Friday, September 25, 2020

Big Waves Calm Down, Striper Fishing Perks Up

 

This near keeper hit a jig off an egg float.
The jig has a Fat Cow jig strip added.
Those strips have been very 
effective this fall

The last few days saw some of the best striper fishing for us in the last month along the oceanfront. My son Jon and I had big numbers of fish both in the daylight and after dark. While most of the fish were hefty schoolies, we also landed at least a dozen slot limit keepers of 28 to 32 inches.  This is the first time I have seen good numbers of keeper stripers around in RI, and I think this is a preview of what's to come this fall.

Bait has also returned as the hurricane waves have calmed down.  Schools of peanut bunker are fueling this improved fishing.  Find the bait and you will most likely find the fish.

The hot lures for us this week along the oceanfront have been the float and jig, big bucktail jigs and light colored swimmers after dark like a Daiwa SP Minnow in a bone color. In the Bay we have scored well with spook type topwater plugs like the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil.

While the striper fishing has perked up, albies are still few and far between here in RI. I hate to say this but I believe the window is slowly closing on the albie season. It was short and sweet and great while it lasted.