Spooking Stripers: Deep-Water Doc

Photos by Kerry DiDonato

Big spooks have made a big splash in the striper world!

At this point, we all know that Musky Mania’s amazing lure ‘The Doc’ is a striper catching machine and just might be the worst kept secret in striper fishing history. While this lure has found a permanent place in virtually every anglers sriped bass arsenal, I have been finding a new use for it on my boat.

Know When To Throw

When I am fishing deep-water reefs, there are times where I’m marking fish high in the water column or even better, seeing fish sporadically blowing up on the surface. These are prime situations for throwing the Doc or other large spook-style plugs. I have found that you can consistently pull fish up to the surface when they are holding in the upper 15 feet of the water column; and sometimes you can pull them from even greater depths.

Change Your Hardware

The Doc has decent hardware out of the package but when using this lure out deep, chances of a big bruiser are high. I have had a couple hooks bend and split rings pull, so I upgrade my hooks and split rings to heavier options, such as the Owner Power Split Ring, size 6, 150-pound test, and VMC O’Shaughnessy trebles size 2/0.

Choose The Right Rod

Rod selection when fishing the Doc is often overlooked. The right rod will help you impart better action and power longer casts; and you will hook up more consistently as a result. Look for a rod in the 7-foot, 2-inch to 7-foot, 6-inch range, with a soft tip and solid backbone. The medium/heavy (2 to 6) Jigging World Night Ranger is my go-to. Some other solid options include; G. Loomis IMX Pro Blue 874FS, Tsunami SaltX 7-foot, 7-inch (heavy) and St. Croix Legend 7-foot, 6-inch (heavy) models.

Twitch & Reel

Working a large spook is simple, you want to twitch the rod to move the lure forward in a “walk the dog” fashion and then reel in the slack. The reel should not be advancing the lure. You can vary that speed and get a variety of actions that range from a wide and slow walk to an erratic, almost, pencil-popper-like action. And there will be days when the fish will respond to both or any of the options in between.

Setting The Hook

It’s important that you resist the urge to set the hook on a blow up, as it often takes the fish a couple swipes to get ahold of the lure.

After a miss, I like to change the cadence of my retrieve to mimic either a wounded or fleeing fish, pausing or speeding up can draw a quick reaction strike.

Keep working your plug until you feel the weight of the fish, then drive the hooks home with a firm hook set.

Be Ready

If you are able to get a Doc in the water next to a recent blow up, you are almost guaranteed a hook up. These schools of stripers are always competing for food and the commotion of one fish chasing its prey draws lots of attention. Having a rod rigged and ready to go will ensure that you’re ready to make that quick cast when a fish shows on the surface.

Revival Time

There is something about big fish on the surface that does seem to tire them out. It is important to take the time to properly revive the fish. It’s best to keep the fish in the water but if you are removing it for a quick picture, support the belly while handling. If the fish needs to catch its breath when you put it back in the water, switch the boat in and out of gear to get a little bit of water moving over its gills. If I have a fish that is tired from a top water bite, I revive the fish in the water until I cannot hold onto it with my bare hands.