I have tried a lot of different things, but this time I'm going to try fresh herring, and frozen herring. I have my setup like this:

20lb test > bead > fish finder > bead > barrel swivel > 24" clear leader with hook.

Should I replace the fish finder, and tie on a 1oz sinker?? and use bigger chucks?

My rod is made for 3oz lure or less. So I figured 1oz sinker, with a good size chuck will be good.

Should my leader be longer?


I'm asking this questions only because I have NO luck yet.

Should I just spend more time flyfishing?
I haven't, because I heard flyfishing doesn't catch as many fish.

Where exactly are you fishing and at what tides?

Plum Island Point *( right and left of the piers and big boats )*

Fishing for striped bass :)

Not sure of the "bead-fishfinder-bead" - what's the point? What's the length between the beads? It can't be much more than a foot if you then have a swivel and a 24" leader. That would give you three feet from the first bead to the bait. Much more than that, casting will be a be-atch. The beads are gonna stop the fishfinder from doing its thing. I'd say if your gonna use the fishfinder, lose the beads.

Originally posted by STEVE IN MASS
Not sure of the "bead-fishfinder-bead" - what's the point? What's the length between the beads? It can't be much more than a foot if you then have a swivel and a 24" leader. That would give you three feet from the first bead to the bait. Much more than that, casting will be a be-atch. The beads are gonna stop the fishfinder from doing its thing. I'd say if your gonna use the fishfinder, lose the beads.

The first bead protects the top eye on my rod tip. The second bead hits the swivel, instead of the fish finder or sinker. It doesn't damage my knot on the swivel as bad or fast. Both beads are feel sliding just like the fish finder, so the fish finder should work fine, right?

If the beads are free sliding, I suppose that is okay. Fishfinders are touchy things......if they are laying the way they are supposed to, they do their job. But all you need is one loop or twist of line around them, and they won't slide down the line like they are supposed to, and many times surfcasting, that is what happens. (Boat or bridge fishing is a different story.) And usually, if you get a cast where they are free moving, on the cast your weight goes one way, the bait the other, shortening your total cast distance. (Not always a bad thing, but if you need the distance......)

That is why I have MOSTLY moved away from using them. I would think the the beads may exasperate the possiblity of the loop or twist, but maybe not.

But I know a lot of guys swear by fishfinders,

So.....what does anyone else think?

I don't fish that area much (haven't been there in 4 years from shore) but if I were chunking, I'd fish either side down by the jetties. South side close to where the jetty starts, north side in one of the breaks 40-50 yards into the jetty - all on the drop. I would also get the freshest chunk bait available... Also on the south side, I fish the beach front if possible. Another place to consider on the north side is the old chimney inside almost over by the launch ramps, but that is a pretty ruckus instead of roccu area to fish... Did you join the Plum Island Surfcasters?

Another thing you should consider is any rocky areas that are accessible to the public in the Cape Anne areas, especially Gloucster... I'm just not that faithful in chunking at P.I.

Ok I know of some s~~~s where keepers are being caught A LOT.
But my setup must be wrong or something, because we are using the same bait, casting the same areas. I just don't know??

Keep your rig simple and not over-engineered, use the freshest bait possible and wait. Since you are chunking, you have to wait for the fish to come to you. You are not using a method that allows you to actively SEEK fish - they have to come to you...

Ok :)

I must ask this question:

With using the fish finder. Will or does this reduce my casting
distance? Would I be better off just tying on a 1oz sinker instead?

Not significantly, the main advantage of the fish finder is that it will reduce the pull on the bait as the fish is taking off with it. You're less likely to spook the fish than if it had to also drag several ounces of lead with the bait...

You may wish to try a shore guide that shows tactics instead of spots. Once you learn the tactics & methods of working fish and what to look for, spots become less of a factor...

If you can use a 1 oz. sinker try going even lighter or NO weight at all. Stripers can't resist a fresh chunk of bait that drifts by them just rolling on the bottem. I also use rubber core sinkers if you need more weight. Chumming can work and try macs or pogies as the bass seem to switch over to these baits around now.

Use to do alot of chunking from the beach.

single hook...30" leader....f/finder....BANK sinkers

fresh herrin, heads only, with alittle meat,

single sand eel-got a 49#er with that.:D

or [no laughing] a eel hooked through the tail with the same rig, off the beach when the surf & wind was to rough for anything else. it does work well.

Originally posted by capesams
Use to do alot of chunking from the beach.

single hook...30" leader....f/finder....BANK sinkers

fresh herrin, heads only, with alittle meat,


I will try this 30" leader. My leader now is only 12"

What type of swivel is best used?
**( in between the fishfinder and leader )**

Any good swivel will do ... I like sampo... #7..black....6/0 hook,black

Plum, a couple things...

You have got to get over this "rig" thing. Look at the rigs people have suggested. Fish finder w/weight, swivel, 24"-30" leader, 5/0 bait or circle hook. Use the lightest weight needed to get the bait down to the bottom. This should be sufficient.

The couple things to switch up when things aren't working... vary your weight, vary your bait (herring, bunker, mackerel).

Does anyone disagree that this basic setup and basic principals should work for chunking?

Its good to try different things, but if you use the basic setup that's been suggested over and over to you, use it and forget it. The rig is not the problem. Don't keep worrying that your setup is keeping the fish away.

Instead of focusing on whether or not your setup is ok, focus on whether or not there are fish where you are.

Finding fish isn't just walking down to the beach and tossing your bait in... they aren't evenly distributed along a beach or a pier or a jetty. They relate to structure. Anything from rocks or pilings to a tiny 8 inch ridge in the sand might hold fish. And there might be 30 fish around a single rock one day, and nothing there the next. The fish could be in the worst spot in the worst conditions in the middle of the day, or you can go to the best structure, with the best conditions and get skunked.

Put this "rig" obsession behind you... before it becomes all consuming :smash:

That all was one point... my second point is the question of whether or not fly-fishing produces more or less fish. In my opinion, flies can produce as well as any artificial. They can match just about anything with a fly and their action is great. When fish are on small bait, flies can be devastating while others can't downsize and match the hatch.

The problem isn't the lure, its the presentation.

Presenting a fly to the fish is the challenge. Casting is more difficult, and getting it to where the fish are (often on the bottom) is more difficult. You need weighted line, you can't just change to a higher weight lead head or something. Chasing school bass actively feeding in the top few feet of the water column, I've seen flies produce alot of fish. Bigger fish are more often down deep so they are tougher to get the lure in their strike zone.

The comment that "fly fishing produces less fish" may be accurate because it takes a higher skill level to do it successfully. By that, I don't mean they are more skilled fishermen, I mean someone can become say, a decent spin caster much more quickly allowing them to have a better chance of success more quickly. It takes longer to develop fly-casting skills, therefore it will be longer until you can present the fly properly. But, an accomplished fly-caster can hold their own against anyone. I don't see many of those out on the water, but its true none-the-less. That being said, as a beginner to the sport, fly-fishing may be the toughest way to break in and achieve quick success.

Overall, whether its flies or chunking, livelining, eeling, trolling, plastics, or plugs, the key is still finding the fish. The perfect lure or bait with the perfect presentation does nothing if there are no fish there to eat it. However, if the fish are there, they might hit anything that moves. Stop worrying that a couple inches of leader, or one size of hook, or beads??... stop worrying if that is the problem.

Its not. Anyone that's fished long enough has seen fish caught on just about everything. One year in Nantucket, I saw a guy chunkin' half an eel, with like 18" of wire, a weight, more wire, a float, and more wire. He was like the only guy on the beach that caught a fish that day (remember that one John). I once was next to a guy who landed about a 40" bass on a roberts ranger... I actually landed it for him. He said, "wow, that's great...what kind of fish is that?" I told him it was a striper, but they had to be 36" to keep. I told him that one was about 32" so he let it go. Not nice, but the point is, the fish don't care about any of this BS, when you're in the right spot at the right time, the fish will come... AND THEY AREN'T GONNA CARE IF YOUR LEADER IS 23" OR IF YOUR WEIGHT IS 1OZ TOO BIG OR IF YOU HAVE A 4/0 OR 6/0 HOOK OR IF YOU ARE USING FLUOROCARBON OR STEEL LEADER.

My first year of serious striper fishing was '98. Myself and a member of this board fished with eels at night in Rhode Island, the cape, south shore of mass... I'll bet we went out almost every weekend all summer... we barely caught anything. We caught alot of schoolies at some spots locally, but we got like zero big fish. It was the biggest deal to me when I caught a 28 1/2" keeper. And I'd been fishing freshwater my whole life, and I'd caught hundreds of bluefish and even a big striper in periodic vacations to Nantucket. And my partner, who I will not name 'cause who knows how many fish stories he told people about all the fish we were catching ;) had been fishing stripers for a couple years as well. It wasn't like we were two backwinding, clam dunking, beer guzzling tourists.

My second year wasn't a whole lot better 'cause I had a new house and barely got out. When I could, I went out and I kept at it.

It wasn't till the fall run of my third "YEAR", not week, not month, third year, that I started to have regular success and really catch some nice fish. Than I started to learn more and understand the importance of this and that... this tide with this wind, dark eels work better than brown eels, blah, blah. etc etc.

I went off on a similar rant before in a thread you started... dude, you have to check your expectations a bit, and realize that it will take some time. And you need to listen more attentatively when you ask questions if you want people to answer them seriously. This topic has now come up what 4 or 5 times. My issue with that is that some folks on this board who have caught alot of fish and have put alot of years in the salt, answered you the first time and explained several clear, basic rigs. Use them and forget them. Focus some basics, and focus on trying to find some fish.

Good vent...

Plum, Schollie's right, put your time in, it will come....

I went fishing lastnight on Plum Island Point. *( right side of the big capt's fishing boats )* A lot of people were heading home when I got there. No one had any luck. So I said hell I will give it a try anyways. Well, I didn't catch any fish....but I did catch two crabs. Better then nothing I guess. LOL

PS:

Crabs were attacking my herring.
They actually climb up my line to the bait?
I had a 3oz sinker on my fishfinder, and a 30" leader.
So the bait had to be up off the bottom, right?

My friend is having a lot of luck using "walking worms"
and bucktails. It's harder to catch fish this way though, right?

Ok..... I know the spot your fishing and if you fish there often you have probably stood next to me. depending on the tides (I usually fish slack to slack on an outgoing tide )you need to vary the weights you use a TON!!!!. slack you can use that 1oz. and hold the botom or none at all but when that tide starts going out 1oz is doing you nooooo good. you need to feel that rig bouncing the botom or your just picking up (random /luck )fish.
I use 5 oz when it's cranking and taper down as the flow drops
4/3/2/ also try bouncing a jig in the same manner. But if you are only using bait I would use clams/worms they seem to outfish the chunks there by a longshot for me (If you can catch some macs use them live). you will get the feel for the right drifts when you start to notice your bait bouncing the botom( keep a fairly tight line w/ no slack so u can feel the botom and a take!!!) 10-o'clock to 2-0' clock drift..and haul it in lob agan. good luck...:p :p :p

OK - I'm a rookie - I have to ask. What is a "Fish Finder" that everyone talks about tying on their line?

I tried tying my $500 Furuno Fish Finder to my line but it didn't work! :^)

Ok I'm new to the board and I might be in the minority here becasue I fish from a boat. But here is what works for me;
I use a sliding sinker rig which allows the line to run out through it when the fish strikes, I use barrel swivels, about 24" of mono leader and the freshest hearing I can get.
As far as weights go I always follow the tide. When the river is still or slack I use no weight and let the bait drift, when river is running hard I go up in wieght in half oz increments. SOmetimes I use as much as 4oz. what ever it takes to get my bait down,
BUt hey thats what I do.

#8Striper
glad to see you here . where are you getting your bait in Dracut.:D
I was born and raised there and the outlaws still live there.

ChathamGuy
The sliding sinker rig that is mentioned above is called a fish finder.