A Different Look At Striper

David Hutton
Palmetto Fly N Fish
Dec 29, 2022

Have you ever heard of, Elwood "Buck" Perry?

    Most of you reading this won't know who he was - and those that may know the name, usually know little about him.
However, between Buck Perry and Carl Lowrance, few men have done more for sport fishing... yet almost no one knows much of about these guys. 

    Lowrance developed the first practical depth sounder, that which we lean on so heavily today. But it was Buck Perry's ideas about structure fishing that opened so many doors for us.

    While the discipline of structure fishing is generally misunderstood in our time, much like the man himself, Buck Perry knew more about what fish actually DO, than most anyone.

    With that in mind, here are his observations on the popular striped bass (Morone saxatilis), aka, "striper," or “rockfish," now found in so many of our large inland reservoirs.

“The salt water striper has been introduced into many freshwater lakes and reservoirs, and since we're on the subject of live bait, I'll be the first to say it can be the best bet for them (also “dead bait”). 

Here again, you’ll have your best control of your bait/lure during the colder part of the season.

Much too often, though, the majority of fishermen have trouble finding these fish, unless they are “schooling“ - that is, tearing up the water as they feed on bait fish near the surface. 

And, of course, most “striper guys” live for just this kind of fishing.

But a simple fact is overlooked by most of the fishermen:

These fish orient on structure as a base,  just as any other fish. 

To exploit this trait, particularly during the colder parts of the season, they should be sought at the break-line edges near channels. Since the habit of these fish is to suspend themselves near the structure, the modern day fisherman can “see” them with the depth sounder.*

Want a second opinion on this?...

* The depth sounder is an important piece of equipment. Its not a magic bullet, and it won't replace sound fishing knowledge. But it is a big part of your success. Get the best one you can afford, and you won't regret it.

Striper are open-water fish, it’s true. But contrary to popular belief, they suspend near certain types of structure much of the time. When they are migrating around, or moving (from these bases), they tend to follow underwater structure contour, (such as breaklines), along the edge of a flat, or a river channel. By pinpointing these types of cover with a depth finder, you can continually pull your offerings through potential pay-dirt zones.

In addition to pinpointing prime structure, depth finders help you locate forage fish. When you find a school of shad, herring or alewives, stripers are usually close by."

- Gerald Almy (2)

Now, look at the figure included above … it shows a side view of a structure, such as a bar, with striper suspended in their usual way at the edge of a channel drop-off.

This represents their deep water sanctuary, their ‘base of operations,’ so to speak. 

This is the area where they are before any movements occur, normally 25 to 35 feet. 

When in this position, live bait such as minnows, native forage fish, etc., when fished here, offer the best opportunity you’ll get at depth and speed control.
Dead bait of the same kind can be as effective.

When they are in the position shown, and not migrating around, the bait does not have to be directly on the bottom; it can be suspended at a near depth. Should these fish eventually move up on the structure during a migration, they still remain primarily bottom zone feeders.  

Now, you’ll see I have marked the figure with arrows.

These arrows indicate the fish leaving the break-line base area, moving directly to the surface to pounce upon, and feed on passing schools of bait fish… after which they drop back to the break-line. 

This surface feeding is the “Hot Time” the striper guys are eager for.

This vertical movement can also occur after the fish have moved up on a structure… rising and dropping back to the bottom, such as as seen in position “X.”

It is during these upward movements that most striper fishermen, “score.” They burn up gas in high speed boats, rushing to areas where the fish are “schooling,” typically relying on birds, like gulls, to indicate where the surface movement is taking place. 

I can’t remember all the times I have watched these fishermen flying around the lake, to get onto a schooling event. 

Then, when the fish have retreated back to sanctuary, and the surface action is over - they immediately crank up and zoom off to another area where they think they see more surface action…. often getting there too late. 

They may spend the whole day like this, racing from spot to spot and chasing after each other, trying to work any schooling fish that pop up. 

I have also watched them when water and weather conditions are unfavorable, sitting for hours “looking” and hoping - and not fishing at all. 

Where this type of fishing is being done, that is, “school chasing,” I have little trouble finding the fish I want to catch.

I just wait until the schools have moved back down to sanctuary, and all the fishermen zoom away. They have done me a favor with their antics… because they point out to me just where the fish are holding down below.

I motor over at my leisure, after they have gone, and catch the fish off of their break-line stations.

In colder weather I will try a jump lure instead of live bait at these break-line locations. Something like a jig or spinner bait, one that can be "jumped up and down" on the bottom us what I mean. But many times, live or dead bait gives better depth and speed control.

Then, when the fish move up to “crash the school,” I often find free swimming lures are better. I will throw a bucktail jig into the school, for example, and just let it sink. If I make any retrieve it all, it will be quite slow.   

By contrast, during warmer conditions, I use bottom bumping/bottom walking lures with fairly fast speeds to work the break-line.

When they move up to the surface and do their schooling thing during these seasons, I use a fast working jig or a free swimming lure with an erratic, fast action. Changing retrieve speeds, together with sweeping rod movements usually does the trick. (This is the same tactic used on other species of schooling fish, as well).

Normally schooling occurs shortly after day break, but it can also occur any time water and weather conditions permit.

When there is no schooling action taking place, I have to locate striper just as I would any other species of game fish. 

How is that?

This is accomplished with my usual bottom-bumping lure on the troll, following structure break-lines from shallow, out into deep water, until contact is made.” (1) 

- Buck Perry, from the book, “Spoonplugging,” 1974

                                             

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If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

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Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2023 

references:

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  1. "Spoonplugging," Elwood "Buck" Perry, 1974  All Rights Reserved
  
  Buck Perry very thoughtfully allowed limited excerpts and illustrations from his book, to be reproduced and shared for educational purposes. We can thank him for that, along with his other contributions.
  
  2. Trolling For Freshwater Stripers 
  https://guide.sportsmansguide.com/tips/trolling-freshwater-stripers/