First day of winter meant the first day of holdover bass fishing in the Housatonic. It was cold but worth it. Misfit Fishing represented well, with Pistol Pete Kelly and I catching almost 40 bass. Though most were less than 24 inches, we had a couple that were nearly keepers. I'm not as good as the locals yet, but I'm getting a little better every time. It's nothing like summer bass fishing[ATTACH type="full"]13979[/ATTACH][ATTACH type="full"]13981[/ATTACH]
Pete and I saw these two headed out in a tiny aluminum boat with low sides and Pete commented about how much safer we were in our kayaks and dry suits. Turned out to be prescient.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://fox61.com/2019/12/21/shelton-fire-department-rescues-2-from-capsized-boat-on-housatonic-river/[/URL]
The difference between hypothermia in March and in December is about 15 minutes. Nobody ever thinks they'll end up in the water.
Winter Stripers
1,215 views·4 replies·by KayakFisherman
Yes. I thought it was a little weird too at first, but I watched what the locals were doing very carefully and learned a lot. They're like mini-umbrellas, maybe 8". The colors and sizes change slightly, and that can be the difference between 100 fish and 10 some days. I am nowhere near the level of the local sharpies, for whom 100 bass would be "average." The good ones are catching 200 in a day. Technique is everything.
When I first arrived there in March a couple years ago, I used trolling lures and caught my share of bass. I even noticed that for whatever reason that particular afternoon the bass that I was catching on the troll seem to be a little bigger than what the guys were catching who were jigging. But until I started getting to know what the more experienced local fishermen were doing out there - which meant 1. listening carefully and 2. getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things - the sooner I started improving my catch there. The guys that I have run into up there have been very helpful. There's a comaraderie that developes among those who are willing to get up when it's 17 degrees out and wade into freezing water for the chance to catch an undersized bass.
When I first arrived there in March a couple years ago, I used trolling lures and caught my share of bass. I even noticed that for whatever reason that particular afternoon the bass that I was catching on the troll seem to be a little bigger than what the guys were catching who were jigging. But until I started getting to know what the more experienced local fishermen were doing out there - which meant 1. listening carefully and 2. getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things - the sooner I started improving my catch there. The guys that I have run into up there have been very helpful. There's a comaraderie that developes among those who are willing to get up when it's 17 degrees out and wade into freezing water for the chance to catch an undersized bass.
MateOriginal Crew183 postsSince 2019
>
Yes. I thought it was a little weird too at first, but I watched what the locals were doing very carefully and learned a lot. They're like mini-umbrellas, maybe 8". The colors and sizes change slightly, and that can be the difference between 100 fish and 10 some days. I am nowhere near the level of the local sharpies, for whom 100 bass would be "average." The good ones are catching 200 in a day. Technique is everything.
When I first arrived there in March a couple years ago, I used trolling lures and caught my share of bass. I even noticed that for whatever reason that particular afternoon the bass that I was catching on the troll seem to be a little bigger than what the guys were catching who were jigging. But until I started getting to know what the more experienced local fishermen were doing out there - which meant 1. listening carefully and 2. getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things - the sooner I started improving my catch there. The guys that I have run into up there have been very helpful. There's a comaraderie that developes among those who are willing to get up when it's 17 degrees out and wade into freezing water for the chance to catch an undersized bass.
In fact, that morning before I tried the umbrella I drifted over a spot where I knew there was fish and tried three other single lures - same color and type, just different sizes - and they didn't touch it. The instant I dropped the umbrella, I was hooked up.
Yes. I thought it was a little weird too at first, but I watched what the locals were doing very carefully and learned a lot. They're like mini-umbrellas, maybe 8". The colors and sizes change slightly, and that can be the difference between 100 fish and 10 some days. I am nowhere near the level of the local sharpies, for whom 100 bass would be "average." The good ones are catching 200 in a day. Technique is everything.
When I first arrived there in March a couple years ago, I used trolling lures and caught my share of bass. I even noticed that for whatever reason that particular afternoon the bass that I was catching on the troll seem to be a little bigger than what the guys were catching who were jigging. But until I started getting to know what the more experienced local fishermen were doing out there - which meant 1. listening carefully and 2. getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things - the sooner I started improving my catch there. The guys that I have run into up there have been very helpful. There's a comaraderie that developes among those who are willing to get up when it's 17 degrees out and wade into freezing water for the chance to catch an undersized bass.
In fact, that morning before I tried the umbrella I drifted over a spot where I knew there was fish and tried three other single lures - same color and type, just different sizes - and they didn't touch it. The instant I dropped the umbrella, I was hooked up.
MateOriginal Crew183 postsSince 2019
>
In fact, that morning before I tried the umbrella I drifted over a spot where I knew there was fish and tried three other single lures - same color and type, just different sizes - and they didn't touch it. The instant I dropped the umbrella, I was hooked up.
Here's a real old school trick that may help. In the early 80s we had a nice pick trolling a Tony Aceta Pet Spoon with yellow pork rind that had a hook in it, and we watched a boat dragging an umbrella rig with white tubes that was also having a nice pick. I was fishing with one of the Skinner brothers, not the one you all read about, and we looked at each other and said, "Why not?", so we broke out an umbrella rig, put the spoon on the center clip, dropped it down and BANG!!! The rest was history; it became the definitive "GO TO" umbrella rig configuration for LI striped bass trolling, and the same for striped bass trolling in the lakes of Arkansas...
For S&Gs, if you have any of those ancient spoons and you're out there on a day where they're a bit cranky, you may want to clip one on the middle clip...
In fact, that morning before I tried the umbrella I drifted over a spot where I knew there was fish and tried three other single lures - same color and type, just different sizes - and they didn't touch it. The instant I dropped the umbrella, I was hooked up.
Here's a real old school trick that may help. In the early 80s we had a nice pick trolling a Tony Aceta Pet Spoon with yellow pork rind that had a hook in it, and we watched a boat dragging an umbrella rig with white tubes that was also having a nice pick. I was fishing with one of the Skinner brothers, not the one you all read about, and we looked at each other and said, "Why not?", so we broke out an umbrella rig, put the spoon on the center clip, dropped it down and BANG!!! The rest was history; it became the definitive "GO TO" umbrella rig configuration for LI striped bass trolling, and the same for striped bass trolling in the lakes of Arkansas...
For S&Gs, if you have any of those ancient spoons and you're out there on a day where they're a bit cranky, you may want to clip one on the middle clip...
AdmiralOriginal Crew21,694 postsSince 2018
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