Not used wisely, March can be the cruelest month for the Cape Cod fisherman. A quick scroll through our social media feeds will be full of photos of our New York and New Jersey brethren beginning their striper season, while we are, realistically, still at least a month away.
The good news is that March only contains 4 weeks , just like any other month. Admittedly, they can feel like the longest 4 weeks of the year if the weather is "March typical". We will get teased like we did this past week with a few high 40's- low 50's days, but we will still have plenty of fall back days in the 30's or lower....and , maybe, even a snow event or two. This can make it feel like March is actually 16 weeks long...
But, it will still only be 4 weeks nonetheless, which means we all have to start get ready and prepare our gear and strategies for the upcoming striper season.
We will get the annual spring trout stocking at the middle to end of this month which will allow us to get out and shake off the rust of a long, cold winter. But, as March slowly segues into April, many of us will feel the pull to get off the ponds and into our spring striper holdover spots to try and find something that tugs a little harder than a stocked trout.
Is your gear ready?
March is the time to get your rods and reels lubed up, fixed up , respooled ,or, buy a new one. The first string of nice days in April isn't the best time to address these issues, as every tackle shop on the Cape will get flooded with cabin fever afflicted fisherman scrambling to get their gear back in order.... all on the same day. Right now, the guys in the shops will have alot of time to show you careful, individualized attention and get you all set up for the upcoming season.
Perhaps the most important March task you can perform is making sure all your lures are "schoolie friendly" this year before the season begins in earnest. Most of the rubber bait/ jig head combos most cape cod fisherman begin the season with are already single hook affairs, which is great, but this year, we recommend that you take the added measure of pinching down the barbs to dramatically increase catch and release survival rates.
Hold over stripers are likely already stressed from having had to survive a long, tough winter. Having a full set of multiple trebles or barbed singles wrestled out of their mouth, head and bodies, for long durations, will substantially increase the likely hood of not surviving release. If your favorite , go to early season striper plug comes pre armed with multiple trebles and you want to switch over to singles or a hookless " flag", the guys in the shop are ready to assist you if you aren't quite sure how to rig up properly.
With all that is going on and being proposed in striper fishery management land , it is incumbent on us that we take every measure we can now as fisherman to self regulate and protect this resource. If it gets done for us by fisheries managers, it won't be pretty...
Best Early Season Lure Choices
If you have ever been to the Goose , you know there are literally hundreds of choices in lures designed to catch striped bass. They all work at one point or another, otherwise we wouldn't carry them. But, what are the best few that you can purchase right now to start the season with that will cover all your bases?
Here are the lures that the guys in the shop like to use and are also our year in, year out best sellers for early season stripers:
1: Ron Z- Our best selling lure for a variety of our resident coastal species, the Ron Z is a versatile small baitfish/ sandeel imitation that first of the year stripers love. Depending on where we are fishing, we like to start with the 4 inch, but have plenty of 6 inch tails on hand if we happen on some bigger fish. What color? White.
2 Bill Hurley- More of a " match the hatch" coloration and profile, the BILL HURLEY CAPE COD SAND EEL/RAT TAIL 7" is a good choice wherever sand eels and regular eels are on the stripers menu.
3 Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow- The first entry on the list that comes stock outfitted with a series of trebles, we like to remove tail hook and replace with a flag. We use this one in spots where herring are prevalent early in the season. Color? Bone, Sandeel and Laser Green Shiner.
TSUNAMI TALKIN POPPER (F) 5"- if early season temps are sufficient and we see some top water activity, we go with a tsunami popper. Another lure that comes armed with trebles, replace the rear with a flag or a single. It won't aprreciably impact action or hook up ability. Use light colors during the day and darker colors early morning, or evening.
Start or join the discussion on the Goose Hummock Fishing Forum
留言