chunking
10-12-2004, 08:43 AM
I love the rips. I just hate fishing them.
Sometimes especially early in the striper season the run to the rips can be a little depressing. Kind of like the feeling when you pull into a mall parking lot during Christmas shopping season. Some beginners are intimidated by the rips. They want to catch a striper but so many boats and fisherman ready to snap your head off if you do something wrong. Then you have the rip water combined with boat wakes and a little breeze and pretty soon the fun begins to fizzle.
Last year I fished the rips four times and caught more stripers than I deserved. Ocean, Delaware Bay and back bays all produced quality fish while avoiding the parking lot at the rips.
Pick a spot, drop the anchor and chum the fish to the hook. Clams and clam juice will do the trick and save you gas and travel time. Fresh bunker and the right spot will save you gas and catch some big fish. On a good day I can have fish in the boat before I could have even made it to the rips.
We have chunked clam 500 feet from our dock and limited out. We have anchored anywhere off the beach and never moved while constantly catching fish. Same thing for Delaware Bay. It can be so much fun catching stripers with no other boats around.
If you want to take some kids out for a striper trip youu may want to think about some quiet water to ween them on. When the wind is howling and the big waters are rough just slip into the back bays and find a protected spot to fish. The stripers will find you and your clam. Boat to small for the big water then anchor in the back and catch some quality fish.
The rips are great for stripers but they aren't the only place to fish.
Sometimes especially early in the striper season the run to the rips can be a little depressing. Kind of like the feeling when you pull into a mall parking lot during Christmas shopping season. Some beginners are intimidated by the rips. They want to catch a striper but so many boats and fisherman ready to snap your head off if you do something wrong. Then you have the rip water combined with boat wakes and a little breeze and pretty soon the fun begins to fizzle.
Last year I fished the rips four times and caught more stripers than I deserved. Ocean, Delaware Bay and back bays all produced quality fish while avoiding the parking lot at the rips.
Pick a spot, drop the anchor and chum the fish to the hook. Clams and clam juice will do the trick and save you gas and travel time. Fresh bunker and the right spot will save you gas and catch some big fish. On a good day I can have fish in the boat before I could have even made it to the rips.
We have chunked clam 500 feet from our dock and limited out. We have anchored anywhere off the beach and never moved while constantly catching fish. Same thing for Delaware Bay. It can be so much fun catching stripers with no other boats around.
If you want to take some kids out for a striper trip youu may want to think about some quiet water to ween them on. When the wind is howling and the big waters are rough just slip into the back bays and find a protected spot to fish. The stripers will find you and your clam. Boat to small for the big water then anchor in the back and catch some quality fish.
The rips are great for stripers but they aren't the only place to fish.