If you love fishing for striped bass, there is little doubt that you have found that they are easiest to land in areas where there are numerous structures. Whether it is boulder piles, reefs or wrecks, they seem to attract striped bass. If you have ever fished along the Connecticut side of Long Island you are probably familiar with some of the popular reefs in that area. Remember the height of a reef is not always important, instead, you are interested in the steepness of the hill. You may find fish in water as deep as eighty feet or you may be surprised by finding a school in as little as ten feet of water. Funnel formations are the reasons that reefs are such great ambush points for striped bass. They allow you to spread bait across the water column which then flows down and over the crest, and once the tide flows up the hill, the bait gets carried along to the crest of the peak. This is typically where the striped bass are waiting to feed, and depth does not matter in these cases. The better the funnel shape, the more likely you will be to have success landing striped bass. The crest of the reef is approximately the same as the reef line.

Locate the top and then use your fish finder while cruising up-tide to help you locate the striper school. You might not see any action on the fish finder but don’t depend on it too much, since the stripers are pretty hard to detect even for the most sophisticated unit due to their clinging to the sides of structures. Depth is also critical, and it’s generally best to start off from where the reef crested 20 feet deeper. Keep your boat out of gear, and drop your rig. If you are having challenges with your line reaching deep enough simply add an additional sinker for more weight. Three to six feet above the bottom is about where you want to be, this is where you’ll most likely find the best opportunity to land striped bass. Don’t worry too much if your sinker hits the bottom, a couple of turns of your reel will have it right back where you want it. Your line really does need to be vertical for the best possible control. As you drift, you’ll find that you’re going to be bouncing off the bottom more frequently and you’ll have to be attentive to your line.

If you are not entirely familiar with the body of water you are fishing in make sure that you are not only minding your fish-finder and GPS but that you’re paying attention to landmarks as well. This will help you map the area when you get a hit or you land a fish. Remember, if you have found one fish in an area, it’s a pretty good guess that you are going to find more than one. Keep an eye out for unusual formations as it’s not unusual for stripers to seek out sharp drops, boulders and formations that are different than those in the area.

You’ll almost always find striped bass on the upside of a hill but you may also find them on the downside. You will most likely need to do some testing to find out where the stripers are feeding and once you find out you will have a great deal of success. Keeping your line at the proper depth is critical – your bait should not be less than three feet and not more than six feet from the bottom. You might also get caught off guard with occasional fish or two landing on your rod while it’s in the rod holder.

If you are looking for a more secure way of catching stripers, you should be considering a 5/0 or 6/0 circle hook when you are using eels for bait. These circle hooks do not require a hook to be set, you simply need to let out the slack and reel it up or lift the tip. Most anglers agree that there is little (if any at all) downside to the circle hook. If you are using menhaden, hickory shad or scup for bait, you will want to switch to the 8/0 circle hook.

When you are getting prepared for a saltwater fishing adventure, having the proper equipment is essential. Some of the most popular products on the market include shimano saltwater spinning reels, okuma reels, and van staal fishing reels.