We had a thread recently (http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/62604-preseason-discussions.html) to narrow down what topics to discuss to kick off for the upcoming season. First is Early Season Lure Selection. We'll have more of the season topics shortly.

We don't need to talk specific spots but lets discuss some of the how and why.

I'll kick this off. In my bag a little more than normal in early season (besides rubber baits) will be the 5 & 7" Mambo / Redfin / Bomber lures, often in Olive or blue, for working various inlets. In some of these places the herring are dropping out and even when we could taker live herring (:confused:) sometimes taking these lures were almost as productive and a helluva lot easier to bring with you.

Also added to the fun will be Dannys and other surfcase swimmers. Of course, then there is the Spook :drool: . While I will move over to mostly eels in May I do love fishing a lot of these plugs that mimic some of the larger baits that may be around at this time.

In the bag are 1/2, 3/4, or 1 oz jig heads with either chartreuse bass assassins or 6 inch white curly tails. RM Smith 1 oz Bigeye Peanuts in Yellow and Bunker, Tattoo pink little swimmer prototype he sent me a long time ago, and some 1 & 2 oz tins. That's it.

I use the 4" fin-s and Queen Cocahoes in Pearl. I made some small 1.5 ounce Pencils to try this year, pearl and yellow over pearl. I'll have the 5" and 7" mambos in olive, black, and in white. Also made a couple of Howdy's in Pearl and Yellow over Pearl. and some home made swimmers in Pearl, yellow over pearl, and Black.

as always I'll carry some bucktails....never get chit on them though, but they'll be in the bag because I'm stubborn. :hee:

All rubber until Memorial Day or so, then its the moment of truth for this neophyte plug builder...keep an eye on the classifieds as there may suddenly be a lot of good plugbuilding stuff for sale real cheap...

I'll primarily be fishing river systems starting in a few weeks. Big pencils (white and yellow), 9" Finess, 6" bassassassins, and 7"crystal minnows during the daylight hours. Black 7"Mambos by night. If I head to the Cape I'll be throwing small mambos, bassassassins, and crystal minnows.

herring, shad or mackerel lookalikes.
I can't wait to see live lined mackerel trying to fly.

little sand eel flies

Mainly fish the rivers through late May.

I’ll usually throw 7” and 9” Tsunami shads, Gags Slammers or Mag Darters. On the rare occasion that I am out when it’s still light then I like to throw pencil poppers or big metal lips.

95% top water tin boat fishing till June, but will also use the Sebile swim shad when they get fussy this year. I expect good things from that lure at that time in those spots.

either 4" storm shad; 3/8 oz jig heads w/ bass assassins or finesse fish; or unweighted 6" sluggos in the rivers

tattoo small swimmer or small herring colored mambo minnows in the surf

probably won't bother w/ early season this year. save what limited time i'll get fishing until something worth catching ayrives. going to chase some freshwater fish closer to home this spring.

In the bag.. hmmmmm we have bombers and small dannys and sluggos and.... lead.. smaller spooks... a couple northbars lol.. and circle hooks and a bunker snag.... Snag it and let it swim or chunk it... I am sure there is ither stuff in there im forgettin...

First couple trips for the schoolies will be using 1/2 oz jig heads with small pearl squid bodies or curly tails and small rubber shads. Then I move onto the plugs when the bigger fish move in around May 8th.

Had a few close to keeper size already on small storm shads. In a few weeks I'll switch to pencils and use them primarily until almost June.

Early early spring I stick with jumpin' minnows, cocahoes, small tsunami shads, small bucktails.

Once the large bait moves in the plugs make an appearance.. Pencils/littlenecks, bottle darters, dannies.

I'm going to make a concerted effort to use bombers, crystal minnows and redfins more this year...

bass assasins with 1/2oz jig heads, and the greatest topwater spring lure - the rebel jumpin minnow! (see photo for color)

I also won some flies at the PISC fundraiser and I'm gonna try those on a Salty's 1 oz casting egg.

God I can't freakin wait for May!

Same arsenal I fish all season long! "Prey" swimmers large and small, Danny's large and small, pencil poppers....4 sizes spot dependant but early season 1 oz. rocks and the Spring slayer the "Blitzseeker" does most of the damage!:drool:

small rubber, 1/2 oz. jig heads, small gibbs polaris, I mean the like 3 1/2 inch in red/white, green, etc. on lite tackle, switch to zara super spooks, 6 inch rebels, loaded mambos and cordells by mid-May

Same arsenal I fish all season long! "Prey" swimmers large and small, Danny's large and small, pencil poppers....4 sizes spot dependant but early season 1 oz. rocks and the Spring slayer the "Blitzseeker" does most of the damage!:drool:

....don't lie, you're bag is filled with bombers and Afterhour plugs........

I no long molest the childeren...just hang back till the parents show then fill the boat.

first week of May- 5" storms. second week of may thru june- 6oz shads, slug-gos, and pencils...

The first few weeks of May it will be all jigs, I like the upperman style...once the fish show in masses and move into the flats ... I'll switch to spooks, small pikies and Clousers on the long rod until the big girls show up.... then it will be wire and goo-goos until the herring stop running up river....usualy by the first week of june it will be needles, Danny's and pikies and other eel like swimmers that i make .. unless they get too fussy and force me to the real deal...

first week of May- 5" storms. second week of may thru june- 6oz shads, slug-gos, and pencils...

Hopefully see you at "THE" rock...:uhuh: you know which one I mean.

Kick out the interlopers and save me a spot while you're at it. :fishin:

Don't leave that 6-inch Sebile Magic Swimmer off the list come May 15, black/silver or Blue althea

Creek Chub Striper Strike in yellow striper color is the only plug I use early spring fishing the river. For some reason it out fishes anything else I throw. Smaller early fish but they explode on this lure.

If I chase schoolies in April, I'll likely use 5" Rip Tides or cocohoes on small jigheads, giving the Jumpin" Minnow an occasional toss, too. The bigger stuff comes out in May - needles, swimmers, pencils, soft plastics of the larger variety.

river fishing down here-
night: mag darter, red fins, sluggos, jigs;
dusk/dawn: pencils, houdinis/stripermagnets, and dannies

Hopefully see you at "THE" rock...:uhuh: you know which one I mean.

Kick out the interlopers and save me a spot while you're at it. :fishin:

I will definitely see you there and you know i'll have that spot staked out hrs in advance too:uhuh:

Always got some pencils on me, gibbs polaris,bombers, bass assisins, storm shads and whatever else I think looks like herring.

storm shads, bass assasins on jig heas, hoggies, sluggos

The Kitchen Sink ... depending where rivers , beaches, canal , smaller 5 3/4" pearl wht pencil ,, small jiggy spook , some larger pencil, smaller needles from small SS size to 6" max, cordell red fins to larger herring imitations, some rubber..

From the boat it will be almost exclusively 5.5" fin s fish on a jig. From the beach crystal minnows or tobimaru....

I have had the most success with the smaller size Hogy's, 6" skinny and the 7" original. The color is either Bone or Amber in the spring. As the season progresses I switch to the bigger baits, 10" or 14".

Really early , tiny rubber grubs or minnow size rubber in white , chartruese , pink work good in the day time which is when they are active now.

Maybe 3 or 4 weeksfrom now I like the Fin -S Fish in 7 inch size and Alewife , white and black over gray color as well as the Olive Mombow Minnows , Bombers , redfin, rebel type lures. These will work until maybe Mid May when you may still use them but also try stuff like big Curltails (8 inch) , big sluggoes , eels and bait and bucktails and everything else.

But for now a 1/2 to 1 OZ jig with a two inch curltail or Minnow body or those Cocahoes John gave out at MSBA and RISAA shows. Also , instead of jig heads , the Got Striper style of wrapping the heavy solder or lead wire around the hook shank and then sort of screwing the plastic bodies on will also work well. Think small bait imitations for now until maybe the 3 rd or 4th week in April.

Oh , I'm talking about in RI and SE MA. In other areas the timing will be different.

Toy size stuff on the trout rod, bigger toys on da bigger rod for bigger fish

Toy size stuff on the trout rod, bigger toys on da bigger rod for bigger fish Like tooth brush handles and bic pen needle fish and tins and lil dinky swimmers.

spring lures :devil:

the jig the pig and the egg.

but I switch the pig for a small white curly tail.

Chasing the little ones it will be with mini mambo minnnows, shad baits, tattoo small swimmers, small smack its, and a rapala skitter walk but that won't last long. For the most part i'll be tossing a beachmaster danny, 3 oz. Guppy pencil, or a Jigsmith or Howdy until until something shows up that worthy of eating them.

Leave a few for the rest of us..

spring lures :devil:

Then as the water warrms up a bit the 3/4 oz smack-it gets the nod(u can't beat the explosive strikes)When the bigger fish show pencils and spooks in larger sizes

Leave a few for the rest of us..

haha I look deranged in that pic. I was hurtin' at the end of that day. if you look closely you can see where my thumbs are all chewed up :fishin:

It is a mistake to underestimate the size of the fish available before Memorial day. Think herring, fish big. They're there.

Normally start my season in mid May fishing the canal with 7" Tsunami Shad. Most other places Bass Assassin shad, Mambo Minnnow and sluggos.

I use a lot of what has already been posted including bombers but more specifically: bomber16A jointed.

5" and 7.5" fatty prototypes. I have swam them, but not on fish. Killer v-wake in a tiny package, for small and BIG fish.

It is a mistake to underestimate the size of the fish available before Memorial day. Think herring, fish big. They're there.

Save some for us George.Musso deep diver in maple,beachmaster cowboy or cowboy jr.Maybe even a 3 oz. darter.

small chartruse needle with a closer dropper

It is a mistake to underestimate the size of the fish available before Memorial day. Think herring, fish big. They're there.

I've noticed in each of the past few years fish over 40 have come before the middle / third week of May in several places from RI to Cape.

GAWD I hope my work schedule doesn't suck badly this year like last.