As I just began to get my gear together for the spring, I realized I never truly put it away. Surely some hook changes are in order, many boxes need organizing, and I need to find many things…
Regardless, I am going fishing on this night of March 6th; certainly the earliest I have ever strapped on a surf bag and donned a pair of waders to go hit the bayshore. The winter has been mild beyond comprehension and there are certainly bass to be had. The bunker is thick and the water just did its first spike just a trickle north of 50 degrees. I don’t expect much aside from getting out with a couple buddies and breathing in the crisp night air again. And, aside from one tremendous thump we are all skunked. And we could care less.
I will get into some favorite tackle and lure choices of mine for an all encompassing guide on how I fish the twin rivers and Raritan Bay from shore; shortly. But first, I feel there is an important message to communicate at this time in the current state of fishing, especially in New Jersey which is the most densely populated state in the union.
Lower your expectations. I do not mean to imply you should do everything you can to catch fish, you should. But change your perspective. The mob mentality is NOT helpful. Fish with people you enjoy being with, people who can see the beauty in a skunk and a few laughs. If you have any skills or determination skunks will happen, and you will learn from them. I don’t skunk much but it does happen, and I never care.
Everyone has heard the quote “many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after” by Henry David Thoreau. I see people sharing this quote on social media, but just one “this sucks man where are the fish!” From someone in the water 30 feet away from me will reaffirm to me that fishermen are not living by this ethos. Be more romantic about fishing, take the good with the bad, enjoy every minute of it, notice things in nature, be a steward of your fishery and state, respect the fish and handle with care, and understand it's not ALL about “big fish”. Fishing can be whatever you want it to be. It is an absolute privilege to have the striped bass fishery we have. Especially from the shorelines in the spring.
Ok, I digress…….. now the info.
I fish the entire spring with a 9 foot rod (if I’m in the water). A Century Surf Machine is my weapon of choice. I also am fond of the 9’ ODM DNA. Both will be paired with a Tsunami Salt X, VS 150 or something equivalent. I do not think a longer rod is necessary at all. At times if I’m fishing from a bulkhead or dock or something, I'll bust out the 10’ or 10’6 to throw heavy jigs and use the length to keep my line how i want it, etc. Anything over 9-9’6 in waist deep water is unnecessary and cumbersome, especially when landing a frisky early spring fish. 30lb braid is a standard plugging line for me, and i have grown fond of Berkeley X9 on spinning reels. Attach 40 leader of your choosing, and a 75 lb Tactical Anglers clip and you are in the game.
Plugs wise, that list is complicated but I have simplified things in recent years. As far as wood, I more or less strictly fish Scabellys, Backbay, and Salt Pursuit plugs. I sold off a lot of stuff I had just to simplify things for me, and that list of builders are my good friends and I enjoy catching up on their stuff. I still have a few CCW’s around and a couple other favorites, but those three builders make up the bulk of my plugs. Backbay plugs are available at the store, while Scabellys and Salt Pursuit plugs can be hard to acquire. I will discuss some plug types of theirs in this writing that you can translate to whatever wood plugs you prefer, builder wise.
I love metal lips. I fish A LOT of metal lips. If you want to catch bigger fish, start throwing more large metal lips. Get a rod you can do it with that wont kill you. As far as specifics, size simply depends on water temps, time of year, and the fish’s mood at that given time. Early spring (mid March- early April) I will carry some 5-6” Danny or Donny style metal lips. As far as colors go I keep it very simple. Essentially white, yellow/white, chartreuse/ white, solid chartreuse, and solid yellow will make up the light colored plugs. Blurple and all black will cover the darker spectrum. There are variations of this, I have plugs with other colors as well; but simplest is best especially if you're just getting started. As the water warms and I start noticing fish actively feeding on bunker, I will begin throwing metal lips up to 10-11”. Mostly surface swimmers of different types, these draw strikes like no other and without question cull bigger fish. If in deep water I will fish trollers heavily which dive to 20+ feet and can be taxing to fish all night yet are incredibly effective.
Darters, darters, and more darters are next. Colors wise, the layout I previously outlined holds true for mostly everything o fish so that’s no different here. Super Strike darters are the standard. They cast very well, swim fairly shallow, and are readily available. Certain nights when tides are ripping, I dig the plug in and just maintain contact with it. The slower the better with these plugs. The hits are ferocious. There are many wood darters available as well, but the applications with them are fairly variable. They require some experimenting and assessment. Again, in deeper waters I have some massive wooden darters like Mike’s or Dirty Mermaids that dive deep and draw big strikes.
Gliders/Glide Baits have become all the rage, and for good reason. They provide a proper profile for a menhaden, and they cast well and swim in a limber natural way. Coming in sizes from 5-8” they are an absolute staple. I fish a lot of Scabellys because he is my good friend and I have gathered many over the years, but whatever wood gliders you like will do I’m sure. Alan’s Custom Plugs makes a resin glider that is very popular and available at the shop. Yo-Zuri makes a bait called the 3D twitchbait that has become very popular in recent years, which can be twitched and paused or straight retrieved. A true glider can just be straight retrieved, maybe with some twitches every few cranks and will swim with an S motion. The wider the better in my opinion. There are sinking and floating options, so again you have to play around with different types and find your style here. Westin makes a bait called the SW Swim in a couple different sizes that is another hard plastic option. Also, certain musky baits have gained popularity in the striper world like the ERC hellhound. To summarize, the round deep bodied glide baits are a must have.
Last but certainly not least are minnow plugs. I LOVE minnow plugs. I have way too many. Without getting more long winded than i already have, there are a few must haves. Daiwa SP minnows, Yo-Zuri Hydro minnows, Cotton Cordell 7” redfins, Yo-Zuri Mag Darters, and an assortment of Bombers are must haves. All sizes of each of these mentioned plugs have a place for sure. I tend to fish the bigger sizes of hydros and sps, and 17 long A Bombers. But they all have their place and time. In areas with tons of ambient light, I find something with some shine to be useful. For example, the bunker pattern sp minnow and colorways like it. For everything else, see the color patterns mentioned above. Emphasis on bone and blurple here….
I also fish straight soft plastics on weighted screw lock hooks, often. When the bite is slow, these baits fished like a Senko in freshwater will get it done. Mega Shads, Sluggos, Gravity GT eels, and others all get play. Hooks will be 6/0-12/0 and from unweighted to 3/4 oz keel weighted hooks. Owner beasts and BKK Titanriders are favorites hook wise.
Hope this helps, i could talk for hours on this stuff so i hope this all makes sense. Get out there this spring and enjoy yourselves, be respectful to others, anglers or not. Pick up after yourselves, and be careful sharing information frivolously. Access is more limited every year. We all need to do our part as stewards of what we hold dear. I know i can't wait. Tight lines to all…..
