If you want to hear the cry “striper on” often, here’s the gear Captain D recommends.
He fishes for stripers exclusively with Mitchell Avocet IV spinning reels on a variety of strong, graphite spincast rods because they hold up to the brutal fight put up by stripers and cast easily in any conditions.
When baitcasting, he recommends fishing 8-pound line because it throws farther and is harder for the fish to see. His favorite is green Berkley line.
When he’s trolling, he goes with 60-pound Spiderwire because you are more likely to hook up with the bigger fish and you often troll near stump lines. If you get an expensive deep-diving crankbait hung that heavy line comes in handy.
“You want to be able to pull it loose or pull up the stump with it,” Captain D said.
His favorite schooling bait is the 3/8-ounce Worden Rooster Tail. He also uses a ½-ounce at times to catch bigger stripers lingering under the splashing schools of smaller fish. He also likes Bass Pro Wind Rider silver and gold spoons in the ½-ounce size.
Other favorite lures include the gold/orange belly Smithwick Rogue, gray Mann’s Little George, Norman’s deep-diving Little N and Storm’s clear Rattlin/ Chug Bug.
And don’t forget your binoculars and landing net.