move your boat over 9 feet of water and start using the jigging technique with plastic lures. For the next 30 minutes you're catching stripers in depths from 6 feet to 9 feet. The action stops here so you move your boat over 16 feet of water and start casting deep diving crankbaits using the crank and stop technique. After your lure hits the bottom, you stop cranking. The moment you start cranking again a striper hits. After 15 minutes you cannot buy a strike. You move again this time over 28 feet of water and start casting jigging spoons. The productive technique you use here is bottom jigging with a tight line. This allows you to catch stripers for the next 15 minutes.

Now you ask yourself the most important question during any fishing trip (and it is not where did the fish go?). The question you ask yourself is why were the stripers there? The answer you come up with is that the brighter the sun is on the water, the deeper the striped bass move under these water conditions, during this time of year (summer). All your answers are based on FACTS and these facts can be counted on in the future, on different types of structures. This will allow you to be in productive water and eliminate costly fishing time on unproductive waters.

Movements of striped bass on structures are controlled by weather and water conditions. Let me give you factorial examples during different times of the year. The time of year (spring, summer, etc.) is for your reference only. The striped bass only react to conditions. One of the most important conditions to know is water temperature. The water temperature is just one part of the "water conditions", but I consider it to be the most important.
 

END NOTE

Understanding how striped bass relate to structures in different weather and water conditions during different times of the year will allow you to catch more stripers. You will stay in productive waters longer and catch striped bass, even if they are not feeding. .

Tight Lines,