tips for fishing the bays in the spring

[cowherder]

I see some guys are getting fish and others waiting. What are you guys doing to get fish? I'm not looking to areas to fish, but techniques. Mostly things that you do or look for in the back bays that are different from the ocean? What little things do you do differently that gives you success? If fishing was so easy then everyone would get keepers, but they don't. Thanks for any advice guys!:fishing:

[Tommy]

keep it on stripersandsangler. Put your time in.. Go out and have fun. Keep reading articles from Darkskies. He's the best ! Go :fishing:

[nitestrikes]

Think about the kinds of fish you are after. I'm assuming stripers. Early spring you will get a lot of smaller schoolies. You want to have fun with them, and throw them back quick. So use a smaller rod, maybe 7-8', medium action, until the big bass come in to spawn. You will enjoy yourself more and feel more strikes.

[surferman]

fish the high tides or you are wasting your time.

[mick2360]

Small baits, lighter line. Stealth.

[hookedonbass]

I'm out there around 2:00-2:30 am and give a few hours of my time.

[dogfish]

IWhat little things do you do differently that gives you success? If fishing was so easy then everyone would get keepers, but they don't.

It's all about the water temp. Near 40 and you want a presentation that sits on the bottom and doesn't move as the fish come in to feed as the bays warm up. They don't come in like gangbusters, more like slowly cruising submarines on autopilot. Worms or clam is the best choice for those temps. If you can find tapeworms in the mud all the better. You may have to do a little digging, it's worth it.

As the temps get more in the 50s use small presentations like small bombers, redfins, mini-darters. But the presentation is different for the spring. The colder the water the more you want to crawl that think along. Barely move it, crank real slow. You will know if the retrieve is right if you get bit or not.

[finchaser]

Follow Scout(DS) and his Swans:D

[DarkSkies]

^^That's what I'll be doing later today, scouting the RB and BB spots at the extreme low tide to see what changed over the winter.

Think I should give Killie a call and ask him if he wants to scout with me???

Nope, he's got Finchaser! :ROFLMAO :fishing:

[Frankiesurf]

Light leaders, stealthy approach.

I have learned a bit about fishing this winter while specifically targeting trout in skinny, clear streams. A stealth approach is key. No bright colors and light line. Try not to cast too hard and cast past where you think your quarry is holed up.

Natural presentation is also very important which, above all, equals bait.

[finchaser]

^^That's what I'll be doing later today, scouting the RB and BB spots at the extreme low tide to see what changed over the winter.

Think I should give Killie a call and ask him if he wants to scout with me???

Nope, he's got Finchaser! :ROFLMAO :fishing:

killie will be down next weekend,remember most spots will change by Spring but im sure the swans will put you on them

[gjb1969]

down size fish slow and try to mach what kind of bait is there look at what is there ie rocks rip rap sand bars cuts drop offs

[killie]

scout, eff that, I'm gonna get a new battery for my cel phone.
see ya in the spring :HappyWave:

[clamchucker]

Light leaders, stealthy approach.



Also think about downsizing your tackle. For the first few weeks, you will catch mostly small fish. A 7 or 8' rod and light duty reel is fine. Light weight sinkers if you are throwing clams. Above all you should hold the rod, as the early season fish are often light hitters.

[surfstix1963]

I fish in one spring spot reason is I put 3 seasons into this area to learn it I knew it was very productive consistently every spring for bass and decent ones not the spring schoolies when I want to pinpoint a spot I do it I don't care who's catching what where and when I stay put I may learn nothing but I wouldn't have learned that if I didn't try.Rivers are more productive in the spring from shore fish points,musselbeds along grasslines find the deep channels and holes they want to eat before spawning they know the bait is more concentrated in a confined spot(rivers w/ moving water)A little long but put your time in one spot you can't learn them all in a season.I put the time in and I know everything I need to know about that spot.

[7deadlyplugs]

I knew it was very productive consistently every spring for bass and decent ones... I put the time in and I know everything I need to know about that spot.

Good advice, thank you sir! And I would like to add you can't catch fish sitting at a computer!

[rip316]

scout, eff that, i'm gonna get a new battery for my cel phone.
See ya in the spring :happywave:

lmao

[surfstix1963]

Good advice, thank you sir! And I would like to add you can't catch fish sitting at a computer!I can't fish right now due to injuries but I can add my .02 cents for what it is worth LOL :d

[lostatsea]

For me personally, I have always done better with bait in the spring. I find the fish are moving slowly until there are a few days in a row that are in the sunny 50's. Bait is not too hard for them to find and they can just slurp it up.

[BassBuddah]

LAS, that's a good strategy unless there is small bait like spearing and killies around. Then you can get them on jigs at night. Very light jigs fished slowly with the rubber profile that matches the forage.

[nitestrikes]

Rivers are more productive in the spring from shore fish points,musselbeds along grasslines find the deep channels and holes they want to eat before spawning they know the bait is more concentrated in a confined spot(rivers w/ moving water)

I 2nd that, very good advice.
Get to know where the bait tends to hang out. By this I mean whitebait, but also learn the mudflats and shallow areas well, as they will warm up first and draw hungry bass in looking for the worms.

[ledhead36]

If you can find a source of tape worms in the mud you will be golden. Otherwise look for a dock or bridge that has some spearing around and throw small rubber or short small plastic plugs.

[fishinmission78]

^^ Plus think of the fall and the needlefish and sluggos. You know everyone concentrates on needles and sluggos in the fall. I already got one small bass with a weightless sluggo. You guys should think of throwing them in the early spring too. Crawl slowly.The early hits will be slight when the water is cold, more like bumps until the water gets into the 50s.

[cowherder]

Thanks fishinmission I will have to try that with smaller sluggos and needle fish.

[bababooey]

Sit at home.
Enjoy a cold frosty beverage, or said beverage with a shot or 2 of whiskey.:plastered:
Wait for the bird dogs from dark and his gang to get some decent fish.
Figure out if they are N or S where the fish are.
Wait another 2 weeks after that for bigger fish to get here.
Think about, thinking about, going fishing.:laugh:
Then find the "pattern" of blitz bigmouths on the internet, and get in on the actiion.
I guess that about covers it, any questions?:d

[finchaser]

Sit at home.
Enjoy a cold frosty beverage, or said beverage with a shot or 2 of whiskey.:plastered:
Wait for the bird dogs from dark and his gang to get some decent fish.
Figure out if they are N or S where the fish are.
Wait another 2 weeks after that for bigger fish to get here.
Think about, thinking about, going fishing.:laugh:
Then find the "pattern" of blitz bigmouths on the internet, and get in on the actiion.
I guess that about covers it, any questions?:d

Well spoken:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

[bababooey]

Better living and smarter fishing through the internet bigmouths, I always say.:rolleyes: :laugh:

[basshunter]

:clapping:I almost thought you and finchaser were sincere in your posts bababooey. I went from being angry to laughing in a few short seconds. Thanks for the antics and joking.

Here is my tip, not that great but maybe it can help. Do some checking, and see when the grass shrimp start to be active around the sod banks and bulkheads. I like to fish when the water is around 50. I know other guys will catch them in colder water but I feel there are more fish when it hits the 50 mark. Then put a curly tail white grub on a very small bucktail. Try for the slowest retrieve possible, about half as fast as when the water is warm. But you don't want the bucktail to drag on the bottom, thats why you use a light one. And I use very small plugs if I am plugging. Sometimes you could use freshwater rapalas, even. Hope that helps, and that everyone has a good season on here.

[bababooey]

^^ Shirley you can't be serious?:eek: :laugh: No problems here basshunter, life is too short for that. I like to get people to laugh at themselves or the situation they are in. Life is too short for fighting. We all get along here. And I would be honored to fish next to dark one day. Although I would be sure to stay 50' up wind of him to avoid the odors from the smelly waders he is known to wear.;)

[ledhead36]

^ I think you were just joking with that post. There will always blitz bigmouths, guys who need to hoist a fish (or 4) at a tackle shop photo op to feed their ego. The only way I know how to catch fish is to be out there. You will have nights where you hit it big time, like the lottery. Then the next night will be like the dead sea. As someone here said, that's fishing. But if you don't put time in you will never know.

[seamonkey]

But if you don't put time in you will never know.

Right on! I feel even when you get the skunk, you can learn from it. Like they say, you can't catch a fish sitting at home on a couch in front of the TV.

[stripercrazy]

Don't underestimate the value of chumming the bay in the spring. You can take some cheap cans of cat or dog food out with you. Make sure the pieces are small as you want to distribute the scent rather than feed them too much. Crack the cans open, scoop out the stuff, and throw it around. This would make the most sense if you were going to be there all day or night as it takes a while for the scent to get around. I think someone said the incoming is bad, maybe finchaser said that. It makes sense because you want the smell to go outward. So you should do it on the incoming, and you will definitely attract fish to your area. This also works when the bay water is muddy, and the fish have trouble findin food because of the clarity.So you wanrt them to smell it first.

[wish4fish]

i got sum bass last nite but it was at the end of the tide so if u wanna catch in the bays wit skinny water and dont want to keep walking back 500 feet to the shore u can shuck the clams first and put them in a double ziplok bag and put the bag in ur pocket.

[DarkSkies]

I posted this in the NJ reports and thought once that passes, some might like to come back and read it. I'm therefore posting it here.



To be on top of your game, scouting has helped me tremendously. And I ain't talking about scouting for swans and geese. :kooky: :laugh: Some would think that's all I do, but the reality is, I put much of my confidence in my scouting trips.

What if they move over 1 mile from where they were, or move a few towns away? :huh: I'm constantly asking myself "why" this is happening, and what factors (wind, tide, and presence of bait varieties) are most likely causing this.

I can also tell you the RB has been a vast wasteland for me this year. Some of my "Hail Mary" spots have been devoid of small bait, other than grass shrimp, thus far for long periods of time. There were some nice winter spearing around 3 weeks ago, Their presence held the fish in one area for 6 days, that was a sweet fishery for a lot of guys, bait and artificial.

Conditions change all the time. Despite calling it a vast wasteland, the RB/NY Bight area is still one of my favorite places to fish. :thumbsup: It's potential to hold fish is tremendous, as long as there are varieties of forage fish other than bunker in a particular area. As finchaser and others have said, bunker act like a vacuum in some areas. They draw big fish to them like a vacuum, and suck them out of that area when they leave.

How I deal with all of this:
I'm moving around a lot more, picking up a fish, staying for awhile, or having no action at all, and moving quickly when I see that's the case.

How I deal with the snags and obstacles:
I scout like a fiend every year, like it's my first time. I scout after major storms to see if there are any changes in cuts, valleys/sloughs, and creek mouths. When you find a productive drain/creek mouth, if you're pitching to the top of the sandbar at high tide, likely you are wasting your time unless you have previously scouted and really have an understanding where the drop-off is. Fish are likely to stack up there in strong tides.

I also know where most of the tires, shopping carts, and cables are, because I have lost many a jig to them. It's in my best interest to make mental notes of any new ones each time.

When I do this:
Usually at the end of my trip. Let's say you fished the whole tide, the water has dropped out, and the activity has come to a screeching halt. Do you just bag it and go home at that point? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/smilies/don't%20know%20why.gif
I don't - I selectively try to learn even more by walking out in the bay to areas I normally can't reach. This is killer during new or full moon tideshttp://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.png and something I would recommend to anyone who wants to increase their catch numbers. Please be aware that during moon tides, the bay can flood quickly and you can run into trouble if not prepared. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking of the bay as one flat bowl with gradually decreasing depths. There are countless trype of structure as described above.

So when I say I try my best to get to know the bay each year, I can say that with confidence because I've put a lot of work in. I've seen that certain tides (ebb or flood) seem to be most productive, and fish that knowledge until I notice those conditions changing. Then, I change my assumptions and game plan accordingly.