Spring in New England offers a variety of options for fishing for striped bass. During the spring of 2007, it was a great season and stripers up to 25 pounds in shallow water were not that difficult to catch using artificial lures. One particular day it seemed like there was a shortage. The fish were all but nonexistent.
It was interesting; as the water became more transparent (as the sun was getting higher) you could see fish moving along in small pods. It seemed like the stealthier I became, when approaching these fish the harder I was working to intercept them. Regardless of the type of floor the fish simply would not take a second look. It was almost as if they were focused on something particular small that I could not see.
As it turned out, this was exactly what was happening. After much frustration and changing the floors down to smaller tackle, I finally caught a small fish. When I got him into the boat, he coughed up his breakfast. Then I saw it – the culprit turned out to be tiny translucent crabs.
This is one of those cases where if you are interested in catching anything at all, you definitely need to “match the hatch”. This is a fairly common term used in the fly fishing world. The overall theory is if you want fish to bite, you need to find bait that is similar to what they are going after. This is pretty common, for example proud will almost always ignore something that does not mimic the current insect hatch. It is even true with saltwater species; they focus in on a certain size and type of bait and turn their nose up at anything else.
In shallow waters like salt ponds and estuaries, this is pretty common. For example, assume the worm hatch occurs in many of these small ponds. The fish that inhabit these areas tend to only go after bait that is similar. Fly fishermen are very adept at handling this type of change. They are able to take tiny worm imitations that are typically 2 to 3 inches long and not have a problem. However, spinning anglers have a little bit more difficulty. They not only have to worry about scaling down below, but also their tackle.
Spinning rods using 10 pound test braided line is a great way to cast with these offerings. The advantage is they can still snag a large fish in a salt pond. Some anglers find that The Lunker City Slug-O in the 3” size using an offset worm hook makes a reasonable substitution for the cinder worm. There are certainly other soft plastic lures that will work well; it is more a matter of finding the size and color that works best.
Known as one of the least discriminatory fishes, the bluefish can even get focused on baitfish. Once this happens, regardless of what you are offering they simply turn away from it. This is fairly typical as the season winds on and baitfish migrate to shallow areas. At those times, a tackle box that is stocked with small spoons and small soft plastic lures allow the angler to match the preferred diet of these fish. It is not all that difficult to determine what you need in terms of size, shape, and color, just keep an eye on what the fish regurgitates onto your boat deck.
The situations are not unique, and nearly every saltwater angler will run into them at one time or another. For whatever reason, fish will be particular at times however, are prepared fishermen will likely have the resources to still get the job done. These fishermen will almost always have the tools on hand to effectively “match the hatch”.
When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Saltwater Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Reels.
