Tidal Striper Fishing Tips

The spring season is a magical time along the northeast coast. Freshwater lakes are bursting with trout, summer flounder push up into the shallows, and the first keeper stripers of the year show up at inlets and bridges. All of this is headline-grabbing action and, I have to admit, it draws me in every year. Still, there is another kind of fishing I cherish during April and May, one that is less pressured and more quiet. It’s light-tackle tidal creek fishing for schoolie stripers - and it's a blast!

Most of this fishing centers around school fish measuring 16 to 24 inches, so scale down your tackle accordingly. A 12 to 14 pound test spinning outfit with a six-and-a-half-foot medium-fast action rod is ideal - but many anglers simply break out their freshwater bassin' gear. Sure, you'll bust off an occasional keeper by going so light, but the fun of letting the schoolies give a good account of themselves will more than make up for that inconvenience.

Like bass fishing anywhere, a primary key to connecting with tidal creek schoolies is locating the bait. Sand eels, spearing and similar rain baits like to pile into some creeks on rising tides while seemingly avoiding others. Find the creeks with the most fodder and you will probably find the bass nearby. I scout for baitfish in the dark, checking shadow lines and lighted areas on calm nights. If the shiners are present, they'll school tightly under lights, often dimpling the surface. Look for baitfish to also hold in creek bends and creek mouths. Listen carefully as you scout for bait and the skittish schoolies might reveal their position while plucking minnows and crabs from the surface.

Generally speaking, the start of outgoing water produces best as it pulls baitfish from the shallows and ushers them into the main channels, creating a giant chum slick. If the bass are actively feeding, a variety of smallish lures will score well including light tins, Fin-S-Fish, Mr. Twister Tails, five-inch swimming plugs, DOA Shrimp and small soft plastic swimming shads. During the evening hours, Rebel Smack It poppers work especially well when cast tight against marsh grass or phragmite rows.

One of the most effective means of hooking up with tidal creek bass is to combine the attractive splash of a popper with the appeal of a bucktail. This is done by using a bluefish snapper-popper. Replace the leader and tube lure with a three-foot length of 30 pound test mono and a one-quarter-ounce white or chartreuse bucktail. Work the snapper popper like a surface plug. The bass are drawn to the sound but often find the small, trailing bucktail even more enticing.

The tidal creek bass season tends to be intense but short-lived. Find the fish and you may have them solid for a week or three. As the waters inevitably warm, however, the young linesiders will slide quietly back out into the bays - so be sure to make the most of a good thing while it lasts.

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