Hello everyone. I'm new to saltwater fishing. I have a 8' pole, and also a 10' pole. Both have 25lb test line. The line is yellow with a clear leader/hook. My questions are as follows:

# 1.)
Does powerbait really work on striped bass? *( the rubber kind )*

# 2.)
Why did frozen mackel work for one week or so, and now nothing hits it?
*( me and my friend have caught two 28" stripers, and one 33in striper from using frozen mackel )*

# 3.)
I use a 2oz weight. Is this enough?

# 4.) Anyone fish Plum Island,MA? If so please e-mail me.

# 5.) I have tried low tide, hide tide..and also in between. No more fish after those three. Why?

That's all my questions. Any tips,help,support would be great. Also I know the stripers are still in the area, only because a kid caught a 18" striper the other day. It's small, but it's a FISH :)

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Kev

Yo - couple things to keep in mind - no matter hgow good you get - there will be times when they just thumb their noses at you...


Hello everyone. I'm new to saltwater fishing. I have a 8' pole, and also a 10' pole. Both have 25lb test line. The line is yellow with a clear leader/hook. My questions are as follows:
# 1.)
Does powerbait really work on striped bass? *( the rubber kind )*

Aboslutely - but so do real worms drifted in the current as well twitching all kinds of soft plastic shads, jerk baits, grubs - you name it... Certain conditions, certain times...
# 2.)
Why did frozen mackel work for one week or so, and now nothing hits it?
*( me and my friend have caught two 28" stripers, and one 33in striper from using frozen mackel )*
If the fish are there, sometimes they'll take it - fresh is far better than frozen and bait that has thawed and refreezed several times will scare more fish than attract - also try clams if you're going to sling bait but be sure to use circle hooks (you can read the debate and methods on other threads here)


# 3.)
I use a 2oz weight. Is this enough?
Sometimes - there are times at the mouth of the Merrimack that a 6 oz will roll on the bottom - depends onn how strong the current is...

# 4.) Anyone fish Plum Island,MA? If so please e-mail me. Have not fished it in a few years but some nice fish come out of their

# 5.) I have tried low tide, hide tide..and also in between. No more fish after those three. Why?
It changes - or could be something particular to the area. Could be you are using the wrong thing at the wrong time. Have you tried at night yet?

That's all my questions. Any tips,help,support would be great. Also I know the stripers are still in the area, only because a kid caught a 18" striper the other day. It's small, but it's a FISH

There a re plenty of kids that will outfish the rest of us - they are still young enough to listen to their gut instead of "thinking" hard about how to fish.... They just go and have fun and catch as a result....

PROKHAOS (08-07-2001 07:46):
# 5.) I have tried low tide, hide tide..and also in between. No more fish after those three. Why?

Some spots definately produce better on one tide over another. Many possible reasons.

- Creeks often do better on the outgoing because they draw out shrimp and fish into a natural chum line for gamefish.

- Rips will often form close to the beach around a rocky point on one tide or the other.

- Current will flow over shallows into deep water where gamefish wait to ambush bait that is swept.

- And sometimes there just isn't enough water in a spot to comfortably hold gamefish at lower stages of the tide.

There are many many reasons and sometimes "just because" is the only reason.

John summed things up well. I'll try to add some stuff in.

1. Powerbait will work. I've used some of it. It all comes down to the wiggle of the worm. I don't see it much better than normal rubber baits though. I look at it like this. Fish beacon in on a bunch of things. When you consider that they are in rough ocean or fast current, I think, they are being overwhelmed with data. I don't think smell is a big one. Not as big as the action or color or size.

2. You can only catch fish if there are fish there to be caught. If the mackeral wasn't working, perhaps they weren't hungry or they weren't there. If I was baitfishing, this is where I would switch to plugs. My belief is if you use lures, you can get strikes from aggravation.

3. Use the lightest weight possible. There might be times when you don't need a weight or there can be times when your heaviest weight won't hold. Use only what you need.

4. Not me.

5. Tides are crucial. Scout your location out at lowtide. And come back and try to fish the last of the incoming, the slack high tide, and the first part of outgoing if you can. This takes some time and it can be frustrating when you plan on fishing a spot and come back and find someone with your spot.

Good luck

Thanks everyone for the support. I have only tried mackel and herrin. I have fished at night, and that's when we caught the two 28"....The 33" was caught at low tide during the day. Where I fish it all open, no rocks,etc.....Hide tide the sand makes the water shallow......But out alittle ways it drops off into deeper waters. Not sure how deep. Should I switch bait? Should I try fake bait? Any help,tips,would be helpful. Thanks :)

Kev