If you love fishing for striped bass, there is little doubt that you have found that they are easiest to land in areas where there are numerous structures. Whether it is boulder piles, reefs or wrecks, they seem to attract striped bass. If you have ever fished along the Connecticut side of Long Island you are probably familiar with some of the popular reefs in that area. Remember the height of a reef is not always important, instead, you are interested in the steepness of the hill. You may find fish in water as deep as eighty feet or you may be surprised by finding a school in as little as ten feet of water. Funnel formations are the reasons that reefs are such great ambush points for striped bass. They allow you to spread bait across the water column which then flows down and over the crest, and once the tide flows up the hill, the bait gets carried along to the crest of the peak. This is typically where the striped bass are waiting to feed, and depth does not matter in these cases. The better the funnel shape, the more likely you will be to have success landing striped bass. The crest of the reef is approximately the same as the reef line.

Fish finders and GPS systems are nearly requirements when you’re angling for striped bass. They will help you identify the best fishing areas. Don’t be too concerned about not finding the stripers on the fish finder – even with the best technology their habit of sticking close to the sides of their hide-away makes it hard to find them. You will find the most success if you start out in waters about 20 feet deeper than the reef crest. You want your boat so that it is drifting, and then drop your line over the side and make sure it goes all the way to the bottom. If you’re having a challenge getting to the bottom simply add a bit of weight and you should solve that problem fairly easily. The ideal depth for stripers is between three and six feet from the bottom so you’ll want to make sure you stay in that zone as much as possible. You will want to try to make sure that your line stays nearly vertical – this allows for better line management. As your boat drifts, you’ll find a variety of bottoms so you’ll have to make sure that you pay attention. You’ll quickly get accustomed to the feel that your line has once it hits bottom – crank up your reel if your sinker hits the bottom.

As you travel around in your boat, you’ll find that you need to keep an eye out for specific landmarks while you’re drifting. This will help you map the area where you are getting hits. Using visual landmarks along with your GPS and fish-finder can be a major help when you are fishing unfamiliar areas. In general, if you find one striper in the area, there are sure to be more there. Your fish finder may not be a lot of help when you’re scanning for the simple reason that stripers tend to hug the sides of the structures they are hiding in. Unusually shaped structures in the area are likely to be hotbeds of stripers since they are drawn to large boulders, sharp drops in depth and piles that are different from the rest of the area.

You’ll almost always find striped bass on the upside of a hill but you may also find them on the downside. You will most likely need to do some testing to find out where the stripers are feeding and once you find out you will have a great deal of success. Keeping your line at the proper depth is critical – your bait should not be less than three feet and not more than six feet from the bottom. You might also get caught off guard with occasional fish or two landing on your rod while it’s in the rod holder.

If you are looking for a more secure way of catching stripers, you should be considering a 5/0 or 6/0 circle hook when you are using eels for bait. These circle hooks do not require a hook to be set, you simply need to let out the slack and reel it up or lift the tip. Most anglers agree that there is little (if any at all) downside to the circle hook. If you are using menhaden, hickory shad or scup for bait, you will want to switch to the 8/0 circle hook.

When you are getting prepared for a saltwater fishing adventure, having the proper equipment is essential. Some of the most popular products on the market include shimano spinning reel, okuma fishing reels, and van staal fishing reels.