Above is a Lowrance HD-38 unit chart reading of a school of striped bass in the month of May feeding on sea herring that were migrating out of the bay to the ocean. These fish are very active and are willing to hit almost anything that looks like a sea herring tossed above or below them.
One of the best parts of the spring and early summer fishery here in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is the number of options you have for catching fish. One of the best is using soft plastic lures such as Slug-Go's, Fin-S Fish, the new style swim baits and other lures on monster size stripers. At this time of the year we toss a lot of Slug-Go's in the seven to nine inch range, in mostly white and Arkansas Shiner colors. For searching for active fish you cast out and make a very quick retrieve bringing your Slug-Go across the surface of the water pretty quickly. If there are any fish present, it won't take long to find out if they are there. Big, white, Fin-S Fish are also good at this time of year, especially the 10-inch models that also represent big menhaden that are usually inside the bay at this time. Both types of baits are fished with a single hook in the head that protrudes out and away from the lure. We don't normally use the Worm style hook that is often associated with the Slug-Go and Fin-S Fish. With the hook sticking out and away from the plastic lure, you have a much better chance of getting a good hook-set than when the hook is buried inside the body of the bait.
Mix up your retrieve when fish these two pieces of plastic. Start out fast, then slow, and then let it sink a bit and jerk it back towards the top back to the surface. Many times the fish will hit your lure as it is falling or begins to rise again. Pay close attention to what the fish does and how he reacts to the lure. This will let you know how and where in the water column they are looking to feed. The chances are it won't be the same day after day so its up to you to find this out.
If you find yourself getting a lot of short strikes or chases and the fish aren't hitting your lure, make sure you have another rod ready to come back with that has a different type of bait tied on it. We like keeping a rod rigged and ready with a four to six-inch swim bait, such as a YUM Money Minnow or a Strike King Shadalious shad rigged on a lead head jig. This lure will go deeper and has a great swimming action/motion to it that the fish will usually respond to.
Most of our fishing is done with light spinning gear. We use Quantum rods and reels as well as Fin-Nor Megalite spinning reels spooled with 12 lbs test mono, usually Ande Back Country. This line is strong and has great abrasion resistance when fishing around rocks and other structure that is close to shore. Rods should be in the 7 to 7 1/2 foot range and Medium to Medium Heavy action. The bigger the soft plastics, the heavier the rod should be. Don't make the mistake of using a light action rod to hook a big fish when using 9 or 10-inch pieces of plastic. You will not likely get a good enough hook-set when the fish strikes. It takes power to drive that hook into the jaw of a monster sized striped bass when he inhales it.
Other lures that are worth trying at this time of year are: 7-inch Red Fin swimmers. This lure has been around for a long time but is forgotten by many anglers. It has a slow side-to-side action on the surface that fish can't seem to resist. Replace the tail treble hook with a singe Salmon Siwash hook and dress it with bucktail, but not too heavily dressed as that will tend to kill the side to side motion of the lure. I find the best color to be Bone or Blue and Silver during the spring. Bomber swimmers are also good at this time, especially in the early morning and early evening hours. Bombers will swim a bit deeper and draw fish out and away from any structure they are hiding behind.
Fishing these types of lures inside Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island during the spring will draw monster sized stripers to them as they put on the feed bag after migrating north after a long winter's rest. It is some of the best angling of the year, so be ready to take part in it.
