Which 1/3 do you use? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Back Beach · 02-17-2009, 03:07 PM

When surf fishing, which 1/3 of the water column do you use most frequently and why? Top,middle, or bottom?

bassballer · 02-17-2009, 03:14 PM

i fish mostly middle to bottom. i fish mostly at night and feel the majority of large fish are combing the bottom for food.

BigFish · 02-17-2009, 03:19 PM

Top! I am strictly a tosser of wood! My style of fishing depends largely on splashing, gurgling, v-wakes and tempting the fish to come up for a look! More specifically I fish the top to maybe 5 feet down!

Its my zone and I love it!

FishermanTim · 02-17-2009, 03:22 PM

1/3 fresh
1/3 salt
1/3 frozen

I use them all, all throughout the year.

2na · 02-17-2009, 03:31 PM

I fish the whole column. I usually throw tin unless I find fish on top, if so then I go right to pencils.

1st cast normal retrieve as soon as it hits the water; work the top.

2nd cast slow retrieve with jigging action to make it work 10-20 feet of the water - and this is where I find most of the fish (so I guess my answer is middle - and why? because that's where I find the fish!).

3rd cast get it in down in the sand, shoot it out and let it drop back.

No hits? Have some coffee, then repeat, maybe change up something such as use a tin without a dressed hook to see if that fits the mood for the day. Nothing after 30 minutes? In the truck and move on down the beach.

Really like to find them on top so I can break out the Carlezon's.

2na · 02-17-2009, 03:33 PM

and someone I know always maintains 'Bottom is King'.

ThrowingTimber · 02-17-2009, 03:42 PM

Just the tip

Bottom hugger while its dark out. Unless we're talking about jitterbugs for largemouth at night. Pencils etc when the sun is out.

Back Beach · 02-17-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2na

and someone I know always maintains 'Bottom is King'.

Sounds like someone I know...probably the same guy.

MAKAI · 02-17-2009, 04:36 PM

tend to find most of the bigger fish near the sand. Though I love it when they are near the top.

tattoobob · 02-17-2009, 04:44 PM

I tend to like the bottom third, bigger fish are hanging down there
I love dragging a treble thru the sand, strictly a needle fish user
unless I have an eel on

Slipknot · 02-17-2009, 04:55 PM

The third where the fish are of course.

Raven · 02-17-2009, 04:57 PM

the 1/3 that results in a strike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipknot

The third where the fish are of course.

great minds think alike there quick draw... i was modifying my smiley

ivanputski · 02-17-2009, 05:34 PM

BOTTOM....

steve · 02-17-2009, 05:37 PM

Mostly the top- live eels. Middle to bottom with plugs , rigged eels and jigs when conditions warrent.

numbskull · 02-17-2009, 06:33 PM

I slip on the bottom, fall into the middle, and struggle to stay on the top......so I guess I use 'em all.

BassDawg · 02-17-2009, 06:44 PM

bottom 1/3 to chunk at night

mid 1/3 to swim, dart, and live/rigged eeeeeeeel at night

top 1/3 thru the dawns to plug til first light

Flaptail · 02-17-2009, 07:44 PM

My surfcasting hero always reminds me to "tend the bottom' when fishing the sands of the outer beach. Along shallower rocky shores and in between the beach and offshore bars I stay on top gliding that needle in a little "V" wake as it cuts the surface film.

If nothing there out comes the seeker plugs like a Mag Minnow and it probes the mid level.

Got to try all three levels to find them, once found stay at that level.

quick decision · 02-18-2009, 05:40 AM

i usualy fish the top with plugs and then got to bucktales if there is not bite. I have not fished the bottom as much as would like do to the the areas I fish. Usualy under 10 feet with rocky bottom.

Tagger · 02-18-2009, 08:30 AM

night,, I'm a slow sink needle junky . fish top to bottom ..
night ,, add a skin plug swimmer . Made Conrad Jr. skin plugs this year to go down ..
Dawn or day ,,spring/fall '' I love top water .. I like to watch, to the point I try to force feed . This is a character defect and I will try more bucktailing this year . Due to DZ lesson ...

NIB · 02-18-2009, 08:39 AM

NIB is a bottom dweller..

Brian L · 02-20-2009, 03:47 AM

There's no "always" in fishing, obviously. It depends on what the fish are doing of course, but mostly I want to be on the bottom 1/3 where the big fish usually are.

late-start · 02-20-2009, 08:51 AM

I know I should spend more time in the bottom, but always findmyself on top

Mike P · 02-20-2009, 09:29 AM

85% bottom, 15% top.

The biggest fish I hooked last year hit one of Mike T's yellow Canal pencils--I at least got a look at her before the hooks pulled

vanstaal · 02-20-2009, 05:08 PM

well it makes a lot of difference as to the volume of water, like in surf I fish the top, if in the canal where the water is deeper I would fish bottom or the middle

maddmatt · 02-23-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2na

I fish the whole column. I usually throw tin unless I find fish on top, if so then I go right to pencils.

1st cast normal retrieve as soon as it hits the water; work the top.

2nd cast slow retrieve with jigging action to make it work 10-20 feet of the water - and this is where I find most of the fish (so I guess my answer is middle - and why? because that's where I find the fish!).

3rd cast get it in down in the sand, shoot it out and let it drop back.

No hits? Have some coffee, then repeat, maybe change up something such as use a tin without a dressed hook to see if that fits the mood for the day. Nothing after 30 minutes? In the truck and move on down the beach.

Really like to find them on top so I can break out the Carlezon's.

i drink 2na's coffee, wait for 2na to hook a fish, then do what he was doing. works every time!

maddmatt · 02-23-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2na

and someone I know always maintains 'Bottom is King'.

thats "in town" or at the beach???

2na · 02-25-2009, 07:52 AM

excellent positive reinforcement Matt - won't be long now!