When trolling for striped bass, you want to make sure you use the right equipment. If you charter a boat, you should be supplied with all that you need. Striped bass like to hang out near the bottom - below the bait so wire line is used to get the lures down to their level. It's important to prevent line wear to the guides on your rod so make sure you use one that has guides of carboloy, aluminum oxide or silicon carbide.



As with most fishing, your success depends on matching the lure to whatever the fish are eating. Your charter guide should know exactly what to use for that. Striped bass are known to eat a large variety including eels, squid, silversides, crab, soft clams, lobsters, sea worms and other fish such as flounder smelt and silver hake.

Your best bet at catching striped bass is to go out after dawn or around dusk, but in the middle of summer, these fish like to feed at night.

If you don't want the expense of renting a charter to troll for striped bass, you can always fish from shore. Again the same rules apply - make sure you present them with something that resembles what they are currently feeding on. A 10 foot surf rod is typical and you should make sure to use at least 30 pound test line. If you are using live bait, make sure to use a float to keep the bait away from crabs on the bottom.

Trolling for stripers can be a fun activity for the whole family. A little bit more gently than fishing for big game fish, it might not be as exciting for many fisherman, but a good trip to bring the wife and kids on.

Once you have your bass, you can prepare them by baking, broiling or grilling. You can even have striper stuffed steaks if you can get them thick enough. To bake, lightly flour the fish and bake at 400 degrees until white and flaky.