PARACHUTE JIG

The venerable parachute jig has probably produced more stripers than any other type of lure fished on wire line. At first glance, it doesn’t look like any kind of baitfish a predator would be interested in, until you consider how it performs underwater.

Unlike most other lures fished on wire, the parachute should be jigged for best results. This makes the “reverse” skirt flare and pulse as the jig darts through the water, imitating a squid. The best way to achieve this action is to hold the rod upside-down, with the tip pointed at the water, and use a short, sharp, sweeping motion, like using a broom. White, pink and chartreuse parachutes are particularly effective in areas where menhaden, herring, shad and squid are present, while darker patterns (black, red and purple) work well over rocky reefs inhabited by scup, sea bass, cunner and the like. Another great thing about parachutes is that they can be trolled very deep—up to 40 feet— without additional weight.

A final note on fishing parachutes: Always add a long strip of pork rind to the hook, and make sure the lure is fished just above bottom. If you don’t tap bottom every so often, you aren’t fishing deep enough.

your tackle box. This oldie-but-goodie is a killer on striped bass and bluefish in the Northeast. When fished correctly, it exhibits a lazy, side-to-side swimming action that stripers find irresistible.

The 3 ½-inch lure comes in many colors and patterns, but the pearl version is tops, especially early in the season when squid are common.

The Jumpin’ Minnow is best fished on relatively light gear— 8- to 12-pound test is ideal. Use a wind-on leader system and a 20- to- 30-pound-test fluorocarbon leader.

Bucktail jigs have been around since the first caveman invented the artificial lure, but the SPRO version is a cut above the rest. This wellmade jig features sharp, strong saltwater hooks and a chip-resistant finish that withstands abuse from rocks and teeth. The realistic head shape, patterns and prismatic eyes also set it apart from traditional bucktails.

The SPRO bucktail is deadly on fluke and sea bass, but it helps to add a small strip of squid or scented soft-plastic bait to the hook. Hop the lure over the bottom while drifting, making it imitate a squid or baitfish.

Small SPRO jigs work great in shallow water and light current, while three- and four-ounce versions can handle deep water and strong currents. Carry them in different sizes.

If you fish for stripers anywhere in the Northeast, you’ll want to have a Santini Tube Lure in your arsenal. This long, plastic lure probably imitates an eel (although the stripers aren’t sayin’), and is best trolled on leadcore or wire line. It was designed by Everett, Massachusetts, tackle shop owner Pete Santini, and is an outstanding lure for taking bass during daylight hours, when the fish are holding deep.

Here are several keys to fishing the Santini tube effectively: shallow, which allows it to be fished over structure in ten feet of water or less, where many game fish hang out in the spring. While the lure comes factory-rigged with three trebles, many anglers remove the belly hook to limit foul-hooking.

• Place a live seaworm on the hook. The scent of the worm apparently convinces the bass to strike after first being drawn to the swimming action of the lure.

• Troll the lure as slowly as possible; between one and three knots is ideal.

• Troll the lure through areas with good current flow and a boulder-strewn bottom in 10 to 15 feet of water.

Trolling outfits usually consist of a six-foot boat rod and a conventional reel filled with either wire or leadcore line. The latter is easier to use and works well in depths of 15 feet or less. Use a six-foot fluorocarbon leader of 50-pound-test to connect the leadcore to the lure.

The most popular tube color is dark red, although fluorescent green, pink, and black all take fish on certain days. Try the brighter colors in low-light situations and darker colors on sunny days.

Crystal Minnow

The Crystal Minnow is effective for targeting stripers in shallow to moderate depths. It features prominent prismatic eyes, as well as a tight swimming action and highly reflective sides, and is rigged with strong, sharp ounce version, which matches silversides, mackerel and herring. The floating model will dart and dive to three fished in shallow areas where the bass are likely to hold

Often overlooked by anglers seeking saltwater sport, Cape Cod’s many freshwater ponds offer tremendous action with largemouth bass all season long!

BY CHRIS NASHVILLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM RICHARDSON

ention “Cape Cod” to an angler, and he is likely to conjure up images of striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna. However, the Cape also offers a freshwater option that’s equally exciting, not to mention more dependable and accessible, especially during the steamy summer doldrums or when the wind howls on the ocean.

The Cape is peppered with over 360 kettle ponds, many of which teem with well-fed largemouth bass, plus a supporting cast of trout, pickerel, perch, sunfish and other species. Many of the ponds can be waded around in their entirety, while others require a kayak, canoe, paddleboard or skiff to access the best spots. Free maps of the ponds showing their depth contours and access points are available on the state’s MassWildlife website.

Gear Up

REEL

Shimano Stradic 2500

ROD

7’ medium-fast Shimano

Convergence spinning

LINE

8 lb. test PowerPro braid

LEADER

10 lb. test Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon

The

Formative Years

Kettle ponds were formed some 10,000 years ago by large chunks of ice left behind by the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet. The remnant ice chunks were partially covered by sand and rocks carried in the glacial meltwater that helped create the Cape and Islands. As the ice melted, it left water-filled depressions in the soil. While the Cape’s kettle ponds can be up to 80 feet deep, most average 30 to 50 feet, and feature steeply sloping bottoms.

Fish-holding structure in the ponds mostly centers on aquatic or shoreside vegetation, although some ponds feature rocky bottoms that provide terrific structure for bait and predatory fish. And speaking of bait, a handful of these ponds serve as spawning and nursery grounds for migratory river herring, which provide a rich food source for some unusually large largemouths.

Toothy chain pickerel spice up the pond action, but may cost you a few lures.

QUICK TIP: In midsummer, topwater plugs fished at night can produce spectacular action.

Gary

Daddy Mac Viper Bluegill

Booyah spinnerbaits

Booyah Pad Crasher & Poppin’ Frog

Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow

Baker Lures jerkbaits

Colorado spoons

Worden’s Rooster Tail spinners

Arbogast Jitterbug

PRE-SPAWN STRATEGY

The kettle pond bass fishery comprises several distinct phases during the season, each requiring its own set of techniques. The spring pre-spawn bite begins after the first good stretch of warm weather, usually around the end of April or early May. During this period, the bass are constantly on the move, searching for good spots to make their beds in the shallows. Therefore, they will mostly be found near shore in one to six feet of water.

Pre-spawn fishing can be difficult at times, since the fish seem to be more interested in breeding than feeding. Also, the fish move around from day to day, so you often need to put in some time to find them. One day you may see them cruising along the shoreline, while the next they may be out of sight in slightly deeper, darker water.

Casting six-inch Gary Yamamoto Senko soft-plastic worms, shallow crankbaits and even small jerkbaits is a great way to cover a lot of water during the pre-spawn period. A moderate to slow retrieve with a “wacky-rigged” six-inch Senko on a 1/0 Gamakatsu wide-gap hook can be deadly. By the way, this is a great time to target the trout-stocked ponds; if the bass bite is slow, the trout can pick up the slack.

Spawn Time

The next phase is the spawn, which tends to happen a few weeks after that first warm-weather window. You’ll know when the fish are spawning due to the number of beds—round, sandy depressions—along the edges of the pond. You’ll often see the number of beds increase two-fold in the course of a day during the height of the spawn. This is the perfect time to cast lures over or along the edges of the bass beds with unweighted soft-plastics and jerkbaits. Salamander imitations work especially well during the spawn. The bass will aggressively protect their beds as long as their eggs are present, and the strikes can be violent.

You’ll know the spawn is over when the abandoned beds start to collect leaves and other debris. This post-spawn period, which usually begins around mid-June, can be a challenging time. The fish aren’t as hungry from their reproductive duties and defense of their nests as you would think. However, searching slightly deeper water with jigs and deep-diving crankbaits can be productive.

Hot Summer Nights

Once midsummer arrives, those who venture forth after dark can reap big rewards. Jitterbugs and other topwater lures fished at dusk and through the night can elicit heart-stopping strikes from large, unseen fish as they patrol the shallows, drop-offs and the edges of lily pads, looking for a meal.

Anther shift occurs as summer gives way to autumn. Fall fishing can be hit or miss, depending on the weather. In mild years, bass fishing can remain productive into November, while other years it turns too cold, too quick. At this time, jerkbaits and other slow-moving lures can be the key to success. In ponds with herring runs, expect the bass to lurk near the creek mouths, waiting to ambush the departing youngof-the-year baitfish.

While kettle pond bass will never possess the mystique of a surf-caught striper or 500-pound tuna, at least they’re guaranteed to show up. The next time your ocean plans are foiled by the weather, or if you’re simply looking for a more laidback kind of fishing, give the Cape Cod ponds a try. Like some of the herring that end up in the bellies of big kettle pond largemouths, you may never return to the sea.

The following kettle ponds hold good numbers of bass and offer excellent public access for waders and paddlers alike.

1. Brewster: Nickerson State Park (Big Cliff, Little Cliff, Flax, Higgins Ponds)

2. Dennis: Scargo Lake

3. Sandwich: Spectacle Pond, Peters Pond

4. Yarmouth: Long Pond hen it comes to fish-holding features, rips rank among the best. And thanks to its swift tidal currents, the Northeast has plenty of them—although none compare to the three-mile stretch of hyper-turbulent water between New York’s Fishers Island and Little Gull Island known as the Race.

Expert anglers reveal their top strategies for catching striped bass and bluefish in one of the most productive—and challenging—hot spots in the Northeast.

Arguably the mother of all rips, the Race is infamous for its ferocious currents and tall, standing waves created by a bottleneck of landmasses and a steeply sloping bottom that rises abruptly from over 300 feet to less than 30 feet in some spots. The combination of current and topography attracts predators, which hold near the craggy bottom, waiting for food to be swept past.

Magic Spot

Stripers and bluefish are the main targets of Race fishermen, with the former arriving in late May, the latter a few weeks later. Cow and schoolie stripers are at their peak concentrations in June and linger through October, feasting on shoals of herring, squid, silversides, sand eels, menhaden and butterfish.

Finding the Race is easy. A prominent “rip line” forms at the crest of the reef, with a section of smooth water on the upcurrent side. At slack water, however, the rip line disappears for about an hour, and on windless days conditions can be remarkably tranquil. But don’t be fooled; the Race has many faces and moods—some extremely sinister. Use caution, especially in a wind-opposing-tide scenario.

SQUIDDING & BUCKTAILING

The two most popular methods of fishing the deep, turbulent waters in the middle of the Race are jigging big (8- to 12-ounce) diamond jigs and drifting bucktails. With the first approach, run upcurrent of the rip line while watching your depthsounder. When the sloping bottom reaches a depth of between 160 and 190 feet, throw the engine into neutral and free-spool your jig rapidly to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, take ten quick turns on the reel. Free-spool the jig back down and crank it up again. Remember that bluefish and bass often strike a jig as it falls, so if your line stops abruptly or you feel a bump on the drop, engage the reel and lift sharply on the rod to set the hook.

Repeat this speed-jigging, or “squidding,” process until you near the rip line then reel in and motor back upcurrent about a quarter-mile and make another drift. If you’re new to the game, simply follow the fleet, marking productive spots when you hook up so you can repeat the drift.

Bucktail jigs are fished on a three-way rig, where a heavy bank sinker, tied to a three-way swivel, is used as the primary weight. The jig itself trails behind the sinker on a six-foot leader. To fish bucktails, run upcurrent of the rip line to the same spot you would when diamond jigging. Free-spool the rig to the bottom and immediately take a few turns on the reel to prevent a snag. With the current running at or near peak velocity—the best time to fish—it may be necessary to let out more line as you drift along, even though the water gets shallower as you near the rip line. It’ll take some experimentation to figure out the precise amount of line to let out based on the current and the depth at which the fish are holding. Other than depth adjustments, you don’t need to impart any action to the bucktail during the drift.

Lighten Up

Because of the Race’s strong current and deep water, bucktailing and jigging have traditionally involved heavy, 6 ½-foot boat rods rigged with workhorse reels like the Penn 4/0 Senator, loaded with 40- to 60-pound mono. Sixteen- to 24-ounce sinkers were necessary to keep the thick mono somewhat vertical.

However, a new era in light-tackle Race fishing is upon us, and one of its pioneers is Kerry Douton, owner of J&B Tackle and captain of the well-known charter boat DotE-Dee out of Niantic. “The invention of super-braid line has allowed us to lighten up tremendously on tackle and still effectively fish deep water,” says Douton. “Thanks to the thin line, we’re able to fish with weights as light as eight ounces. This allows us to use much lighter rods and smaller reels—and have a lot more fun.”

Douton’s three-way rigs consist of a 1 ¼-ounce bucktail jig with an 8/0 hook, which is bigger than the hook normally found on small bucktails. “I use a white Smilin’ Bill leadhead,” explains Douton, “These jigs normally come with a 6/0 hook, but we order them with bigger hooks, which hold better on large bluefish and bass. You can go with a bigger bucktail, but if you go too heavy, you lose its action when the current slows. Remember, it’s the sinker that gets the rig to the bottom, not the jig.”

Douton tips his jig hook with a strip of red, yellow or white pork rind, which flutters seductively in the current and simulates a baitfish’s beating tail or a squid’s pulsing tentacles. Other anglers use a strip of felt soaked in a fish-attracting scent.

RACE RODS & REELS

To fish light bucktail rigs, Douton recommends quality, high-speed conventional reels without a levelwind. He maintains that levelwinds restrict the speed of the drop, allowing a belly to form in the line before the rig can reach bottom. He prefers reels made by Penn and Shimano in sizes equivalent to a 2/0 to 3/0. He fills the reels with 30- to 40-pound Dacron backing then “top-shots” them with 150 yards of 30-pound braid. He matches his reels to 6 ½- to 7-foot, medium-heavy freshwater “muskie” rods in the 17- to 40-pound-class and 14- to 30-pound-class range.

My personal favorite Race outfit is a Shimano Torium 16 reel paired with a 6 ½-foot Lamiglas Tri-Flex graphite medium-fast-action, 15- to 30-pound-class rod (model BL6630C). This outfit performs well with any amount of weight and can handle the largest fish in the Race. I fill half the reel with 50-pound braided Dacron backing and a top shot of 40-pound-test PowerPro braid.

Border Option

While the majority of anglers prefer to fish the Race’s deep spots, there’s another option that’s tailor-made for those in small to midsize boats. On the perimeter of the rip is a series of islands and reefs in 5 to 20 feet of water that offer some of the best light-tackle action in southern New England.

The prime structure runs from Race Point on Fishers Island to the Sluiceway east of Plum Island. Between these two points are the reef off Fishers Island, Race Rock, Little Gull Island, Great Gull Island and the boulder-studded shallows over to Old Silas Rock.

If new to this area, explore it at low tide, on a day that offers bright sun, gentle winds and light current. Wear polarized sunglasses, which are invaluable for spotting the rocks. Mark their location for future reference.

Multiple Species

“The ‘perimeter’ waters can be very productive,” confirms Captain Dixon Merkt, a former guide who has long fished the area’s myriad rocks, islands and rips. “And it gets even more exciting as the season progresses!”

The shallow-water action starts with bass in May and June, with bluefish moving in by July. Bonito begin to show in mid-August, followed by false albacore. In September and October, the Race holds bass, blues, and albies, plus a few Spanish mackerel.

“You can catch fish at midday, especially bluefish and false albacore,” says Merkt. “However, if you want bass, fish a half-hour before sunrise. The single most important consideration is the tide. Either tide—they can both be good. The fish and birds start feeding when the water begins to move.”

SHALLOW-WATER TIPS

“Learn to read the water,” continues Merkt. “Look for ‘nervous’ water created by the current flowing over submerged structure. Start fishing upcurrent and drift through the nervous water. If you see feeding birds, get upcurrent of them and set up a drift that will take you through them.

“Also, it’s best to cut the engine, unless you’re drifting into an area where it should be left running for safety reasons. Engine noise can put the fish down. That’s particularly true with bass. And always have an anchor handy; if your engine quits it will keep you from drifting into the rocks or out to sea.”

Topwater Fun

Aside from the number and variety of species, one of the main draws of this area is the eagerness of the fish to strike a surface lure. The fish are seldom fussy, and almost any medium-size topwater or swimming plug will draw strikes.

In addition to plugs, Merkt favors one all-purpose metal lure for lighttackle fishing. “The Deadly Dick,” he says, “is effective on all species. It works very well on false albacore and bonito in early autumn. Three-quarters of an ounce is about as heavy as I go.”

Eels Too

Live eels can also be effective when fished around shallow structure. While eels are great for taking trophy fish at night, they can be effective on larger school bass at dawn and dusk. And don’t hesitate to sling eels at midday. Cast them around the rocks in shallow water or drop them into the deep eddies on the downcurrent side of prominent structure, such as Race Rock.

Diamond jigs are one of the simplest yet most effective lures ever created, and they excel in the Race. Not only do diamonds imitate a variety of prey items, from herring to squid, their streamlined shape lets them reach bottom quickly in fast current. That said, always use the lightest jig possible when vertical jigging. If your jigs come factory-rigged with treble hooks, replace them with heavy-gauge 8/0 Siwash singles. Treble hooks make catch-and-release difficult, are a greater safety risk in rough seas and increase the chance of snagging bottom. Also, avoid rubber or vinyl tubing on the jig’s hook. Although it looks enticing, the water resistance created by the added material is enough to make reaching and tending bottom difficult. Lastly, because of the speed a diamond jig is fished, wire leaders are unnecessary, even when bluefish are present. Instead, use 40 inches of 80- to 100-pound mono for abrasion resistance, and use a loop knot to attach the jig.

An appropriate spinning outfit for the lighttackle approach starts with a 7- to 7 ½-foot, medium-action rod, which is light enough to cast small floating lures and soft-plastics, yet has the backbone to handle most of the fish you’ll encounter. Match the rod with a medium spinning reel filled with 15- to 20-pound-test mono or 30-pound-test braid. The leader can be 18 to 24 inches of 30- to 50-pound-test mono or fluorocarbon.

Whether it’s big bass and blues in the extreme depths and currents of the Race or a variety of light-tackle targets along the shallower margins, the rips and rocks of eastern Long Island Sound stand ready to please all types of anglers. Pick your days and conditions carefully, and you’ll soon see why this stretch of water has long been considered one of the fishiest spots in the Northeast.

Shallow stones yield heart-pounding, light-tackle action with spring stripers along the southern New England coast.

y home waters of Buzzards Bay offer no shortage of rocks, particularly the hard, propeller-bending kind. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, because the same ledges and boulders that make boating so interesting in the bay also provide prime structure for striped bass, especially in late spring.

The fun starts around mid-May, when the first migratory schools of bass push into the shallow bays and coves, feasting on squid, silversides and herring. Once they find a food source, the fish tend to hang around for a few weeks, moving onto the warmer flats and ganging up around structure in 3 to 15 feet of water. And that’s when things get exciting.

Of special interest are isolated patches of boulders or ledges surrounded by 10 to 12 feet of water at high tide. Many of these rock piles, or reefs, are completely submerged at high water, or may have one or two especially large boulders poking above the surface. In any case, caution is needed when fishing them.

Gear Up

REEL

Shimano Spheros 2000

ROD

7 ½’ St. Croix Avid 15-30 lb. class LINE 30 lb. test PowerPro braid or 10-12 lb. test mono

Prime Structure

Also on my target list are boulder-strewn stretches of shoreline, submerged jetties or groins, and rocky points, especially those near river, pond and creek mouths. The latter can attract large bass if associated with a herring run. While dawn is always a great time to find stripers around the stones, I’ve found that tide is most important in the early season. I prefer a rising tide in most cases, and strive to be on the water at least three hours before high tide. That gives me plenty of time to “work” a series of prime spots before slack high.

Small hard baits like the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow often draw explosive strikes around the rocks.

Ebb Tide Strategy

Slack tide can bring an abrupt halt to the action. The lack of current gives the bait a chance to scatter and the bass shut down accordingly. There are exceptions, of course, places that continue to hold fish as the tide ebbs.

For example, I find that rocky points washed by the outgoing current can be productive, especially on the first two hours of the dropping. And rocks near the mouths of tidal ponds and estuaries can be productive when large amounts of baitfish are being flushed out. During the lower half of the tide, try working any deep “holes” in the vicinity of creeks, pond inlets, rock piles and ledges.

DRIFT & MOVE

To fish the rocks efficiently, set up a drift that takes you past either side of the hazard, keeping as far away as your casting range will allow. Drift past one side of the structure, then the other. If you don’t get a follow or a strike on your first pass, move a bit closer and try again. However, in my experience it’s usually a waste of time to make more than two drifts past the same spot; if the fish are present and in a feeding mood, you’ll usually know it by your first or second cast.

Fishing around such “bony” structure is best done from a small, maneuverable, shallow-draft boat, for obvious reasons. Boats with low freeboards offer another advantage, as they can be equipped with a trolling motor, which makes avoiding the rocks infinitely easier—and less stressful.

Top Plugs

No matter what the tide, my arsenal of lures never changes. Favorite hard-bodied plugs include the bonecolored Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, Zara Spook, Cordell Pencil Popper and the Rapala Skitter Pop. All four make a commotion on the surface and contain rattles that attract fish. Retrieve them at a moderate speed to make them slash, wobble and pop on the surface.

In the soft-plastic department, I love the seven-inch SlugGo and Fin-S-Fish, in pearl or Arkansas shiner. I rig mine Texas-style on a worm hook. This bait is dynamite when twitched slowly on or just below the surface, and can be a day-saver if weeds or grass are a problem.

Rock Tackle

All the above lures fish well on light spinning gear. My go-to outfit is a 7 ½-foot, fast-action graphite rod rated for 15- to 30-pound-test line. I fill the reel with 30-pound-test braid or 10- to 12-pound-test mono. The leader is a three-foot section of 20-pound-test fluorocarbon attached to a two-foot loop tied in the end of the main line using a Spider hitch or Bimini twist. I use a Bristol knot or slim beauty knot to connect the doubled main line to the leader. This wind-on system allows the leader to pass easily through the rod guides for better casting accuracy and also helps when landing fish.

Of course, flies also work well around the rocks, and it’s tough to beat a 2/0 or 3/0 Clouser Minnow, Half-and-Half or Rhody Flat Wing in olive-over-white, all-white or chartreuse-over-white. Large herring and squid patterns are also effective in the early season. Fish all of the aforementioned flies on a nine-weight outfit with an intermediatesink or a sink-tip line and a nine-foot leader ending in a 20-poundtest fluorocarbon tippet.

On sunny days, you can often sight-cast

Catch The Breeze

I’ve mentioned that tide is an important factor in early-season rock pile fishing, but wind can also play a role. I’m a firm believer in the famous angler’s saw, “east is least.” Not that I’m superstitious; it’s simply that my experience over the last 30 years of fishing bears this out. Even the slightest whisper of wind from the east seems to shut down the inshore action, perhaps due to barometric pressure.

On the other hand, a rising southwest breeze really seems to rile the fish and put them in a feeding mood. Combine it with a rising tide and you’ve got the recipe for a superb day of fishing the rocks!