Striped bass fishing can be a competitive sport, and while your techniques for catching these monstrous fish need to be perfected, you should never forego fishing etiquette to get your trophy fish. So, amid several other boats on a very warm summer’s day where everyone is shooting for the same results, keep in mind your fishing etiquette and practice your striped bass fishing in a considerate manner.
Striped bass fishing is best in mid summer during warm weather, especially in the northeast, since this is the only time of year when the lakes get warm enough for the general population to sit up and take notice. Striper are out in large numbers, and you can find some real bubbas to take home as well, with lots of trophy sized fish coming out of the woodwork. The problem is, everyone else is trying to do the same thing at the same time. So, if striped bass fishing for big fish is only good when the water is a nice 70+ degrees on the surface, and that means boating in a crowd, what can you do to make sure that you are not offensive to other people? What does it mean to observe fishing etiquette?
First of all, realize that striped bass fishing is all about being territorial, which means that regular anglers out on the lake are going to arrive earlier than the general crowd. Therefore, they will already be holed up in their little area of the lake that they consider a hot spot and have a lot of faith in for catching big bass. As you seek out your own little nook in the lake, fishing etiquette requires that you do everything possible not to disrupt these fishermen who are already parked.
Making sure you don’t disturb them involves several aspects, including passing by without taking up anchor in their area, not passing too closely so that your boat doesn’t spook the bass in their hot spot, and pass at a moderate speed to disturb the waters as little as possible. If you decide to anchor too closely to someone who has already taken possession of a cove or inlet, you are seen as competition, which is not very welcome, especially during this most productive season. Passing too closely can spook the bass in the area where the fisherman has already weighed down, since bass have sharp hearing, a notable sense of touch to detect movement, and are easily spooked.
Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is commited to providing the best bass fishing information possible. Get more information on striped bass fishing here: http://www.askbassfishing.com/