What's everyone's Striper Setup?

[zildjian]

Hey guys,

 I went striper fishing a couple years ago and was hooked instantly. We fished from boat out of Cape May, Nj. After catching my first ever striper, I always wanted to have my own dedicated striper rod and reel setup.

 

 For all your striper guys out there, what Rod length, power and tip do you recommend fishing from boat only? As well as Reel? I say from boat only, because I'm not looking for a surf setup. I believe I used a 7'6" Medium Heavy Rod with a Bait Runner Reel when I was on my trip.

 

 But looking to see what you guys recommend as I want to start striper fishing more during the season.

Thank you,

 -zildjian

[FloridaFishinFool]

Here in Florida our stripers are about the same size as our largemouth bass. The state of Florida creates a hybrid called the sunshine bass- a cross breed between a striper and a white bass. The state dumps about 3 million of these hybrid sunshine bass into Florida waters every year for us fishermen. And they look nearly identical to natural stripers too.

And since both species grow to about the same size, I don't do anything different for them. My largemouth bass rods and reels do well for stripers and sunshine bass too. 7' to 7'3" is as big as I go.

If I lived in a state where the stripers outgrow the bass it would be different. in some places stripers can grow to 60 pounds or more so in those conditions it is pretty obvious heavier gear would be required. So I suppose you will have to tailor your gear for the size of stripers you are catching. Here in Florida most of them are under 5 pounds. You hear of a few reaching 10 pounds, and even fewer that push up towards 20 pounds, but that is about it for Florida.

The stripers even hit many of the same lures the bass do. So it is not unusual to go bass fishing and catch a sunshine bass too! I catch and release largemouth, but the sunshine bass are going home to the smoker and freezer.

And you are right about them being addicting to catch. They hit hard and fight like crazy. Lots of fun!

 

[flyfisher]

Are you going to be fishing for them on the Delaware?  My dad fishes for them every season (I join him up there too) and we both run 7' to 7'6" Penn Spinning rods with the ability to throw up to (i think) about 3-4oz of weight.  We both also use bait runners that are 4000 series i believe.  

We mainly fish chunk bait though but this set up has done well.  I'll check on the actual specs of the rod tomorrow and re post....

[Maxximus Redneckus]

I use a ugly stik coastal 7' with a garcia 5500c3 on my yak and a 6500 size on shore both have 15lb big game, i use saltwater spooks redhead white body ,jigs chartruse with a gulp grub , I use bull minnows for bait ,i dont use circle hooks anymore for stripers .not much else i can offer this is all i use and need

[Fishing03xx]

I've been fishing stripers for over a year now off a tidal river out on the west coast. Biggest I've seen this year is a 40lb coming out of the Napa river.My biggest one this year is a 30 incher. I go off the bank normally ,sometimes a boat. I run a Tiger ugly stik Heavy with a bullet proof of a reel, the shimano TR-200G with 25# line and a 50lb leader 3-8 oz weight depending on the current. The reel is 64 bucks online and is an amazing reel for the price. I know alot of charter boats out here run those. I normally set up two hooks on the leader and throw whatever bait out. Rod has good action hard to miss a striper bite, since they smack it pretty hard. Also I run a M/H stick with some 50lb braid for some swimbaits I've caught a few on late at night if I hear them feeding on top that night.

[GPtimes2]

I will use my new musky set up for stripers. An abu garcia revo toro beast 50hs on a abu Garcia fantasista beast 7'9" MH-F action rod. Also will work for heavy cover bass (pads and grass).

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/DHC7-761-CAHFS-primmus-review.html

 

 

[Chris at Tech]

3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/DHC7-761-CAHFS-primmus-review.html

 

 

It may do the job in a pinch, but I'm not sure I'd recommend a rod/reel designed for largemouth bass as a dedicated NE saltwater striped bass rig.  I'd want more line capacity, more drag, and equipment designed for the harsher saltwater env.  This type of fishing has you running into anything from 5 pound schoolie bass and snapper blues, all the way up to angry 30 llb+ stripers and toothy 15+ blues, so I personally would not want to be undergunned with my largemouth tackle.

I'm FAR from an expert but I'd recommend spinning gear for the versatility of being able to throw plugs, lead as well as live or chunk bait.  Some guys would prefer casting equipment for this, so if that's your preference go for it.  I'd go 7'-7'6" under the assumption that you'd potentially be casting to them as well, but 6'6" - 7 would work if you're just dropping bait down to the bottom.

At this point, the decision becomes just like bass tackle -- how much do you want to spend?  Find a 4000 or 5000 size Penn or a 6000 size Shimano in your price range and spool it with 30-40 lb braid

[roadwarrior]

Prior to this gear my go-to for a decade or so was my MBR844C/ CTE200GT,  #17 Trilene XT 

My PB is 38 lbs, but the majority of stripers and reds are <30 lbs. The main

reason I am recommending stouter gear has nothing to do with the fish, but rater the

tackle.  The G. Loomis was used primarily with live bait, the Pinnacle is dedicated to

The Rig.

 

[Chris at Tech]

3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Prior to this gear my go-to for a decade or so was my MBR844C/ CTE200GT,  #17 Trilene XT 

My PB is 38 lbs, but the majority of stripers and reds are <30 lbs. The main

reason I am recommending stouter gear has nothing to do with the fish, but rater the

tackle.  The G. Loomis was used primarily with live bait, the Pinnacle is dedicated to

The Rig.

 

You're also chasing them in freshwater though, correct?  I get your point, but that's a significant detail worth calling out.

[roadwarrior]

Yes, freshwater for stripes and brackish water for reds.

 

[A-Jay]

I had the Striped Bass addiction badly for several years.  Chased them up & down the east coast.  It was a life style for quite a while.  Night fishing was ALWAYS best.   Spent over a decade fishing the New Jersey Shore and even worked in a tackle shop in Cape May for a few years.  Learned a ton.  Fished from the beach, the rocks & the boat.

 I'll tell you that 90% of the 40 pound plus stripers I caught, held, netted for a bud or weighed in at the tackle shop, came from a boat, anchored in Delaware bay, fishing live bunker or fresh bunker heads At Night.  Eels catch big bass too but the meat gets it done.

Back then & still today Penn tackle was the way to go.  I'd recommend the Penn FTH30 Fathom Star Drag Reel mounted on a Penn ALLBW2040C70LB Ally Boat Rod -

When chunking with large baits (bunker/pogies, herring, shad, etc.) for big  striped bass a conventional rod and reel combo rated for 30-40lb mono is the way to go. The optimal rod is a 6’6″ to 7′ rod with medium-fast to fast action. The rod needs to have enough backbone to pull the hook out of a large bait and into the mouth of the striped bass. This is a very versatile conventional outfit and is perfect for nearly all northeast chunking applications.

I recommend loading the reel with 30-40lb mono line attached to a 3-4ft length of fluorocarbon leader using a 75lb barrel swivel. 

Monofilament is preferred because the stretch ensures that the angler has a few extra moments to free-line the reel when the fish picks up a bait because of the stretch and belly in the line. The bigger fish can be very sensitive to quick to drop a bait that seems unnatural. This usually means disengaging the clicker and going free spool for a bit to ensure the fish has time to fully eat the bait.  Some of the biggest fish are found around structure and there is a very good chance the line will make contact. The monofilament line will get nicked or scuffed when braided line will simply break. Braided lines has very poor abrasion resistance and will only end up breaking your heart if used in this application.

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

 

[Catch 22]

I fish stripers quite a bit here on the coast. I use 7'6" Star Rods rated 1/2 to 2-1/2 oz. Pflueger[salt rated] spinning reels  of the 70  & 80 series with 30 to 50lb braid & always with a leader of the same sizes. I cast  bucktails from 1 to 3 oz a lot. Stripers up to 40 lbs have seen their demise with my setups.

If you plan to troll, there goes another thousand.

If you want to chunk bait,maybe opt for a baitrunner  reel.

C22

[Deleted account]

On December 18, 2015 at 6:35 PM, zildjian said:

Hey guys,

 I went striper fishing a couple years ago and was hooked instantly. We fished from boat out of Cape May, Nj. After catching my first ever striper, I always wanted to have my own dedicated striper rod and reel setup.

 

 For all your striper guys out there, what Rod length, power and tip do you recommend fishing from boat only? As well as Reel? I say from boat only, because I'm not looking for a surf setup. I believe I used a 7'6" Medium Heavy Rod with a Bait Runner Reel when I was on my trip.

 

 But looking to see what you guys recommend as I want to start striper fishing more during the season.

Thank you,

 -zildjian

There is no one good answer. Imagine someone asked for a dedicated LMB outfit. M/L spinning with 6 lb test to 65 lb braid on a flipping stick or something for an A-rig or frog would all be legitimate, if misleading answers. Now add the fact that stripers will range from LMB sized fish to cows over 50 lbs, and it makes tackle selection that much more varied. That being said, depending on how, where and when one chases them, can narrow rod/reel selection considerably. A flipping stick (older IM6 or IM7) with a 5500-6500 or a Calcutta will work in open water for casting or jiggging lures quite well. As someone mentioned above, a more substantial conventional outfit for chunking or live baiting, and a light offshore trolling outfit for inshore trolling will work well. Musky tackle, as well as dedicated salt water stuff goes without saying. Match the outfit to the size/weight of the lure, and step up if fishing around rocks, wrecks, piling or other structure that will require horsing fish in to keep them from cutting you off on sharp objects. 

[FloridaFishinFool]

Gawd! I wish our Florida stripers and sunshine bass got that big! I think I would forget all about LMB!

[zildjian]

Thank all of you guys for the replys, really appricate them. I'm currently looking at the Shimano: Calcutta TE 401 Reel or Calcutta B 401. Thinking abou running 30lb braid with 50lb mono or Flurocarbon leader. Still undecided on Rod selections but I want a 7' minimum give or take few inches. medium

heavy fast tip. I'm going to be fishing from Boat out of Cape May, NJ and occasionally the Delaware river. Most likly just bottom fishing with bait. Not so much trolling. 

Heres a few pics of my first ever striper! Also she was a 43" bass.

 

[bluefish1928]

this is going to vary depending on your striper technique.... I fish the Chesapeake Bay and was amazed at the diversity of techniques for one darn species....

light tackle jigging

2500 or 3000 spinning reel with 150 yards of 10-20lb braid on a medium heavy or heavy fast action graphite rod- think of your typical bass fishing outfit. I have landed 30 inch+ stripers in under 90 seconds despite the "light" tackle. lure of choice- .5 o 2 oz jighead with a 5-10 inch plastic jerkbait.

topwater/big paddle tail lures

4000 or 5000 size spinning reel on a 7-8 ft medium action rod- Shimano Teramar is my favorite. lures- 1-2 oz topwaters, 4-6 inch swim shads

live-lining

A lot of people have different outfit preference. Fish near structure- go heavy like 30-50# braid. Open water- jigging outfit will be enough. I still think a medium heavy 7ft spinning rod with a live liner reel is the way to go. 

 

Stripers do not really fight that hard compared to offshore topwater species. In open water, a 30 pounder should be able to be landed in under 5 minutes on light jigging tackle. However, near structure and bridges, heavy tackle may be required. 

 

 

[Ratherbfishing]

If you had spelled it the way many other posters have in the past ("stripper"), I would have said a big wad of 1 dollar bills.  Can I still say that?

[roadwarrior]

On 1/19/2016 at 11:19 PM, bluefish1928 said:

Stripers do not really fight that hard compared to offshore topwater species. In open water, a 30 pounder should be able to be landed in under 5 minutes on light jigging tackle. However, near structure and bridges, heavy tackle may be required. 

Hmm..

Our Tennessee stripers must be super fish. I have NEVER landed a 30+ in five minutes.

 

 

[bluefish1928]

6 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm..

Our Tennessee stripers must be super fish. I have NEVER landed a 30+ in five minutes.

 

 

current can be the issue a lot of times....... and open water

[J._Bricker]

A 6" lunker punker tied to 65lb power pro on a Powell 734 and green Corado... Top water striper fishing!

[Burtonxj]

6'8" MHF Premeire with a 3000 Stradic 

7' Tidemaster MF with a 3000 Stradic 

Use the 7' Tidemaster a majority of the time. 10-20lb power pro. Throw BKD's a lot.

[S10rman88]

This fall I  used my 7 ft MHF Crowder rod with a 4000 Penn Conflict with 20lb braid for the schoolies. Had great results with just a 3/4 and 1oz Kastmaster spoon and smaller bucktails as well. Trolling wise mostly Senators or smaller penn levelwinds with 50lb mono with either tandem bucktails, umbrella rigs later in the fall/winter and surgical tubes earlier in the fall.