I am an east coast surf fisherman. One day I hope to do a little surf fishing on the west coast. Thanks to television and internet, my interest has been peaked by watching "left coast" fishermen tackle roosterfish in the surf. This certainly appears to be an exciting fish to hook up on and one day I plan to do just that. Meanwhile, I thought I would find some common ground and share my experience with a fish found in the surf on both coast.
Striped Bass or "Rockfish" can be caught in the North Carolina
Surf. Generally, these are caught along the Outer Banks in the winter or
early spring. The winter-time stripers are best caught from the surf
using the infamous "Hatteras Heaver" style rod. These 12 foot rods are
needed to cast a lure or piece of cut bait 200 to 300 feet out to sea.
When fishing with a lure, I find that a large Hopkins, a tin squid with a bucktail, or a 1-1/2 to 2 oz leadhead bucktail lure with a plastic tail work for me. Be sure your lure has some weight to it, you'll need this weight to "load" your rod up for a long cast. Fishing for striper using cut bait is much the same as fishing for a big red drum. I like to use a fish finding rig. This is a large circle hook attached to the end of my leader material with a pyramid sinker attached to the leader so that it can slide up and down the the leader freely. This allows for the fish to take the bait without feeling the weight.
The winter time stripers are usualy the big females returning to the Outer Banks after spending the summer up north. They are making a return trip to their spawning waters in the Albermarle sound. To find these fish when working the surf, look for the birds diving and feeding close to shore. Odds are the baitfish there are being pressured by stripers or bluefish. Either way if you can get your lure or bait out there, you increase your odds at hooking up on a fish. The winter time striper along the Outer Banks can be a very big fish, so be prepared to have a real work out when attempting to land the fish. It is not uncommon to hook up with a 30+ pound striper when you catch one that time of year.
The springtime stripers are generally wayward schoolies and only range in the 5 to 20 lbs range. I have had most of my hook-ups on the these while fishing near or in an inlet. Be sure to return these to the water so they can live to fight another angler another day.
Tight Lines and Fresh Bait,
R. M. Callaway
When fishing with a lure, I find that a large Hopkins, a tin squid with a bucktail, or a 1-1/2 to 2 oz leadhead bucktail lure with a plastic tail work for me. Be sure your lure has some weight to it, you'll need this weight to "load" your rod up for a long cast. Fishing for striper using cut bait is much the same as fishing for a big red drum. I like to use a fish finding rig. This is a large circle hook attached to the end of my leader material with a pyramid sinker attached to the leader so that it can slide up and down the the leader freely. This allows for the fish to take the bait without feeling the weight.
The winter time stripers are usualy the big females returning to the Outer Banks after spending the summer up north. They are making a return trip to their spawning waters in the Albermarle sound. To find these fish when working the surf, look for the birds diving and feeding close to shore. Odds are the baitfish there are being pressured by stripers or bluefish. Either way if you can get your lure or bait out there, you increase your odds at hooking up on a fish. The winter time striper along the Outer Banks can be a very big fish, so be prepared to have a real work out when attempting to land the fish. It is not uncommon to hook up with a 30+ pound striper when you catch one that time of year.
The springtime stripers are generally wayward schoolies and only range in the 5 to 20 lbs range. I have had most of my hook-ups on the these while fishing near or in an inlet. Be sure to return these to the water so they can live to fight another angler another day.
Tight Lines and Fresh Bait,
R. M. Callaway
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