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How to Rig a Fishing Pole for a Striper

How to Rig a Fishing Pole for a Striper

fishing image by BengLim from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Catching a striper requires the right bait and a subsurface or bottom setup, which is relatively easy to rig, considering you only need a leader, weight and bait. Striped bass are a favorite among anglers for their size and plentiful presence at the bottom of fisheries. Knowing a striper's feeding pattern is important when fishing for this large game fish. Stripers attack forage fish from behind. Hitting forage fish with its tail, striper are able to stun bait fish into inactivity and obtain a relatively easy strike.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:
  • 20-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament test
  • 3- to 4-foot, 10-pound leader
  • Barrel swivel
  • Sinker
  • 6/0 to 9/0 hook
  • Fish finder (optional)
Step 1
Tie 20-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament test to your rod. Tie the free end of the fishing line to the reel spool, then pass the other end through the rod guides as usual. Tie the free end of the mainline to a 3- to 4-foot, 10-pound leader using a barrel swivel, which contains a snap swivel for easy attachment to a sinker. Join either end to the swivel using the clinch knot.
Step 2
Clamp or tie on a 3- to 4-ounce sinker, so your line is heavy enough to drop to the bottom where striper dwell. Leave about a foot of length on the line for a snelled hook.
Step 3
Thread the free end of the leader through the eyelet of your hook and secure it using the clinch knot.
Step 4
Press an anchovy to a 6/0 to 9/0 hook and pass the small fish over the hook point and along the hook shaft. Alternate between whole anchovies and anchovies cut into thirds. For a double or treble hook, pair the anchovies with mackerel pieces or night crawlers. Thread on equal amounts of both when used in combination.
Step 5
Drop your line to the bottom and wait for a strike. Fish-finder systems may assist you in finding the location of nearby striper. Use as directed.
Step 6
Work your line by dragging it across the bottom and using a slow cast-and-retrieval pattern. If striper do not strike your line, retrieve it and recast at a different location. Wait a few seconds after you feel activity on your line. Striper need a few seconds to strike bait after hitting it with its tail.

Tips & Warnings

 
To complete a clinch knot, thread your line through the eye of the hook or swivel. Double back and rotate your line over the standing line six times. Pass the line through the loop, then pull the line away from the eye and close the knot. Check that the coils are pressed tightly together. Cut your line 1/8-inch forward of the eye using fishing-line cutters.
 
Wear fishing gloves when handling hooks.

Article Written By Charlie Gaston

Charlie Gaston has written numerous instructional articles on topics ranging from business to communications and estate planning. Gaston holds a bachelor's degree in international business and a master's degree in communications. She is fluent in Spanish and has extensive travel experience.

Write for Trails.com

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