Cocahoes Rule the Early Action

A Cocahoe Minnow mounted on a 3/4 oz.
jighead has been THE lure to use in the early
going.  In this photo of a fish I landed
tonight, the lure is a larger Queen Cocahoe.

Once again, the Cocahoe Minnow is killing it in the early going. This fan tailed lure is just about all you need to catch stripers in the spring surf along the RI oceanfront.  Pair this with jigheads of assorted sizes and you are good to go. I especially like the "Queen" Cocahoe, a plastic minnow in a glow or white color that measures 4 inches long.  Many fishermen like the regular three inch size.
This week I have been fishing a lot of rough surf, and I that Queen Cocahoe paired with a 3/4 oz. jighead has been my best producer.  I like to use the smaller Cocahoe with smaller jigheads when the water turns calm and the fish tend to be a bit more fussy.
While many fishermen will just cast and retrieve this lure slowly near the bottom, I like to give it a bit more action by pulling the rod tip occasionally on the slow retrieve.  This makes the Cocahoe move up and down rather than tracking straight in. Tonight I was getting a lot of fish and hits when the lure dropped down after a pull of the rod tip.  Sometimes a pause in your retrieve will also get a striper to hit since they are often following this lure and will tend to hit it when the lure does something different like a pause or dropping down.
Regardless of how you fish it, the Cocahoe is BY FAR the best lure to use in the early going for schoolies and small keepers.

SOME

Here's the first one of the year for me.  I've gotten some in the
last few days, but have not run into big numbers of fish.

I've been out fishing a lot in the last few days, and I can report that there are some stripers around. Some. There has been no big numbers of fish in this initial push of migrating fish, and I am guessing that most of the guys and gals who have been trying along the south shore have not gotten anything yet. The big numbers are just not here yet. But, I have landed some in the last few days, and that is the start of it for me.
As I have preached all along, Cocahoes have caught all the fish for me.  Most of the fish I am catching have been in the 16 to 20 inch range, typical for the first arrivals, but I also had a near keeper yesterday.  All of these are fresh sea run fish because they are bright colors and loaded with sea lice.
It's only a matter of time, maybe a few days, until we really begin to see big numbers of schoolies and maybe even some small keepers.

Jigs Rule the Early Season

Plastics on jigheads rule
the early season striper
fishiing

If you are looking for the full story
on early season striper fishing, check out
my latest article in The Fisherman magazine
titles "Spring Stripers from the Bottom Up".

Unlike the rest of the year, fishing for stripers in the early season is quite simple. Jigs rule. It's a fan tailed lure like the Cocahoe that shines along the oceanfront while fork tailed lures like a Zoom fluke does the job in Gansett Bay. Light colors or all white is the color choice.  Pack a bunch of jigheads in the half to 3/4 ounce range. That's it for the first two weeks of fishing.
I especially like the Cocahoe minnow mounted on a half or 5/8 oz. jighead (might go larger in rough water) along the oceanfront where the migrating fish will appear first. I use both the three and four inch models in a glow or white color. Nothing complicated about using it.  Simply cast, let it sink and reel in. The back and forth swimming of the fan tail will get the stripers to hit.
If you are looking for the scoop and more details about early season fishing with jigs, check out my latest story in The Fisherman magazine in the April issue.

Coming Attractions

I did a show the other night in Braintree, MA for the Mass Striped Bass Association.  The talk around the club was that everyone couldn't wait until the striper season gets started.
It won't be long now as the calendar soon moves to April, the month that starts our season here in RI.
Here are a few highlights of what to expect:

Expect the initial surge of migrating stripers to hit the RI
Oceanfront from April 15 to April 20th.

When? -I expect to see the first stripers along the RI oceanfront to show from April 15 to April 20.  If we suddenly get a warm spell, it could be earlier. If this cool spring weather persists, it could be a bit later. But, it will happen in April. The Bay will start to produce about a week to 10 days after the first ones are taken along the oceanfront.
How many?- Expect that initial surge to be memorable.  Last year there were tons of schoolies around, and I see a big surge of migrating fish hitting our shores. We'll go from one or two fish being caught to a glut of them in a matter of a few days.
How Big?- Last year saw record numbers of stripers in the 20 to 24 inch range.  They grow about 4 inches a year when schoolies.  It should be loaded with fish in the 24 to 28 inch range.  While early spring typically delivers tons of schoolies, expect to see good numbers of small keepers in the 28 to 32 inch range.  I suspect the larger fish over 36 inches will be scarce again this year.
What to use?- Jigs of all kinds rule in the early going. The very best lure will be a white Cocahoe Minnow threaded onto a jighead. Other jigs such as other fan tailed plastics, bucktails and Storm shads should also catch.  Leave the topwater plugs at home. They won't work until the water warms. Light tackle is generally preferred in the early going.
Where?- I'll let you figure that one out.  But, I will say this.  While tons of guys often congreagate in one spot, there's about 15 miles of fishable shoreline along the south shore of RI.  They are not all in one spot!

River's End Striper Surf Day....Sat., March 9

My next stop on my seminar tour for 2019 will be the River's End Striper Surf Day on Saturday, March 9.  This event is put on by River's End Tackle, 440 Boston Post Rd., Old Saybrook, CT. This is a very popular event with CT and southern RI striper fishermen and is a very well attended event.  The day's events run from 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM and feature seminars, raffles, demonstrations, factory reps, and tackle galore. The event is all free from the parking to the food to the seminars.  You can find more information here: http://www.thefisherman.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.eventdetail&EventID=1430
Hope to see many of you there!

Onto The Springfield Sportsmen's Show....Feb. 22 to Feb. 24

The next stop on my winter seminar schedule is the Springfield Sportsmen's Show.  This is one of New England's biggest outdoor shows.  The venue is the Big E (Exposition Center) in Springfield, MA.  The show runs from Fri., Feb. 22 to Sunday, Feb. 24.  I have been doing this show for years, and I have found it to be a very popular event with show goers from western New England. Generally the show is filled with everything outdoorsy....hunting, fishing, boating and other outdoor adventures. There are tackle dealers, outfitters and loads of vendors.
I will be doing seminars there on Saturday, Feb. 23.  At 11:00 AM, I will be doing my "Understanding Carp Fishing" seminar.  At 2:30 PM, I will be doing my "Stripers on Artificials" seminar. 
For more info on this show, check it out here. http://www.osegsportsmens.com/

New Fishing/Outdoor Show Coming to CT.....CT Outdoor Expo.....Feb. 15-17

A brand new outdoor and fishing show is coming in a couple of weeks to CT.  The CT Outdoor Expo will be held at the Mohegan Sun Expo Center. This show is being run by the same people who have been running the very successful New England Fishing Expo in Boxboro, MA.
Similar to the Boxboro show, this show will have an all star line-up of seminar speakers to talk about fishing. They will also have loads of booths and vendors. I will be at this show on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 11:00 AM  to run my latest seminar, Stripers on Artificials. You can find all the info and the seminar schedule on the website linked above.
Hope to see many of you there.