CTFishTalk.com: Striper advice in CT - Connecticut Saltwater Reports ( CT Saltwater Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

akarob · Joined: 30 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

I've been out 3 or 4 times at night recently with a couple other guys on kayaks and I'm having some trouble getting action. I've been in the Pawcatuck and Thames using swimming lures like broken-backs.

I know they are there because we "roll" a lot of them on the surface. They're not active though.

Can anyone advise on where to go and what to use? Are they more out in the sound now?

Thanks in advance.

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

Try using a slow top water bait... Alot of them are starting to spawn rightn ow the eggs are ripe in the females.... Been using live bunker too..

akarob · Joined: 30 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

I went out the other night and got a fish hooked up using bunker. It shook off before I got it landed but it was better than getting skunked. Definitely a 20 something incher.

I also did a long troll using a broken back near the shore but didn't get any action. I'll stick with bait for a little while.

ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

If the Stripers up the river are feeding on sand eels, bunker, kellies, shiners, crabs or whatever it may be you have to match the hatch much like trout fishing.
For example if stripers are crashing sand eels then most likely a popper or rubber shad most likely won`t work.
If they want live bunker, don`t give them dead bunker
If they want dead bunker don`t give them live bunker

1 more thind to recall as the water heats up the bigger the fish the lazier they get.
_________________
The King of Long Island Sound.

akarob · Joined: 30 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

So you aren't catching them either? I was hoping for some response like "I was in ___ river using ___ and I was slaying them.

Do stripers eat crabs? I know there are plenty of blue crabs in the area. They love my bait.

ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

I gave you the basic tools to catch stripers in the river.
Am I going to tell you what I use and how I do it to catch fish or where I fish? NO!
Put your time in ,make your mistakes and learn along the way. You will appreciate much more in the end.

Yes stripers do eat crabs but using blue crabs as bait in connecticut is not legal but they do make a blue crab mimic bait sold in stores.
FYI- I am often fishing the Housy, Connecticut and Thames rivers and have scored numerous fish 30 plus pounds this year.
_________________
The King of Long Island Sound.

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

akarob · Joined: 30 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

Well can you at least give me the GPS coodinates of the last few 30 pounders you caught? Laughing

They were going after the small crabs last night as far as I could tell. I had some bait but didn't get any strikes. I did see a bunch of small crabs swimming up to the top. They must have been eating them.

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

small crabs tend to do that pre-spawn season.... weird how things go but yea.... they be looking for food and worms that swim around the water.......small fish too...

akarob · Joined: 30 Jun 2010 Posts: 6

Thanks man, I think I need to go outside the mouth of the river for good action. Again, just a hunch, but it's deeper and rockier out there. I doubt I'll have a change before next week though.

If anyone wants to team up for some evening Thames River or other shoreline fishing, let me know. Going alone can get sketchy.

I was also wondering about another technique that I haven't seen mentioned. Basically, I was thinking of using light tackle and catching some small fish near shore and using them for bait in deeper waters. Does anyone use this method?

asianfisher · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 920

live bunker.....

Just4fun · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 1389 Location: Saybrook

If they are rolling on your baits but not quite biting them then you need to do the following:
- Try a smaller bait
- Try a larger bait
- Try faster
- try slower
- try more erratic
- try a bait that hits a different part of the water column
_________________
"If people concentrated more on the really important things in life there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."
Mark

tsavfish · Joined: 27 Dec 2009 Posts: 6

all that advice is well and good but really all you need in the kayaks is bubble gum tube and worm 80 feet back troll at about 1.5 mph almost to easy
_________________
Tom Savage

Live The Code
"FEAR NO FISH"