Striped Bass Tackle & Bait Guide: Rods, Lures and Technique

Meet the Striped Bass

Striped bass, usually just called stripers, are one of the best fish you can hook on Long Island Sound. They have sleek silver bodies with bold dark stripes running head to tail, they grow past 50 pounds, and they are built like a truck. Pound for pound they fight harder than almost anything else we catch.

They run the whole Atlantic coast and migrate through Long Island waters twice a year, which puts Port Jefferson right in their path.

When Stripers Run Off Port Jefferson

Timing matters more with stripers than with almost any other fish we chase. There are two windows on the Sound:

• May and June — the spring run, as the water warms and the fish move through feeding hard.
• Late August through September — the fall run, as the bass bulk up before winter.

Both runs are tide-driven, so the good windows move around from week to week. For what is happening right now, check the current striper trip dates or call the crew on 631‑928‑3926.

Time of day matters too. Stripers feed hardest in low light, so early morning, late afternoon and evening are the strongest windows. An overcast day can fish well right through.

Rods, Reels and Line for Striped Bass

You do not need fancy gear for stripers. You need the right gear.

• Rod and reel: a medium-heavy spinning rod, 7 to 9 feet, with a reel spooled for 20–40 lb braid.
• Line: braid in that range has the strength to take their runs without letting go, and enough feel that you know the moment a fish touches the jig.
• Leader: a 40 lb fluorocarbon leader keeps the connection close to invisible in clear water.
• Hooks: circle hooks when you are fishing bait. They set in the corner of the jaw, which is better for the fish and better for you.

Lures That Work on Stripers

On our trips we fish mostly artificials, and two of them do the heavy lifting.

• Diamond jigs, 2 to 4 ounces — our main striper lure. Get it to the bottom and work it back up. This is what we hand you when you step aboard.
• Bucktails — excellent worked along the bottom and around structure.
• Poppers — surface noise, for when bass are pushing bait on top. Nothing beats watching the take.
• Soft plastic shads in white or chartreuse — a good imitation of the baitfish they are already eating.

If you are not sure what to tie on, ask a mate. They have been watching the water all day and they will set you up.

Best Bait for Striped Bass

When bait is the right call, these are the ones that earn their keep:

• Bunker (menhaden) — hard to beat. Hook one through the nose or the back so it swims naturally.
• Live eels — stripers cannot leave them alone. Fish them on a circle hook, drifted slow.
• Fresh clams or sandworms — strong where fish are already feeding on the bottom.

Stripers eat bunker, sand eels, squid and any smaller fish they can catch, so bait and lures that look like those are what you want in the water.

How to Fish for Striped Bass

Four methods cover most days on the Sound:

• Jigging a diamond jig — drop to the bottom, then reel steadily up through the water column while the boat drifts over the fish. This is how we fish them.
• Jigging bucktails — work the bottom in short lifts to trigger a strike.
• Drifting live bait — let a bunker or an eel swim naturally in moving current.
• Casting poppers — when bass are chasing bait on the surface, get a popper in front of them.

On board, the crew will tell you which of these is working that day and show you how to do it. Nobody is expected to arrive knowing how.

Striped Bass Tackle Questions