When it comes to trolling striped bass, there really are but a few important facts to remember everything else is basic know how and standard trolling techniques that can be used. When you are trolling striped bass, you will want to maintain a trolling speed of between 2 and 4 miles per hour. This will keep the bass from being startled, yet will allow you to keep a good pace and entice the bass to hit your line. Should you be using a tube and worm rig in a rip or glacial esker, it would be most advisable for you to troll even slower than the 2 to 4 mile per hour recommendation.
Rips are a wonderful place when it comes to trolling bass, the waters are chilly and it is a great place for the bass to intercept baitfish as they lie in wait. This makes it an ideal location, especially for someone new to trolling all together. With all of the breaks, ridges, and cliffs that the rips entail, this area makes for a great staging ground for bass to collect and congregate. Should you encounter such a rip, more than likely you will receive many strikes on your line provided you are using the right bait.
Many anglers tolling bass use combinations when it comes to the bait that they are using. There really is no right lure, or wrong lure when it comes to trolling striped bass. It all comes down to what they like, or want an a particular day. The lure that you used yesterday, or last week may not be what will be successful this time around. Many of the best anglers use Shad Umbrella rigs, or large tube lures and spoons. All of these lures have been successful in the past, finding the right day to get lucky while trolling striped bass is clearly a matter of experimentation.
What is most important when it comes to trolling striped bass however would have to be having a strong durable rod. When trolling, you will need a rod that is capable of casting at a great distance, and should be strong enough to allow you to pull in a fish that is around 60-80 pounds. This will ensure that once you have snagged the striped bass while trolling, you will be able to bring the fish in without compromising the rod that you are using.
