Saltwater Archives - Bass Thumb Fishing

Squid fishing 101

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 13:02:48 +0000

Squid fishing 101

Up here in the Northeast a common dish at any local seafood restaurant is calamari or squid. Not only are the delicious to us humans but striped bass also love them, so they make a good bait. No matter the end goal with squid, you can catch your own in Northeast waters. There are charters but you can also catch them from specific locations close to or from the shore. Here we will go over how we fish for squid from shore. Here is Squid Fishing 101

What you will need for gear

For gear you are going to want a light action rod. I actually use a cheap fresh water rod for this. A small 2500 or 3000 size spinning reel will work just fine. A light line will be best as well. Line type does not matter too much here. The squid are light so the goal is to be able to feel when they hit. You will then want a leader and squid jigs. You can use a high low with different squid jig colors or sizes to mix it up.

Squid jigs contain a bunch of little hooks in a line. Usually there are two rows of them at the bottom of the jig. They are used to jig for squid because of how the squid attacks the bait. Squid will attack from below and as its mouth is not large, you really are trying to entangle the tentacles into the many hooks on the rig. You can find all types of squid rigs to use. They usually resemble the shape of a small bait fish or shrimp but are bright in colors. Some even have glow in the dark properties.

Fishing Spots

Generally, you want an elevated place such as a dock that can get you over deeper water that is well lit. Squid love light. They are attracted to light like crazy. If you can find a dock or board walk that has bright lights shining into the water, it’s a good place to try. There is a location outside of Boston where it is very common to find people jigging for bass but there is no light source. In this case, anglers will bring a small generator out and power flood lights that they shine into the water. The light is so important that I have seen people using them catching squid on every drop and next to them, just outside the light anglers will go without any. One the other side, a person with a light source and the same thing as the first. You just should be considerate of the location if you intend to use a generator.

How to jig for squid

Once you have the high low rig set up with a smaller sized weight you are ready. If on a dock or fishing pier you simply either want to drop straight down or cast it out just a little bit. The goal is to pop or twitch the bait. You can do this by quickly raising the rod tip and dropping it back down. You will want to slowly reel in every couple pops. Its a little surprising when a squid hits for the first time. When they hit, it doesn’t quite feel like a fish hit. The feeling is almost a slight hit that will almost feel like seaweed is caught on your line when reeling in. After a while, you will get use to how they hit the bait.

Keep in mind that when you reel them up, they will squirt ink shortly after being brought above the surface. Sometimes its right after and others its when taking them off the hook. The ink will stain so its best to wear clothes you don’t care about. This is also why I recommend doing it from shore, instead of on your boat. They also will change color after being brought above the surface. Usually, they go from a more vibrant color to a duller of a color, but it is noticeable.

The post Squid fishing 101 appeared first on Bass Thumb Fishing.

Four frozen baits for striper fishing

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:02:08 +0000

Four Frozen baits for striper fishing

We all know live fresh bait is the best choice but there are times when using frozen bait while striper fishing is necessary. It may be the easiest way to get actual flesh bait. You can stop by any bait and tackle shop and chances are they will have at least frozen bait available. When striper fishing, which frozen baits work the best? Well, here I will share four frozen baits for striper fishing that I typically use in the northeast.

Mackerel

Frozen Mackerel is a good choice for stiped bass. They still enjoy the frozen meat of a Mackerel. Typically, you want to cut the bait in about 1 inch wide chunks. You can of course use the tail and head as well from these. The head is a little harder to keep on the hook but other than that the stripers don’t care. A couple of small frozen Mackerel will last you a couple of hours. If not jerked around or ripped up by smaller fish, it will last a while just sitting in the water. But of course you want to still change the bait after a while if it appears water logged.

Clams

Another great choice for frozen bait. While using clams you will not need a knife to cut but you will want to let them defrost a little while before they are used. This is due to how they are packaged. They usually come in a plastic container like duck sauce from a Chinese restaurant. And they are packed tight, so trying to break them free frozen can be challenge. Once thawed, you simply grab one from the container and throw it on your choice of rig. These can come off the hook relatively easy.

Squid

In my opinion, this is the best bait in terms of staying on the hook. These will come frozen whole. The way I prep them is to rip the tentacle section from the body. You can then use the tentacle section whole. For the body part, cut a slit on one side length wise. This will allow you to open the squid ring and then slice half inch strips length wise. You can then hook the squid strip a few times which will help it remain on the hook.

Pogies (Menhaden)

Very similar to how you use Mackerel but as some bait shops you can get a smaller fish and use the entire thing. In other cases, if they are large, you want to cut them into chunks. In my case, this is the frozen bait I use the least. Not to say it’s bad bait, I just prefer and grew up using the others more often.

These baits can be used on a variety of rig types. I commonly
use the chunk bait bottom rig or hi low rig, but others will work fine. You can
even just use a hook with no weights and drift the bait. If doing this, you are
better off using a heavier piece of bait, think large chunk of Mackerel or
whole Pogie as a squid stipe would not be heavy enough to sink.

Keep in mind when choosing which baits to use its always
important to consider target species and location of where you are striper fishing.
You may also encounter other fish species when using these baits. Stripers are
not the only fish that will eat these baits. In the northeast, Black Sea Bass,
Fluke, Dogfish, and a variety of others will be attracted to these baits.

The post Four frozen baits for striper fishing appeared first on Bass Thumb Fishing.

What is a fishing Plug?

admin — Wed, 18 May 2022 15:22:20 +0000

What is a fishing plug

So, you were down at the marina, and heard an angler mention a PLUG and you thought, what the heck is a fishing plug? Is it a bait? Lure? Rig type? Well, you came to the right place.

Plug is a generic term that a lot of baits fall under. Some of these include, crankbaits, twitch baits, slow dive baits, floating baits and minnows. When someone uses the term Plug, they are usually referring to a salt water lure. So even though some of these styles of baits may cross over into fresh water, they usually are not referred to as a plug. Confusing for a beginner I know.

Fishing Plugs are a hard-bodied bait. Usually solid, but sometimes segmented. They are not flexible and are usually made from hard plastics wood or even metal. They come in a variety of shapes and colors to mimic certain bait fish. In almost all cases these will be rigged on the bottom side using one or more treble hooks.

Depending on the design, fishing plugs can float, sink, dive, or hover at a certain depth. Most plugs will either float or hover at a certain depth, but when retrieved they usually will dive down. The bigger the lip on the Plug, the deeper it will descend when being reeled in. Some will rise back to the surface once the retrieval is stopped.

Plugs usually have their action ‘built in’. Either from the shape of the bait and its lip or a combination of the plug and the retrieval from the angler. A slight twitch here and there at the right time can cause a fish to strike even if that plug is not intended for that retrieval style. Changing the retrieval speed or even pausing are also commonly used techniques.

The post What is a fishing Plug? appeared first on Bass Thumb Fishing.