Skinny backwater bass and blues require a stealthy approach.
There’s a window of opportunity to catch stripers and bluefish in skinny water during late-spring and early-summer around southern New England. These are shallow water spots that beckon migrating stripers and bluefish to their quickly-warming waters.
In most of these shallow water spots the water temperatures will average 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the deep water nearby. That warmer water is a magnet to arriving predators.
These areas also draw in early-season baitfish, setting up a feeding zone for hungry predators. Once the water really heats up in these spots, as we transition to summer, the bait and predators move out and the window closes on the fishing.
How Skinny?
Skinny water locations are shallow areas, say under 5 feet, where most boaters usually avoid for fear of hitting bottom. The bottoms in these places might also be sprinkled with rocks and other obstructions. But, a kayak that drafts very little water is ideal to fish from in these spots as is a small tin boat. Pick any large bay in the Northeast like Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, Barnstable Harbor, Mt. Hope Bay, and Boston Harbor and you will find plenty of these warm, shallow water nooks and crannies and even sandbars, where early season stripers and bluefish love to hang out. Salt ponds and tidal rivers also fall into this category.
Strange things can happen when yak fishing in these skinny waters in the early season. Last year I was out in one of my productive coves in ‘Gansett Bay in late-May. I was drifting along casting my plastic offering and catching mostly stripers. I constantly had my eyes over the side of my kayak where I could see the bottom. I was on the lookout for rocks and boulders that were sometimes inches below the surface. While looking over the side, I spotted many stripers and bluefish swimming right under me, in only a few feet of water. Some of the stripers were over slots! On another occasion in this same area on a dead calm sunny day a week later, I saw fins on the surface and the backs of fish poking out of the water. These were stripers and blues that appeared to be sunning themselves in the warm water just as people do at the beach on a warm day. They were often motionless and not feeding but just enjoying the warmth. They would occasionally hit if you didn’t get too close and spook them first.
Keep It Stealthy
You have to approach fishing these skinny waters in a quiet and stealthy way. When I approach these areas in my kayak (Old Town Sportsman 106 PDL) I try to pedal as little as possible. I pedal to a spot and set up a quiet drift. I know any noises or commotion will spook the wary fish that reside in these skinny waters. It really bugs me when I see boaters in these shallow places barreling through or even trolling with a big motor. They often catch nothing and spook the fish. But the ones that understand the situation, will make a wide circle around the hot zone and allow the drift to carry them into the area from a long-ways off, only using their trolling motor if they find themselves drifting into a problem area.
Regardless of your vessel of choice, key to catching in these spots using artificials usually involves directed drifts while casting. The best lures will be lifelike and stealthy. Leave the big wood and large plugs home. I tend to use a lot of soft plastics and occasional spook-type plugs that will not make a big splash as they move enticingly and quietly through the water on the retrieve.
A Light Touch
In recent years I have had great luck casting and drifting with unweighted plastics in these spots. I especially like fishing with unweighted fluke bodies that tend to swim like the real thing on or just below the surface. My favorite lure last year was a 5.75-inch Lunker City Fin-S Fish in the ‘albino shad’ color. I generally use this with a BKK Titan Rider Swimbait Hook, size 5/0. This hook features a screw-lock ‘corkscrew-like’ device up front that really holds the bait in place and gives the bait some longevity when hooking lots of fish. Once again, take a stealthy approach when fishing this bait. Fish it on or just below the surface. Cast and slowly reel, giving the rod tip an occasional twitch to add swimming action. Once in a while stop, leaving the bait suspended in the water. Many of my hits come on the pause.
I have used other plastic baits with success. One year I found a bunch of needlefish in one of my skinny water coves. The Slug-Go was a dead ringer for these skinny baits and landed me lots of good-sized stripers. Slug-Go’s are fished and rigged the same way as the Fin-S Fish. On yet another outing in which I was dealing with some wind, I snapped on an Albie Snax. This is a shorter and beefier plastic lure and it casts really well. I also work this lure in the same manner described above.
The Blues
These plastic offerings work well until you run into bluefish. If the blues are around my spots in any numbers, I tend to stow the plastic offerings and snap on the hard plugs. But, once again, keep in mind that you want a stealthy approach. I like to use spook type offerings. One of the most effective hard plugs for me is a Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow. You want to cast this out and “walk the dog” using sharp but short pulls of the rod tip with a slow retrieve on the reel giving the bait a darting, back-and-forth action. If you’re getting hits, but the fish are missing the hooks, slow it down to a crawl or add an occasional stop.
Note that I will crush the barbs on the trebles of this plug when fishing from the yak for bluefish. Another option would be to replace the rear treble with a single hook for easier unhooking. Plan to also carry some type of metal gripper to grab a bluefish if fishing in a kayak, unhooking it in the water. If fishing in a boat, they’re easier to manage, but I still recommend a gripper of some kind.
My other favorite hard plug to use from the yak in skinny water is a Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil, all of their colors work, but my favorite is the bone color. This plug fishes like a Jumpin’ Minnow on steroids. It’s heavier and will power a longer cast into a wind and has a slightly beefier profile. You work it with the same walk-the-dog action and the hits are often vicious.
Late-spring and early-summer are great times to hit these skinny water spots that warm up quickly and lure early season stripers and bluefish. A kayak or small boat are – hands down – the most effective crafts to fish these waters when the winds are fairly calm. A stealthy approach while drifting and casting will be the most effective way to fish. Plastic offerings and spook-style plugs will be your best bets for catching early season stripers and bluefish. Get in on the action in May and early-June, because once the hot summer weather arrives and the water really heats up, these skinny water spots tend to quickly die out and will not come back to life until the fall.
