Capt Skip Stritzinger was reading off the next set of latitude/longitude numbers and I was hoping it was going to be the last one.  Each of the previous sets of numbers he gave me had put our boat over a rock pile that clearly held big stripers.  The plan was to pass over a dozen of so of his favorite Block Island spots before wetting a line.  It was hard to be patient, but he assured us that the fish were not going anywhere.  We finally reached he end of his list and headed back towards a cluster of spots where he had marked the most fish.  Rather than drop a line we stopped just off the piece, put the motors in neutral and for the next minute or so we let the boat just drift.  Our track plotter showed a distinct drift to the south and the GPS confirmed the speed at around a half knot.  Skip grabbed the wheel and ran the boat to the other side of the first rock pile.  He positioned the boat so that the drift would take us back over the spot in about 30 seconds or so.  We popped open a cooler that held several dozen live eels of various sizes.  We each grabbed an eel and slipped our 5/0 hooks through their mouths.  Our rigs had no weight and we free-spooled our lines as the eels swam for the bottom.  Skip carefully nudged the boat in and out of gear to keep the lines as vertical as possible. It was tough to tell if the eel had made to the bottom, but eventually the line slowed and halted.  I reeled up a couple of turns of slack, put the reel back in free spool, and a moment later felt a distinct bump and the line started to peel of the reel, I slammed it into gear, reeled out the slack, and set the hook on a solid 20lb+ striper.  We were off to a great start!  We had a steady pick of fish right through the tide and despite the rotten weather we had a great time and learned a deadly technique for taking trophy stripers.

The technique

The method that Skip chose that day is perfect for targeting big fish holding tight to bottom structure.  It allows the angler to scout out prospective spots and target them quickly and accurately.  Even the most finicky fish cannot resist this presentation.  If the fish are there, you will probably catch them!  The eel is presented with no weight and actually leads the angler to the fish.  Most other eel presentations drag the eel behind on a weighted rig.  The unweighted eel appears perfectly natural and this is the key to this technique.  It seems simple enough, but it does require careful boat handling and a little practice to be effective.  This is just one of several techniques Captain Skip uses to target big bass.

Electronics

This technique would be extremely difficult with the use of several critical components and features of today’s electronics.  It all starts with a quality fish finder (sonar) and the ability to distinguish bass holding on structure.  A couple of passes over a ledge, wreck, ridge or rock pile and the angler should have a good idea if the spot is worth fishing.  If fish are marked, the next step is to determine the direction of the drift.  The boat is stopped and allowed to drift with the wind and tide.  The engines or rudders should be in the center position so as not to affect the drift.  A track plotter is used to determine the exact direction and speed of the drift.  The boat is then maneuvered so that the drift will take it directly over the targeted piece of bottom.  It must be maneuvered far enough up tide so that the eel has a chance to make it to the bottom just before passing over the fish.  The boat’s motor is used to counter the effect of the wind and the throttle man must watch the lines and tries to keep them as vertical possible.  It usually takes one or two drifts and a couple of adjustments to the starting point of the drift to make this work.

The tackle

The angler can leave their nearly their entire tackle box home.  This is very simple fishing.  The tackle starts with of a good 20-30lb class conventional reel and a matching medium-medium heavy rod.  Water resistance is a non-factor due to the fact that the boat, line and bait all move together through the current.  This is an excellent application for monofilament lines.  Big stripers can be both wary and surprisingly finicky.  The monofilament provides enough stretch and forgiveness so that the fish rarely senses the angler on the other end.  Braided lines let both the angler and the fish feel each other’s moves and this can spook a big trophy fish.  The terminal tackle consists of just a small swivel, at least a 5ft length of 30-60lb Fluorocarbon, and a 5/0-6/0 Mustad Ultrapoint Beak Bait style hook.  At extreme depths, or when dealing with raging currents, a small rubber core sinker can be added above the swivel.

The eels

Bring live eels and bring lots of them.  It would not be unusual to use three or four dozen on a trip.  Bluefish and dogfish can often be found frequenting the same pieces of bottom with the bass.  Sometimes the angler will need to weed out one or two before the eels can make it to the bass.  If there are too many, it is time to move to another location.  The eels should be kept cool and moist, but not submerged.   A periodic rinsing is enough to keep them alive and kicking.  A small hand towel is used to handle and hold them during hooking.  The hook is passed carefully through both the lower and upper lip.  The eels will actually get a bit tired and lose much of their swimming action after a few drifts.  They should be removed from the hook and put back into the cooler.  They can be used again later in the day, after a bit of rest, or when the last of the lively eels have been used.

Time and tide

As with most bass fishing, a moving tide is usually preferred.  Bass our very strong swimmers and are conditioned to feed most actively when the tide is moving as their advantage over their prey is at its greatest.  The fish are at the most active when the moving tide coincides with low light conditions at dawn, dusk, or on an overcast day.

Block Island

Block Island is an amazing place and there are excellent rocky bottom locations on all sides of the island.  Depending on the winds there is always somewhere to fish comfortably.  It is within easy reach of Point Judith (12 miles) and many of the Point Judith pros spend much of their time in the island waters.  The bite begins in late spring and continues throughout the summer and fall.  The bite can be red hot for weeks on end, but at worst it is a steady pick.  As for the island itself, there is a significant and very professional charter fleet.  The island is accessible by ferry from Montauk NY, New London CT, or Point Judith RI.  There are accommodations on the island for every budget including some of the most spectacular hotels in the region, including the incomparable Springhouse Hotel.

Skip Stritzinger