Conference wahoo::fishing

    I WAS WRITING ABOUT THE CAPE COD CANAL, LOCATED IN MASSACHUSETTS.
    JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING. ALSO IF ANYONE WANTS TO SHARE
    DIFFERENT FISHING METHODS FOR THESE FISH.(SUCH AS WEST COAST
    VERSUS EAST COAST) PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DROP ME A LINE. 

    What do you use for bait back there and what do you use for lures?
    Out here in N. Cal the size limit is smaller also at 22 inches.
    We use Shiners, golbys, some grass shrimp and Rebel broken back
    lures.
    

    Lures: Rebel Jaw Breaker and Broken Back, Atom swimming plugs, Polaris
    swimming plugs, Gibbs poppers and pencil poppers.
    
    Baits: Squid, seaworms, cut mackerel, live eels (for big ones)

       Put a hook on one of your car keys and a Striper will eat it.
                                                  Denny

    On the north Jersey coast, the point of origin of those West Coast
    linesides, the popular lures are: 
    		Bomber Long A's  (#16 & #17)
    		Redfins *
    		Hellcats *
    		Rebels	*
    				* 5 - 5.5 inch sizes
    		Atom Jrs and "spin Atoms"
    		Hopkins shorties 
    		Gibbs Polaris
    		Atom Poppers
    		(no wonder I can barely lift my lure bag :-) )
    		Oh yeah.....Bucktail Jigs !!!!
    		AND  
    			TEASERS ahead of the swimming plugs & metals
    
    	BAIT wise, the favorites are:
    		Sandworms (clamworms)
    		Live Bunker
    		Live Herring  (alewives + bluebacks)  Especially this
    				time of year along 'jetty row'
    		Calico Crabs - either softies or shedders     
    
    Re:.4
    	Hey Denny, where do you fish? Down here stripers are among the
    most selective of gamefish!   Maybe I should borrow your car keys
    :-)
    
    Bagel _who_is_all_set_for_a_weekend_of_stripers_

    re .5

    >>    Down here stripers are among the most selective of gamefish!   <<

    I once found twigs, a popsicle stick and pieces of rubber tubeing
    in a SeaGirt schoole.

    A question Bagel,  what is the size limit for stripers in NJ now days.
    I'll be down this weekend and thought I might give it a try.

    keith

                      fishing stripper's from delaware river
    
    
    Down here in the south,south jersey that is,the favorite bait for
    keepers (33") is blood worms.

    WELL I'M BACK. I HAD A  GREAT TIME DOWN THE CAPE COD CANAL. 
    IN TWO DAYS (5 A.M. - 8 A.M. ONLY) I CAUGHT SIX STRIPERS
    AND ONE BLUE FISH. THE BASS WERE HITTING HERRING ONLY.
    (NO CAR KEYS). SOME GUYS WERE USING CUT BAIT OR PLUGS
    BUT GOT NOTHING. ON MONDAY MORNING SIX OF US WENT OUT.
    WE ARRIVED AT FIVE A.M. AND WITHIN TEN MINUTES WE ALL HAD AT
    LEAST ONE FISH. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT NONE OF THEM WERE WITHIN
    THE LEGAL SIZE LIMIT. THE HERRING ARE GETTING REAL SCARCE NOW.
    WE HAQD TO WORK REAL HARD TO GET THEM. IT TOOK ME 1 1/2 HOURS TO
    GET A DOZEN OF THEM. FROM NOW ON WE WILL BE USING SAND EELS,
    LIVE EELS, BARRACUDAS, AND COUNTLESS DIFFERENT TOP WATER PLUGS
    THE NAMES OF WHICH I DON'T KNOW. WHILE I WAS DOWN THERE I NOTICED
    A GREAT WAY TO KEEP YOUR BAIT ALIVE. SOME OF THE OLD TIMERS
    HAD TAKEN LUANDRY BASKETS, PUT LIDS ON THEM, AND ATTACHED RINGS
    OF STYRAFOAM TO THEM TO KEEP THE TOPS ABOVE WATER. THEY THEN PUT
    THE LIVE HERRING IN THEM, AND IT KEPT THE BAIT ALIVE.
    I HAVE TO ADMIT I TRIED IT AND IT WORKS GREAT! I'M PLANNING 
    ANOTHER TRIP FOR THE SECOND WEEKEND IN JUNE. HOPEFULLY THE KEEPERS
    WILL BE IN BY THEN. UNTIL THEN GOOD LUCK!

    Any tips on catching sand eels and pogies from shore (no boat)?
    The bait shops only sell them frozen.

The few times I've gone after blues (from a boat), I'd scout around for 
schools of pogies.  Once I found em, I'd cast a large, weighted treble hook 
(actual, a small grappling hook) beyond the school and rip it real fast thru 
the pogies and snag them.  There's no reason why it wouldn't work from shore 
as long as they're within casting distance.

Sand eels....??  I imagine nets are the only way to get them.  Maybe minnow 
traps might work as well.

Good luck!

Joe

      We use to catch eels by baiting a minnow trap with an old fish
    head.  Works pretty good.  We would set the trap in tidal creeks.
    you can also float down inlets and spear them with gigs.  There
    pretty tough to kill unless you hit them in the head, so don't worry
    about ruining them for bait.  Good luck.
    
    Jeff

    
    Last week I was catching schooly stripers off a dock in 3 feet of
    water. They were chomping the death out of recently born sand eels.
    This weekend on the Buzzards Bay side I couldn't even rent a fish.
    There was better luck in Cape Cod Bay about a mile out off the power
    station. The King Mackrel were jumping in the boat.
    
    Forever in search of the large gamefish.
    
    - Dave

    THERE ARE TWO PLACES THAT I KNOW OF THAT SELL FRESH(NOT FROZEN)
    SAND EELS. ONE IS RIGHT ON BASS RIVER IN DENNIS. IT IS CALLED BASS
    RIVER BAIT AND TACKLE. I WAS THERE LAST SUNDAY AND BOUGHT SOME.
    THEY ARE SOLD BY THE HALF POUND AND WERE GOING FOR $3.50 A HALF
    POUND. THE OTHER PLACE IS ALSO IN DENNIS AND I BELIEVE IS CALLED
    EAST DENNIS BAIT AND TACKLE.(?). AS FOR CATCHING SAND EELS I
    DON'T SEE WHY A MINNOW TRAP WOULD'NT WORK. HOWEVER THE MOST
    POPULAR WAY IS BY BOAT USING A SAND EEL RAKE. FOR CATCHING POGIES
    I MIGHT SUGGEST BUYING A THROW NET. I USED ONE LAST WEEKEND
    TO CATCH HERRING AND IT WORKED GREAT. I WAS USING IT IN SHALLOW
    WATER, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS IN DEEP WATER. 
    

    
    
                Does anyone have info on tides in Cape Cod canal?
    
                Where can I get a chart of high and low tides in the
                canal?
    
                How do I figure out when SLACK tide is?????
    
    
    
                                             The Keg

    Slack tide is about 1 before and after the tide change. This is
    the time the water slows down and changes direction in the canal.
    The fisherman has the tide info every week and the global lists
    it daily.
    
    Bruce

    Was down in Truro, MA at the mouth of the Pamet River Saturday eve.
    Many birds working over baitfish in the river, but couldn't raise
    anything. One guy caught and released three small schooly stripers
    using a Hopkins spoon.
    
    Also at the both the West and East end of canal. At West End, nothing
    was caught, but I saw a commercial fishing boat slam smack into
    the railroad bridge, wedging half of the boat under it. The boat
    was also taking on water. Since this
    doesn't happen every day, it caused a considerable commotion among
    the Army Corps personnel. I didn't stick around but somehow they
    managed to tug him out.
    
    At the East End, the pesky bait-nibblers (dogfish, crabs, skates)
    are out in force. It's easy to run out of bait quickly, even if
    you use a float to keep it off bottom. Many strikes, but only one
    cod to show for my efforts. Oh well...

    
    
       Re: .15
    
              Bruce,where do I get one of the fisherman guides??
    
    
                                           The Keg

re:       -< Slack tide in the canal?????? >-
                Does anyone have info on tides in Cape Cod canal?

Mr KEG,
Just send me your mailstop and I will drop in the mail to you a 
copy of the CAPE COD CANAL 1988 TIDE TABLES.
norm

    Keg-
    
    
    The Fisherman Magazine is what I was refering to. Each week they
    post the tides, moon phases for most of the New England Coast.
    
    
    The address is somewhere in another note...
    
    Bruce
    

    the info you want is in note 596.5

    An Eldredge guide is what I use to determine the tide and current
    for the New England coast. You should be able to pick them up in
    most Chanderlys. 
    Stripes are hitting in the mouth of the Merri-Muck River. The best
    locations being on the Plum Island Beach before the jetty.
    
    Lets hear more on capturing those sand Eel's. Like where do you
    go? how do you rake them? What tide? Whens the best time to spear
    them? It sound like they are good bait. What else eats them?
    
                                                    Walt
    

    I'm considering taking a ride up the NH-Maine coast this weekend,
    any suggestions on loacations for stripers?
    
    donmac 

     Looking at the current issue of NH Fins and Feathers, it seems
    that Great Bay would offer you a good chance at stripers. The good
    spots seem to be at the mouth of the bay, at the mouth of the lamprey
    river, and at the point of constriction about halfway through the
    bay. (can't remember the name of the point there but its obvious
    if you look at a map. There is a map of the bay in the aforementioned 
    issue of F & F. I also talked to Ann Eastman of Eastman's charters
    out of Seabrook a couple of weeks ago. She said they were beginning
    to see some stripers in the inlet @Hampton/Seabrook. I'd try the
    point on the Seabrook side, or at the mouths of the five rivers.
    
     The Doctah

    	I would say that the mouth of any river in Maine will hold
    Strippers. I don't know how far up you want to go but the Saco
    River isn't too far up and I have heard some good reports about
    it. Popham Beach at the mouth of the Kennebec is one of the hot
    spots but it is a fair hike to get there from "down South".

    Paul et al-
    
     Am I in the right note or what? I thought that 'strippers' were
    found in convention cities; 'stripers' are a kind of fish. :%)
    I don't think my wife would want me to catch a stripper, even if
    it were of legal length, whereas she wouldn't mind me catching a
    striper. The last time I caught a stripper, we were at a stag party
    @ my fraternity. Ha ha.
    
    The Doctah

    	Ha!
    
    	Freud must be working on my typing fingers. My subconsciuos
    knows that I would really prefer to catch a stripper. I've tried
    it a few times in the past but never succeeded.
    
    Paul

    Went out to the mouth of the Merrimac again Friday night. I caught
    7 stripers, a total of 11 in the boat.  All were caught on live
    and rubber eels.  None were big enough to keep.  Where are all
    the cows hiding????
    
    PS  not a blue fish in sight that evening.
    

    re: .27
    
    >>All were caught on live and rubber eels.
    
    There's been a lot of talk this season about rubber eels being very
    productive...
    Who is producing rubber eels these days? I remember Alou Eels, and
    then this product was bought out by someone who went out of business
    rapidly. Please, somebody name the manufacturer and a supply source
    if possible...I'm tired of just sending all my money to Cordell
    for red-fins :-)
    
    Bagel

    This probably won't be much help, but the rubber eels came from
    a glass jar at Bert's Tackle, in Pepperell, Ma.
    

    Please more detail on merry muck stripers. How late at night, where
    did you find them. I was surfcasting a while last night from 6:30
    to 8:30 but did not see anything being caught. The wind was ripping.
    I have yet to catch any striper so any help would be appreciated.
    
    Bruce

    Well Capt, the best advise I can give is get a boat, and don't
    start fishing until it's dark.  Almost anything 16' and over
    will do.  All the stripers we've caught have been in the river
    area, none outside the breakwater.  We troll eels, mostly live.
    Use no weight, just hook em up through the bottom of the jaw,
    and out an eye socket. Five to twelve feet is all we fish.
    Most of the fish last Friday were caught between 10pm and 1am.
    The less light on the boat, the better.  There may be better ways
    than ours, but we seem to get fish every time out.  We've taken
    over 30 stripers this summer, but only one keeper.  44 inches,
    about 34 pounds.  Good luck,
    
    PS   A good place to launch is at the Salsbury State Park ramp,
    it's only $3.
    
    The Gaffer
    

    Having a boat is no problem since I already own one...do you
    fish along the jettys or on jappa flats or what? 5-12 feet? I
    would be woried about running aground especially in the dark?
    
    Bruce

re -1
    Bruce, 5-12 feet is a lot more water than I've been fishing
    (succesfully) down here!
    
    Welcome to the wonderful world of SKINNY WATER
    
    Bagel

    Capt, we've been fishing the flats, and the rocky area by the
    toothpick.  Also, the edges of the channel in the river.
    You pretty much have to use a depth finder and an electric
    motor (don't want to spook them).
    
    Good Luck
    The Gaffer
    

    This seemed like as good a place to put this as any.
    
    Has anyone else been out enjoying the schoolie run this year?  There
    are lots of them in the Merrimack now.  We went out Saturday a.m.
    and landed around 20 by 10 a.m.  Lots of fun!  We saw several people
    catching them on flyrods. 
    
    Oh, I also caught a 2 lb blue.  Seemed pretty early for that, but I
    ain't complaining.
    
    Mark,
    

    re: .last
    
    	What are you getting the schoolies on?
    
    			Robert.

    White jigs primarily.  My partner also caught one on a surface plug,
    and I missed one on a surface plug, but white jigs seem to be the
    best.  We missed or lost a lot more than we caught. 
    
    The fish weren't big, (up to 24" or 25"), but I was using freshwater
    gear, so it was lots of fun.
    
    Mark,
    

    Where on the Merrimack?  I have heard from Lawrence to the mouth.  I
    also went out Saturday and there were over a hundred boats by 11 am
    near the Tooth pick and end of Plum island.  Fish were jumping all over
    the place. They seemed to be hitting small kastmasters and leadhead
    jigs.  Shortly after we arrived (late start due to fog) the fog lifted
    and the boat traffic increased and the fish left.
    
    Went out for mackeral instead.  Need lots of bait for lobsters and
    bluefish.
    
    Gordon
    

    I'm not sure which area is called the tooth pick.  We caught
    them from near the mouth upstream to the edge of Joppa flats (which
    were exposed since it was near low tide).
    
    Mark,
    

    	I also seen them being caught from shore when I went out on a party
    boat trip last Monday. On the way out I saw a person with waders way
    out on the end of the sandbar. It was low tide and you can probably get 
    over 100 yards from the shore on that sand bar.
    
    	On the trip in, one of the mates said they heard over the radio
    that someone in waders drowned that day on the end of the sand bar.
    Evidently, he slipped (or was pulled by current) and his waders filled
    up. Once they fill, it is nearly impossible to get them off due to the
    suction caused by the water. 
    
    	A word to the wise should be sufficient.............RAYJ

    The toothpick is the day marker triangler shaped on the Salisbury side
    or the river.  It is just across the river from Joppa flats.  We were
    in the same general area on sdaturday about 11 am
    
    Gordon
    

    re: .40
    
    It happens nearly every year.  Someone goes out too far onto the
    sandbar, steps in a hole or looses their balance and the 6+knot current
    takes care of the rest.
    
    At various points of the tide that area is real nasty, even in a boat. 
    Use extreme caution when fishing here from shore.
    
    Gordon
    

    I have a small cabin on Chebeque Island in Casco Bay in Maine.  There
    is a pier on the west side of the island where it is common to catch
    mackeral during an incoming or outgoing tide.  This past weekend the
    mackeral were big, fast, and plentiful.  However, the big story was
    that I caught a 24" striper from the pier.  I have been going there for
    eight years and this is the first year that stripers have been caught
    from the pier.  The warm weather conditions and the early spring may
    have something to do with it, but I have to believe that the minimum
    length requirements on stripers is the key.  I have to applaud that
    program and hope it continues so my children will be able to enjoy
    catching stripers from the west end pier on Chebeque for years to
    come.(BTW. Striper went back in immediatly in excellent condition.)
    
    Jim
    

    Does anyone know the current laws around stripers...
    
    I use to be an avid striper fisherman but I haven't kept
    abrest of the current laws...
    
    If possible purhaps the rules for Mass, N.H. and Maine.
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    Bear
    
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    
    stripers in the Merrimack... an old time Hotspot use to be up river
    underneath the I95 bridge in aimbury.
    
    also Badgers rocks  ( 1/2 tide going out to ebb )
    salisbury drift  starting up near the icebreaker
    Woodbrige Island, Sportsmen lounge
    
    Beware of underwater hazzards. sumerged rock jetties near the island
    Lunt rock  etc.. Of course Badgers and 1/2 tide rocks can also
    be submerged....
    
    It is a dangerous place if you are not familar with it.
                                                           
    

    Bear, I believe it is a one fish limit with a minimum size of 36".
    I think that is true for both NH and Mass, but I'm not so sure about
    Maine.
    
    Mark,
    

    Has anyone had any success with Stripers in the Merrimack on an
    incoming tide?  If so, I'd love to hear your techniques.  So far
    we've only fished the out going tide.  If the incoming can be as
    good, that would make more nights possible for fishing.
    
    Also, have any of you fished the Great Bay area for stripers?  I'll
    be in a small boat and wouldn't mind having an alternative to the
    Merrimack when the surf is really rollin in there....
    
    Thanks,
    Mark
    

    	First sandy beach area going away from the jetty on the river side 
    at the Salisbury reservation. I was bottom fishing with sandworms. White 
    bucktail jigs, Kast-masters, Hopkins, etc. would probably work too.
    Actually, I was flounder fishing and those damn stripers wouldn't leave 
    me alone.
    
    RAYJ
    
    ;-) 

    Anybody got a favorite recipe for Striper, I can try tonight?
    
    Last night, I got my first keeper, but just barely.  37" and about
    17 pounds.  Boy was that fun.  Got him on eels in about 4 feet of
    water.
    
    Mark,
    

    Last weekend while fishing off the jetty at the mouth of the Merrimack,
    I saw several bass (one possible keeper) chasing bait right along the
    rocks. I tossed a hopkins spoon passed them and they didn't even turn
    to look at the damn thing! I need to change my striper tactics - could
    someone give an explanation on how to rig live eels? Any other
    suggestions on bait/lures that actually work?
    
    			Thanks,
    				Robert.
    
    P.S. - has anyone ever caught anything on a hopkins or kastmaster? I've
    	never had so much as a hit on either of these lures. 

    I'm no expert, but I've started to do more fishing in that area.  I've
    heard Kastmasters are good, but I haven't fished them.  I've had no
    luck with my hopkins so far.  I suspect it depends on the mood of the
    fish and what typed of bait they are after.  For schoolies in the
    daylight, we've had our best luck with white jigs (earlier in the year)
    and recently with jointed rebels or rapala's.  At dusk and night we
    stick to live eels.  I use a 2' leader of 60 lb mono and a single,
    dark colored hook (from 3/0 to 7/0 depending on your preference) and
    no weight.  I run the hook into the bottom of the eels jaw and
    out one of the eye sockets.
    
    We caught about 8 undersized stripers Thursday night, the biggest was
    a 33" 13 pounder.
    
    Good luck,
    Mark
    

I hook the eel through the lower jaw then up throught upper jaw about a 1/4 in
for the front of the nose. So not to kill the eel. I use a leader if the 
blue are in.

Cast it like that of a while then check to make sure the eels is still a live. 
You do this by just holding the eel out of the water, if the tail has a bend 
the eel is live. If the eel is strait it's dead.

Caught a 38 pounder doing this from a boat 2 thursday ago.

Good luck
Jim

    Having tried to grab an eel or two in my time, I have to ask:
    
    *How* do you hold the eel still long enough to run a hook through its
    mandibles? That's a two-handed operation, isn't it? Just holding the
    eel still in your hand(s) is also a two-hand operation, isn't it? How
    do you do it?
    
    Or maybe we're talking about sand eel-size rather than American Eel
    size?
    
    Just curious.

To told the eel, just put it in a rug and also DO NOT put any water in the 
bucket they don't get as slimy. They can breath air so this will not kill them.
Also don't leave them in the direct sun.

Jim

    You definitely need a rag to hold them.  One trick we've been using is
    to put them in a small ice chest with ice (no water).  That slows their
    metabolism so they barely move while trying to hook them.
    
    mark,
    

    
    If your fishing from shore, role the live eel in sand.  You get a
    better hold on those slimy things.
    
    

    I've read that if your casting or trolling eels you should hook them as
    previously stated.  If you sinker bouncing with a fish finder rig them
    hook them in the tail.  The reason for this is that they always swim
    away and do not wrap themselves around the line.  No personal
    experience but sounds reasonable.
    
    Also give the fish a little extra time before setting the hook.
    
    Gordon

    Having only fished with eels for stripers twice (see the hawg note for
    my success story), I was in an experimental mode.  Bruce and I fished
    from midnight to daylight twice.  I got one fish and he got one (34 and
    29" repectively).  We got more hits retrieving the eels (hence we
    hooked them through the lips) than leaving them still, although both
    fish came while livelining.  I was retrieving my eel for another cast
    and it was dragging across the surface with its tail wiggling and I got
    a pretty big splash.  Didn't see what it was, unfortunately.  Later,
    When all the eels were dead, Bruce got a hit while fishing the eel like
    a plastic worm.
    
    That's my limited experience with stripers.  Would like to try the
    Merrimack, if someone wants to take me (us?) out some night...
    
    Tim
    

    While back east last week on vacation, my wife went out to dinner
    with her family. They were at a place called Markey's in Seabrook.
    There's a canal that runs right by the deck where the tables are
    set up outside. They looked down and saw about 50 stripers. My father
    in law said they all looked to be over the 36 inch limit. People
    at the resteraunt started throwing food in, and they fought over
    everything. French fries, scallops and at one point someone tossed
    a rubberband in and it was inhaled too! And to think I was at Sunapee
    getting excited over little smallies, smuggly thinking I was lucky
    to have bowed out of the dinner exercise...You live and learn!
    
    Marty

 A guy got a 40 lb'er there (behind Markey's). That's the Seabrook River,
I believe. I heard the guy used a french fry, but I had a tough time
believing it. Maybe it's true.

 The fish are around (though you can't tell from my luck over the last week.
I lost one _nice_ fish when it spit the hook after about a minute of thrashing
around on the surface. It was in the 32-38" class. Boy, do I want to avenge that
one!

 My buddy picked up a keeper right off the beach at noon time. The fish had
a pod of pogies trapped against the beach. He snagged one, rigged it and sent 
it back out. 37"- a 10 minute fishing day. He picked up 7 fish in the rain
on friday night (1 keeper); I stayed in that night. How come we have a west
wind when I'm on vacation?!!

 Other people are working the harbor on the high tide in skiffs. Watch for the
birds or the bait, motor over and hook up.

 This is a pretty good year for stripers, supposedly. I have yet to get a 
keeper.

 The Doctah