Beat the summer doldrums by spin-fishing stripers in shallow rips.
Our run from Niantic, CT to the Sluiceway, a moderately-shallow tidal entrance off the northeast end of Plum Island, NY was probably about 7 miles. But on this windless, midsummer afternoon, Long Island Sound was as calm as a small lake. And as my four-stroke devoured the miles and we closed in on the area, fishing partner Elliott Taylor and I eagerly scanned the horizon for bird action.
“I see some terns,” I shouted over the growl of the motor. “They look like they’re right above the rip line. Better get ready!”
As usual, we carried conventional outfits for diamond jigging, but because the surface action had been consistent all season, we also carried light spin outfits and topwater tackle. A few breaking bass indicated we were in for some surface strikes and would be able to keep the 8-ounce diamonds stowed.
We soon arrived at the activity where three other boats were onto fish, and I cut the motor just up-tide of the rip line and scattered splashes. Terns and small gulls wheeled, screamed and dove as they picked off hapless baitfish. I cocked my spinning rod, and let my 4-inch plug fly over a splash within range. A few pulls on the rod tip and turns on the reel handle and I was on. Moments later, Elliott did the same and we were both leaning back against bent rods.
The bite was short-lived because soon the topwater feeders returned to their subsurface haunts. But we were having too much fun to switch to diamond jigging, so we idled into the current, dug out a couple of iced teas, and waited. In less than 10 minutes the fish were up again, this time farther east along the rip line, and the birds immediately pointed the way.
Summer Schoolie Action
Although stripers are generally a cooler-temp species, schoolie bass have been making a summer appearance in recent years over shallow reefs in eastern Long Island Sound. The usual summer doldrums didn’t set in that season in the eastern Sound, as a mass of thousands of schoolie bass staged in the famous Sluiceway rip through the heat of the summer, which was a closely-guarded secret for the first few weeks.
“They were on small herring in the Sluiceway,” said Capt. Dan Wood (captdanwood.com), a long-time and top light-tackle guide in the eastern Sound who was really on the fish that day. “It was a wonderful opportunity for experienced and inexperienced customers to get into great action. They didn’t need to cast well or far to reach the fish.”
Finding Rips
To locate likely rips in your area, look over a local chart and pinpoint spots where the depth rises and falls abruptly. The best features usually appear as narrow or oblong strips perpendicular to the current that jut from a flat bottom of anywhere from about 50 to 100 feet deep up to a peak of anywhere from about 8 to 30 feet. Landmasses tapering to submerged spits also create rips that are fishable by boat. The current pushes over these sometimes-treacherous shallows and creates prime predator habitat that you can often cast across all the way to shore.
Navigational aids, of course, mark some reefs. But those not marked are easily spotted by their signature rip line during a moving tide. The size of the waves in the rip can range from a few inches to two feet depending on the current force, rate of depth change, and wind direction and speed. On days when fish are breaking, a keen eye can spot working birds from a considerable distance, as Elliott and I did on our late-afternoon excursion that day when we released over 25 fish.
How To Fish Them
| SOUND STARTING POINTS |
| Reefs in eastern Long Island Sound
Hen and Chickens, Old Saybrook Hatchett, Old Lyme Black Point, East Lyme Bartlett, Waterford Little Goshen, Waterford The Sluiceway, Plum Island
*If you’re new to these shallow, nearshore waters, some of these reefs have dangerous, subsurface boulders or breaking ledges, so you must approach cautiously and with one eye on your electronics, always being aware of the current and wind speed and direction. |
You can fish a shallow rip in one of several ways for mid-summer schoolie bass. The most common method is drifting. Run your boat uptide to within casting distance of the activity, stop and cast to the breaking pod while drifting back toward the rip line. Baitfish swim into the tidal flow, so you should always try to retrieve your lure against or across the current. And, generally, once the current goes slack so does the action, so plan your trips around a moving tide.
Another method, stemming, requires having at least two people onboard—one or more to cast and one to jockey the boat ahead of the rip to keep it in place by constantly adjusting the throttle and steering. This can be tricky in a strong rip like the Sluiceway and takes some practice, especially on new or full moon tides.
Pay attention to where you catch fish on each reef or ledge—each one has its own fish-holding characteristics. Then use triangulation or electronics to return to that exact spot for successive passes. Bass and blues will congregate on a hotspot or “sweet spot” of a particular reef year after year. Fighting and landing even small bass on light gear in a strong rip requires skill by both angler and helmsman. It’s sometimes necessary to drift into the rip line before you can land fish, and that isn’t something you should do broadside or stern-first in a small boat, so use your navigational common sense and stay aware of your vessel’s position.
Feeling The Blues
Small bluefish sometimes mix in with schoolie bass along shallow rips during late summer. You don’t need to come prepared with wire leader because bluefish strike the rear of the lure and typically won’t sever a leader during a fast lure retrieve. Harbor blues make excellent table fare and are particularly fine in the frying pan or smoker, but remember that the population is unstable, and they don’t freeze well. It’s fine, of course, to keep a couple for dinner, but use a single hook, and release the rest unharmed so you can catch ‘em again next year.
“When blues are up on the surface,” says local expert Capt. Dixon Merkt (ret.), who ran the Surf Scoter out of Old Lyme, Connecticut for over 30 years, “the error almost every beginner makes is to cast into the middle of the breaking fish. It’s a natural instinct to cast into the action. But what you should do is cast to the edge of the school. In the middle of the activity, you run a strong chance of accidently having your line cut by another bluefish’s teeth, and you’ll come away with no fish and no lure. Try to fight the fish away from the school as soon as you can.”
Pro Preferences
Almost any baitfish imitation produces strikes during a frenzy, but schoolies can be selective at times, especially if they’re slurping tiny baits, and every pro has their favorite artificials for drawing bites. A popper or plug can generally pull bass and bluefish up from a depth of about 15 feet. Topwaters imitate injured or escaping baitfish, and they are an excellent choice for provoking vicious strikes. For plying waters deeper than that you may need to switch to a swimming lure.
“My all-time favorite lure,” says Capt. Chris Elser, a pro with over 30 years of chartering experience specializing in western Long Island Sound (ct-fishing.com), “is a 6- to 7-1/2-inch Slug-Go on a light jighead. I also entice them with a 7-1/2-inch unweighted Slug-Go, working it on the surface, rod tip up, walk-the-dog presentation, making a slight wake in the surface film.
“For my customers who are new to working soft plastics, I switch to hard crankbaits like the 5½-inch Rapala X-Rap. I prefer white or bone color for my artificials. I also enjoy working the surface with the Stillwater Smack-It popper (a Tsunami IPOP is a good alternative to the Smack-It). Last on my must-have list is a half-ounce, chartreuse Rat-L-Trap. The latter two work great when the bass are feeding on peanut bunker later in the summer and into fall. When the sand eels arrive, my go-to soft plastic is a 4.6-inch Hogy Sand Eel on a weighted, 3/8-ounce swimbait hook.”
Other good options the pros use are the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil, Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Heddon Super Spook, bone or chrome colors do the job. For swimmers, try tossing a yellow or silver Magnum Bomber, Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow or a Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow worked diagonally across and up current.
Tuning Your Tactics
If you find yourself in the middle of a blitz without any plugs aboard, or the fish are deep, another productive option is metal lures. You should carry a small selection of tins like 1-to 2-ounce Kastmasters, Crippled Herring, or Hopkins Shorty, which resemble peanut bunker and baby butterfish. By engaging your reel before your tin lure hits the water, and then reeling quickly with your rod tip held high, you can get these metals to skip along the surface like topwaters, especially when retrieving against the current. If you want to imitate silversides, sand eels, or anchovies, try Deadly Dicks. Tins cast well in a stiff breeze, and hold up when harbor bluefish mix in.
“If you’re not having success on small schoolies with a standard lure,” says Capt. Merkt, “that’s probably because they’re on tiny baits like 1-inch anchovies, I suggest tying a dropper fly off the leader. It simulates a baitfish chasing a smaller prey, and it sometimes dramatically increases productivity. The fly often out-produces the lure, and sometimes we get doubles on the same rig. For a dropper fly I like a chartreuse Clouser Minnow.”
| FORAGE SPECIES |
| With many predators in an area, you need an abundance of small prey to sustain them, and we’ve been fortunate to have those in southern New England. The summer fishery hinges upon the arrival of peanut bunker, bay anchovies, silversides, small squid, baby butterfish, and herring. We’ve had consistent schoolie striper action for many years continuing into September and through the end of October. Some days you must imitate the predominant baitfish very closely. On other days or on other reefs, schoolies will pounce on any lure. |
You can enjoy great sport using light spinning gear with this type of surface action. A perfect outfit is a 7-foot, medium-light-action graphite rod matched to a small spinning reel. Capt. Elser uses a 7-foot Lamiglas TFX 7020 spinning rod with a Shimano Stradic 3000 series holding about 150 yards of 15- to-20-pound smooth, braided line. He likes the hi-vis line options in the shallows to assist his anglers in tracking their lure on a windy day.
Some experts use a blood knot or double uni knot to attach the main line to 18 to 24 inches of 30-pound mono or fluorocarbon leader. A direct line-to-leader connection, without a swivel in between, allows for a longer leader and the ability to cast through the rod guides if you prefer that system.
When you’re tired of porgies, and the keeper fluke and jumbo sea bass have been picked over, try exploring some shallow reefs for some hot, late-summer fun. It’s a challenging pursuit in early mornings or evenings during the dog days of summer.
