Necessary Gear For Striped Bass

Striped Bass Fishing - 6 Part Series: To celebrate the triumphant return of the striped bass to the Maine shores, I am offering a 6 part series on striper fishing that should be interesting for both the novice and the expert surf caster. The series will run M-Sat of this week and include the following titles: Necessary Gear (M), Bait and Baiting (Tu), Basic Line and Rigging Preparation (W), Advanced Line and Rigging Preparation (Th), Casting (F) and Popular Fishing Locations for Maine Striped Bass (Sa). Enjoy!

Necessary Gear – To be a successful surf caster, only requires a few necessary items. These include, a comfortable seat, sand stake(s), fishing pole(s), knife for cutting bait, cooler for bait and beverages and a small tackle box with replacements for everything. An open face “spin casting” reel that you can buy at any Sporting Goods store that holds 20 lb line will work but will quickly DIE a horrible death in the sand and saltwater around the time you hook into a slot fish. A small investment can procure a Penn Spinfisher 750SSM or Penn 525 Magnum reel matched with a quality 10-12 foot surfcasting pole like Cabela’s Salt Caster series or Tica’s TC2 with graphite shaft, build for the demands of this environment.

The hobbyist surf fishermen should be aware of the destructive power of sand and salt water. PVC pipes offer a cheap way of holding your rod and reel out of the gritty sand. Cut a 2 inch diameter PVC pipe to a length of 32 inches with one end square and the other at a 45 degree angle. Insert the sharp end in the sand the other end holds the rod. Fresh water rods and reels are not designed for continued use in saltwater and will quickly corrode. Care should be taken to rinse off rod and reel with fresh water upon returning home. Use a light spray of water so as to not force sand or water into the inner workings of your reel.

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