[capt.snagalot]

hey guys this is my first post...too bad it couldnt have been with a fishing report. anyways on jan. 2nd of this year i went trolling for stripers down off of Virgina Beach. we did really well we with 8 fish 31" to 43". we trolled with mojos and manns and i was wondering if anyone could tell me why people usually dont troll up here. is there a lack of structure? anyways thanks in advance for any imput.

 

[BIGGESTJACK]

I MYSELF AND I THINK ITS BREEDING WITH THE FISHERMAN IS THE REASON WE DON'T,WHEN THEY FIX THE DEFECT IN US WE WILL.WELCOME TO THE BARN LOOK FORWARD TO YOU POSTS.
TROLLING IS AN OTHER TOOL THAT CAN BE USED,ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL I THINK ITS MORE FUN TO CATCH FROM A STOPPED BOAT.LAST YEAR THERE WAS MORE TROLLING IN SOUTH JERSEY FOR STRIPERS THAN I HAVE SEEN.I KNOW THE CHUMSTAIN CAUGHT A FEW AND I CAUGHT A BUNCH TROLLING THE BACK CREEKS,BUT THEY WERE NOT KEEPERS.I CAN'T COMPARE THE STRUCTURE OF VIR. TO SOUTH JERSEY BUT PHIL MIGHT SEE THIS THREAD AND TELL US HE FISHES BOTH AREAS.

[ 02-06-2004, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: BIGGESTJACK ]

 

[WETDREAM]

Welcome aboard! I fish the del bay and chessy and have pondered the same question. There are a few things I've noticed. On the chessy it seems trolling, lure casting and live lining are used more than fishermen on the DB. On the DB side it seems chunking bunker is used more. Though all tactics work at times and in certain areas there are reasons why the DB side anchors up more. More boats in hot spots prevents trolling or more fights would break out. Anchoring saves gas It also seems the tide moves faster on the DB so why troll when your doing it anyway anchored up. On a really ripping tide out by the channel anchored up I put out quite a wake. I personnally like anchoring up and chunking. Saves gas. Don't have to run all around. Less tangled lines. Able to pay more attention to fishing than the helm. As captain I would be the one wouldn't be able to reela fish very often. I can go by meyself. And most of all.....IT WORKS
JMHO....I sure others will chime in.
Max(WETDREAM)

 

[Captblock]

Welcome Capt!
Too many boats anchored up chunking where the fish hang out. You will piss too many people off if you start trolling in a fleet of boats.

I have never trolled for stripers before but would like to try it some day. I think it might have something to do with the clarity of the water. I know the clarity of the water is not very good in the upper bay. I know some fishermen have trolled for stripers with great success in the lower bay.

When you have so much success chunking, why should we troll for stripers. That is like, why try to fix it when it is not broken. You will see more anglers try trolling when the bite is not good on the hook.

 

[NJAngler Bill]

The fish don't have rules, and neither should we! Don't be afraid to do something up here just because others aren't doing it. Trolling WILL catch'em real good in many locations, but, as suggested above, ya gotta watch you don't interfere with what others are doing.

A thought on Del Bay stripers...

They do indeed behave differently than "coastal" bass, and I think think has to do with the fact that on any given day there's so much bunker thrown off anglers' boats that the fish tune into that and don't really need to aggressively chase down other prey. They become almost like big saltwater catfish...scouring the bottom for bunker chunks and the like. The majority of Del Bay bass that we kept last year had only bunker heads in their stomachs...heads that were sliced off clean with a knife.

Head a few miles south and make the turn around Cape May Point and it's a whole different ball game, but up in the bay the fish behave differently.

Having said all of that, Del Bay fish can still be caught trolling, or even casting plugs around structures. More experimentation is needed here, so have at it!

 

[TheAdamBomb]

Trolling produces well, but like others have said, just make sure you don't interfere with other boats using different tactics. We don't troll too much, but have trolled some deep diving plugs like the Mann's Stretch with success.

 

[capt.snagalot]

alright guys thanks for shed a little light on that one.....hope everything is well with everyone and hopefully the weather will get warmer soon....good luck to all fishermen this upcoming spring

 

[RodFather]

A persoanl goal for myself this year is to catch a Bass or two on the troll, so look out all you guys on the hook

 

[Slammer3]

I know a few guys from the marina I dock at did it last year with the manns rapalas and zorie lures and did o.k. with them,biggest was about 25lbs.,they seemed to get alot of 30" fish and slots.they trolled 20ft.slew,brandy and 14ft area.
They are planning to do more serious trolling on the spring run,I think they will be sucessfull.

 

[wish2fish]

Welcome to the Barn. Some people were trolling in the fall down around 14 ft and brandywine. Like was stated in other posts it seems the smaller fish were the ones being caught. Slammer, I think the friends you mentioned were right by me one day in Nov. They kept their distance and just kept cutting shoreline to 14 ft back and forth. It was fun watching them and listening to their radio chatter. there's a nice drop off around there and they did have some action. it was a little on the w***y side that day. But we stayed with it and caught quite a few nice fish(including my 50/50 ) on the outgoing.

 

[eh009us]

Went out with Beach Bum fishing charters in Oregon inlet NC a few years ago. Open 21' CC. Thanksgiving week. Trolled the inlet ocean side with 2oz. jigs and soft plastics fairly quickly near the shoals. Picked up 2 each over 35 lbs. Biggest over 42 lbs. Froze but had fun. Don't see it much around here though. Probably 'cause a lot of guys anchor with the tide moving?????

 

[CaptG]

We started trolling for bass in the DBay this fall. I was surprised how hard bass hit the shad umbrella rigs we were trolling. I'm gonna try it alot more this spring using a variety if methods like big bunker spoons, jigging parachutes, etc.. It's a more hands on approach than chunking, which can be downright boring at times. While trolling, you are constantly using your electronics, adjusting boat speed, depths, jigging etc.. it's a team approach to fishing, adds to the challenge a bit but when you get it right, it is probably the most effective way to catch em!

[ 02-08-2004, 01:08 PM: Message edited by: CaptG ]

 

[capt.snagalot]

i was wandering if anybody trolls up by ocean city and where people usually troll at(im not askin for fishermen to reveal their "secret" spot though)lol

 

[BIGGESTJACK]

WHEN THE CHUNKERS ARE OUT IN FORCE I STILL THINK THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR TROLLING WITHOUT HINDERING WHAT THEY ARE DOING.THE SAME IS TRUE IN THE RIPS,THERE ARE AN AWFUL LOT OF RIPS BETWEEN THE BIG RIP AND THE 8'S.I PLAN ON DOING A DECENT AMOUNT OF TROLLING AND CHUNKING.MAYBE EVEN CATCHING.

 

[BIGGESTJACK]

D F P

[ 02-08-2004, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: BIGGESTJACK ]

 

[diger]

I don't fish for stripers that often but when
I do... trolling is my prefered method.

 

[captainbadfinger]

I think you should troll spreader bars behind big noisey birds through the chunking fleet in the pond,I am sure they won`t mind at all

J.K Welcome to the barn,try stretch 25 Mann`s,they work great.

 

[Slammer3]

Snagaolt,the first thing I would do before even thinking about trolling is to get a good chart of the bay,start looking for drop offs,slews etc,put the numbers in the gps and start a combo of a few different colors and try to troll on the breaks,there are plenty of good spot,mall,14ft.lite and branywine have plenty of good breaks,I would start out about 4 knts and go from there. Blue was pretty good,black worked also,never heard anyone trying an umbrella rig with shads,but I would bet that would be a kick some striper butt when the bunker are in heavy.Good luck if you troll for them,post it on the board and let us know how you did,good or bad.

 

[beachblitz]

Trolling is prevelent outside of Barnegat. Seems the bass are on the move since there is little to concentrate them in specific areas. Chunking is not used since the fish move frequently and feed specifically on migrating forage. Everyone prefers jigging, but that is an infrequent opportunity. Usually very early or late since the traffic puts the bass down and scatters them. In between, you need to move around to find the bait concentrations and the fish that follow them. Trolling imitates the forage such as bunkers, herring or sand eels. Given a choice, most would avoid trolling because of the effort (heavier tackle, longer lines) and noise and expense of running the motor. But that is usually what works between 9 and 5. Catches all sizes, with multiples common on umbrellas.

 

[aquasport190]

We troll the middle Chesapeake from mid April until mid-May, then start again in November. We pull umbrellas in the spring with no weight as the fish are higher in the water column. We pull Stretch 25s in the fall when the bass are down deeper. Stretch 25s can really foul a spread when they get "squirrely" so watch the lines carefully when making a turn.