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NY, NJ, CT, RI Edition
November 03, 2009
Volume 20 � Number 10
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Nor'east Saltwater Online Magazine powered by:
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Trolling the Fall Run
by John Lutchka
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Every fisherman I know along the striper coast gets excited twice a year, anticipating the spring striper migration and again during the fall migration. During these times when stripers move in large masses, a lot of things are predictable and even during the summer months you can certainly target stripers but things are not as predictable for various reasons. But let’s focus on the “Fall Run” as many who read this article are already pumped up about getting out and finding their trophy.
The Migration
Stripers begin to school up and feed as they begin their trek to their winter fresh water breeding grounds and that means for our region that striped bass will filter down from areas as far north as Nova Scotia to head back to places like the Hudson River, the Delaware River and even as far south as the Chesapeake Bay. These fish key on baits like menhaden/bunker, peanut bunker, sand eels, bay anchovies/rain fish, herring and many other forage including crustaceans. During this run I am one who enjoys trolling some of the largest spoons, tubes, and plugs on a variety of outfits from braid to wire.
Trophy Hunting
Over the past 5-8 seasons our fall runs have been mostly small stripers unlike the cows we see in the spring. No one to my knowledge can explain why this is so and I have heard everything from, “Stripers are heading offshore and are following the squid” or “Many are simply running offshore and are wintering over in the warmer waters of Virginia before making their spawning run up the rivers”. Hey, I can’t answer this but all I know is that we have seen smaller fish but within these schools there are the occasional lunkers and these are the fish we are seeking.
The fall run is more visual and the more aggressive fish seem to push the bait to the surface and it is not before long where flocks of sea birds are in on the feast. Gannets are seen bombing with spectacular splashes as they dive down deep to feast on herring. Gulls are hovering inches above the water picking off helpless bay anchovies while stripers are seen with their backs and heads coming completely out of the water. But, where are the bigger bass and how should I target them, and what do I need for a day on the water?
Trophy killer spoons like these can be very effective on huge bass during the fall run!
Your checklist…
I want to provide you with a checklist as you prepare your boat for a trolling expedition and these are some of the items that are on my 21CC Contender.
1. Outrodders – These fit in your gunwale rod holder and provide you with a horizontal rod presentation, offering you a wider spread which is necessary when trolling bunker spoons. Companies like Reliable, EZ Outrodder, and Tournament Grade Tackle make these products.
2. Lanyards for your rods – I use at least a 10-foot lanyard or leash and they clip to your reel and are secured to a cleat on your boat. This prevents your rod from being pulled into the water and if it is, you can easily grab the lanyard and pull your combo back into the boat. A rod can be pulled into the water if you venture into shallow water and your spoon or lure snags bottom and before you know it, it jettisons into the water.
3. Reels – For wire line trolling I use PENN 4/0 and 6/0 Senators with Malin stainless wire that is pre-marked every 50 feet. Shimano Tekotas are also a nice option for wire. If you like to troll with braid like I do, you can downsize to reels like the PENN 320GTI, 330LD and the Shakespeare Arsenal series with a line counter.
4. Rods – For trolling umbrella rigs I like the stout Penn Senator wire line rods as they are shorter and provide plenty of backbone to pull rigs that create a lot of drag like shad rigs. For bunker spoons and deep diving plugs I like the Seeker 1153M series in both the 8 and 9-foot lengths. They are also perfect for braid too and it is simply a matter of switching out your reels.
5. Bunker Spoons – I have tried them all and I like the Striper Spoons and the Wil-Arm spoons by the OB Fish Company. I have all sizes and all different colors as I select them based on forage fish present, water clarity, and size. I always buy them in pairs as you should always troll similar products by brand on each rod as mixing and matching unlike brands may not work well together.
6. Umbrella Rigs – I prefer the tangle free 9ers series as they make everything from shad rigs to tube rigs and are very versatile and store quickly and nicely in small boats. Always have at least 3-4 rigged and ready on your boat. Also, a supply of replacement shad bodies so you can easily replace them and get back in the action.
7. Deep Diving Plugs – Companies like Yo-Zuri, Manns Bait Co., Bomber, and Rapala make some great plugs and are available in various running depths. I am partial to the chicken scratch color, red head with a white body and a mackerel pattern.
8. Scent – I have been using the Bio-Edge products and apply them to all my spoons and lures as scent is a key factor while on the troll.
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9. Leaders & Swivels – I carry both monofilament and fluorocarbon leader in ranges of 60 to 130-pound test with 160 to 200-pound Spro snap swivels.
10. Wire and Braid – I have used Malin 40lb. and 60lb. pre-marked wire for many years and like their products very much and folks like American Fishing Wire also make stainless and monel wire. As for braid, I use Power Pro in 65-pound test Yellow. I can mark it with a sharpie marker but I also use a line counter on my rod and have reels with line counters built in.
11. Planers and Small Trolling Plugs - Sea Striker makes a great family of planers and their “how to” information on their site is something I would suggest everyone read as it is very well written. Clark Spoons and Gothca lures are also great for trolling up a wide variety of fish like albies and bluefish who join the stripers on their fall run.
12. Net – A quality net from Frabill is a must and they offer the most complete array of sizes and I carry quite a few different sizes.
13. Tools – X-tool and Berkley make hookout tools, pliers, and other types of tools to help get your hooks out fast so you can return your fish to swim again and get back into the action.
14. Drail Sinkers – Inline drails in 4, 8 and 12 ounces help get my umbrella rigs and spoons down to an even greater depth if needed.
15. Chum Bag – Yes, I will pull a chum bag that is tied off my rear cleat so as to induce a bite and create a scent trail while on the troll. Ground up menhaden and other freeze dried chum work very well while being trolled when visual activity or bait is not present.
16. Tube and Worm – I like the T-Man products along with some of the larger surgical tubes and tip them with Berkley Gulp sandworms. Colors of choice are burgundy, black and clear. I find the fluorescent orange and reds draw more bluefish than bass.
17. 6 and 9-inch Rubber Shads – Trolled on wire or braid these large single shads are very effective and folks like Storm and Panther Martin make them and my favorite colors are pearl and bunker. The pearl colored shads can be colored with a variety of markers that can be found in many tackle shops and I carry a black, red, and chartreuse marker as I can customize them on the boat in 20 seconds to my liking. I also apply the Bio-Edge scents to them in a variety of scents.
18. Mojo’s, large Bucktails with pork rind, and soft baits like Hogys. These can be very versatile baits when using the sweeping the floor motion with a rod in hand. The sudden surge forward and then drop will definitely ignite the attack mode of any predator.
With the right trolling terminal gear, double headers and more can be common.
The above sounds like a lot to have onboard but I always believe in preparation. Why not have a variety of products available to you just in case fish are not keyed in on shad rigs and they prefer burgundy tube rigs? You would not go to war with a gun with one bullet would you? Why not bring your spoons, plugs, and umbrella rigs and give them all a shot until you find what works.
On my Long Run Fishing Charters website I have posted a few trolling articles with very specific information on the workings of things such as spoons, marking wire, boat speed, fighting and landing your fish, and how to use your electronics to find the fish. Do not be overwhelmed with the list of products you need for a day on the water as you can start with a few and add more over time as you get more confident using what you have.
The best strategy for trolling the fall run if you are looking for quality and size vs. quantity and smaller fish is using your electronics and using a large Striper Spoon vs. a smaller plug as my personal best fish are caught this way. I do not pursue the breaking fish on the surface as I am concentrating on what is going on behind the school and watching the size of the arcs on my Simrad NX-45 fish finder and where the largest arcs appear. It is here where I drop my lures into these strike zones at the exact feeding depth.
The fall is a time where fish are abundant and a great time to learn and experiment with a variety of products to get fish on the troll. Listed are websites that will assist you in acquiring the right products for trolling the fall run.
Please support your local tackle shop as they carry these products
www.pennreels.com
www.shimano.com
www.seastriker.com
www.longrunfishingcharters.com
www.malinco.com
www.yo-zuri.com
www.mannsbait.com
www.spro.com
www.frabill.com
www.shakespeare-fishing.com
www.xtools.us
www.bioedgefishing.com
www.striperspoons.com
www.lurenet.com
www.rapala.com
www.tgttackle.com
www.powerpro.com
www.obfish.com
www.berkley-fishing.com
www.feedingfrenzychum.com
www.tmancustomtackle.com
www.hogylures.net
www.9erslures.com
Editor’s Note: Capt. John Luchka of Long Run Fishing Charters is a noted TV personality, tournament winning angler and national writer.
With the right trolling terminal gear, double headers and more can be common.
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