Rubba or die
I figured its time your sorry ass board got some play with some real fish talk, so chew on this overly lengthy question if you have time:
You may have heard me mention that several times during the season I visit my good friend's folks, who live in Newburyport on the Merrimack around a mile or so (I think) from the mouth. The action is typically hit or miss,with a good session resulting in my catching a half dozen or so schoolies. Larger stripers are few and far between for my companions, but supposedly there is one local guru who regularly catches keepers, using a variety of methods.
The technique my hosts use is to haul out the ancient surfcasting gear, and chucking out sea worms, clams or cut fish (herring or macs) on a bottom rig that consists of a pyramid weight that slides on a thingee that the line is threaded through, with a leader tied off of a swivel (I'm sure this rig has a real name as it seems to be a popular system out there- its not entirely unlike a carolina rig, except you don't move it at all once it settles on the bottom).
We fish during various stages of the tide, and we have had success at all stages except when the current is running very hard and the heaviest weights we throw won't hold bottom. Typically the action will be relatively fast and furious while (I presume) a school moves through, and then will die out to nothing. Depending upon the tide, we may be using as small as a 2oz. weight, but when its moving, a 5oz'er will be dragged at a pretty good clip until you get enough line out and hang up on something on the bottom.
I have pretty much mastered my friend's technique, and while it works and can be fun, there has gotta be something better, at least sometimes. It just isn't catching the big fish that I understand are at least sometimes in the river. It is strictly a bottom mostly stationary technique, and I know from my experiences fishing the toilet bowl with you that bass are sight feeders that will chase baits down in all parts of the water column under the right conditions. I briefly toyed with plugs from this spot, but on my freshwater bass gear I had trouble getting the bait out far enough, and the area near the shore is snaggy and death on anything that dives at all. While I think heavier topwater plugs may be a decent choice if the bass are feeding on top, I doubt they are the best choice most of the time (unless the heavy sinking style of topwaters can be effectively worked deeper- can they?). A big rattle trap may work well, but it will have to be burned once I pass out of the "channel" (a drop off, not the main navigation channel) or it will surely get hung closer to shore, and I doubt I can work it slow enouth to catch less active fish.
To give you a lay of the land, just to the right (toward the mouth)of my friend's property is a large series of docks where large pleasure craft are moored that can be reached without much difficulty with the rigs we fish. I found that these docks were out of reach (by 20 feet or so) of the few plugs I briefly tried the 1 time I brought my freshwater gear. I suspect I could wing a big rattle trap or other good casting heavy plug that far, which is the minimum distance from shore I've caught fish with the bottom rigs. The docks closest to and parallel to shore roughly coincide with the "channel" and are usually a good bet (I caught the bulk of my fish last time drifting under them on an outgoing tide), although sometimes other areas further out or more upriver are better bets. Since you have to cast pretty far out, I can't say for sure how deep the "channel" is, but I suspect its somewhere between 12-18 feet.
All of which brings me to rubba. If I can get out on the water to my friend's mooring (which is out a ways), I know your split tails (using your standard rig with the weighted jig hook and braided line with a leader, maybe in a larger size than I bought) will kill in most current conditions. My question is (finally), do you think there is any way to work soft jerks efficiently from shore at a long distance? While I am not good at judging distances, I'd say I need to cast it 100 feet or more, (although I suspect that fish may be lurking closer to shore that are active and feeding) If all you were worried about is distance, what kind of set-up would you use with your baits (on a pretty heavily wrapped jig hook - or would a jig head cast better?). I go out there enough to justify buying a larger spooled inshore spinning reel that I should be able to use for other light saltwater applications which I will team with a relatively cheapie rod suited to this particular application (I would consider a better rod if you thought it would work well for closer quarters ledge fishing). What kind of rod action will fling this bait the farthest? I thought maybe medium action with a not so fast tip that will flex and really load up, but will the length of line out call for a faster tip for a better set? I figure 7 feet would be the max length that would allow me to work the bait properly. With all that line out, is there any way to maintain feel if a slowly worked or deadsticked presentation is called for. I suspect this would be the case in moderate and heavier current because I assume a larger fish isn't gonna run down a fast moving bait very far. Will a superline cast well enough to get the needed distance on the bigger spooled reel? On my light freshwater gear, my favorite copolymers cast much better than all of the braids I have tried, but I assume I will miss too many hits if I don't use a superline? Also, to further confuse things, bear in mind that if I should somehow hook into a whopper, I may have to deal with rotted out pilings near the upriver shoreline, which combined with a limited ability to move along the shoreline due to vegetation, slope and very slippery terrain, will likely force me to try to horse a fish big fish if it runs toward the pilings (in which case I will be screwed barring a miracle).
Also, as crazy as it may sound, I've considered using a true carolina rig with a rubber jerk in at least some tide conditions dragging it during a slack or light tide, and letting it get pulled by the current when its moving quicker.
Sorry to chew your ear off, but I thought it was important to get as specific as I could to address this somewhat unique situation. I really would love to show my friends a better way and would also like to continue to impress them with my superior knowledge and skills (no @#%$- they think I know what i'm doing). If you think an entirely different approach using a different rigging, a different artificial or a better bait rig that might appeal to the bigger fish that just don't seem attracted to what we are doing, I'm all ears.
For what its worth, this area of the river doesn't get pounded nearly as bad as the mouth (and usually sees relatively light pressure midweek during the times I've been there) and looks incredibly bassy all along the opposite shore -a good sized marshy preserve adjacent to at least one island which looks like it drops off into deeper water. I have seen loads of fish being pulled out of this stretch of the river in a pretty wide area behind the docks and the inlets that lead into the marsh and between the island along the far bank throughout the season. If you were looking for a change of pace, I believe this stretch of the river is no real problem to navigate. Bear in mind, however, that most of my fishing there has been in late afternoon into dark, so I can't guarantee the midday bite, but I would be surprised if it wasn't good at least during the right tide conditions.
If you want large fish in most rivers during the summer, then you need to be fishing the evening tides, preferably after dark. If during the summer I'm forced into the North River because it's too snotty outside, I can bet my bottom dollar I'll be catching mostly small schoolies. Big fish will come in at night or if holed up during the day, become active at night.
If you can reach the edge of the channel with my split tails, then you can probably catch fish. That 7 inch split tail casts as far as some of my 2 oz poppers. If distance is an issue and you know your are going to be targetting smaller schoolies, then I'd switch to a conventional and maybe 1/2-1 oz Owner bullet head. Then put on either the 5 inch or 8 inch curly tail grub and just cast and swim them in. You can count it down and bump bottom, swim pause swim pause, adjust as needed to get action.
Maybe the above approach during the evening before dark and then sling some eels after dark. Eels+dark+bottom of the outgoing=larger fish. The eels will gain you some distance too, just cast quartering upstream and drift it downstream and repeat. If you can get access to a boat and depth finder, drifting eels at night through some better holes should work well.
The other option might be to get out of the river all together and hunt out some coastal rocky shorlines to cast to. Try posting on the stripersonline.com Maine or NH board and I'm sure there will be some guys that can help you better than I. I think the striped-bass.com board also has a couple northern guys.
Tight lines.
Tight Lines
Bassmaster
Unregistered User
(6/2/02 7:58 pm) Reply
rubbah BubbaH
Its getting close to Rubber for Me 13" that is.....
Bob Made these baits as I have asked Him to do so.
I fish and Guide the Cape and live here..
and I can tell ya its gonna hammer Bass
Bob tossed the 9" rubbah in truro... for a few unweighted.....
lookin good....
Re: rubbah BubbaH
Glad you finally dropped in BM, let me know when it's prime time for the big rubber, because I'm ready for a road trip . Drew this is the guy you might want to consider on your charter question, unless it's got to be in a boat, but shore fishing from a beach catching 20-30 lbers ain't too shabby.
. Drew this is the guy you might want to consider on your charter question, unless it's got to be in a boat, but shore fishing from a beach catching 20-30 lbers ain't too shabby.
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