Short Fishing Trip Looking For Striped Bass & Tog
- By: Richard Natoli
- on
I had a few hours to quickly sneak out and hit the water fishing for striped bass and tog!
The goal was to catch TWO species in just ONE trip.
I’ll walk you through the entire day including my mindset as the day progressed in the video below!!
Fishing For Striped Bass & Tog [VIDEO]
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Equipment Used On This Trip:
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- Rods:
- Reels:
- Line: 15lb PowerPro and 10lb Power Pro
- Leader: 20lb Ande Monofilament
- Hooks: Owner Weighted Twistlock Hook
- Lures:
- Scent:
- Hats & Apparel:
The first spot I stopped off at was basically the reason for launching close nearby.
There is shallow water pushing around a point that makes for an ideal fishing spot.
On the bottom, there is about a 1-foot trench that the bass usually sit down in.
I had started throwing the Dart Spin and had some luck with a few taps and one hookup.
But I knew I had to get just a bit deeper so I switched over to the Alabama Leprechaun rigged on a heavier jighead.
After catching a few fish, I pushed out to fish the other spots I picked out along a sod bank.
I threw the lure as close as I could to the bank and worked it slowly back to me.
With limited time on the water, I picked up and went out to target tog (blackfish) after reeling in a few more bass.
I went out to the inlet where there are plenty of rocks and perfect structure for tog.
The tog bite was ON immediately!
All I needed was some green crabs and the tog were on the hook.
As we often do – I lost track of time focusing on tog fishing which meant I pretty much had to head straight back to the launch.
But one point stood out to me that I just had to toss a line near.
BOOM!
That ended up being the biggest fish of the trip.
Conclusion
This ended up being a really fun trip and I’m glad I was able to hook into both species and the day went according to the plan.
Just goes to show the power of a pre-trip plan and having some spots already selected based on the conditions will help you catch more fish later on.
Did any questions come to mind while watching the footage from this trip?
Please go ahead and ask me in the comments section below this article!!
Finding The Fish Help
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2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
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Nice video Rich. I like the way that you shared both species targeted in the same trip. We’ll have to connect in the spring so I can get one of those schoolies and break the 0-for on my Hobie in terms of Stripers! Hope you are well!
Let’s do it! As soon as you are comfortable getting on the water once the season opens, let’s do it.
I noticed that you were using a Penn Fierce III 3000. I just received a Penn Fierce III 5000 for Christmas. What is your recommendation for the right rod to match it with. I will be fishing mostly inshore.
Thanks, Tim
The rod really depends on where you are fishing and the species you are targeting. I personally have totally fallen in love with the TFO Pro rods. I currently use the 7’6 MH rod so I can target larger species like striped bass and bluefish with the rod, however it has enough sensitivity to feel those light fluke taps as well. As for the pairing the 5000 Fierce is significantly heavier than the 3000 (which balances nicely) however I wouldn’t hesitate to give it a try.
Thank you.
Great video. Made me homesick for fishing the Barnegat inlet sod banks for same . Miss my stripers and tide runner weakies.
Thanks for watching! The backwater striped bass is winding down. I was fishing the surf in Barnegat Light today and found no joy. But, the great news is the weakfish are coming back and tide runners aren’t unicorns anymore!
I like what I see, but I don’t have a boat of any kind, do you have any infro for fishing onshore around the city limits
Where are you fishing and what temperature is it?
I was fishing in southern New Jersey. The video was recorded prior to the single digit cold snap that came through so the water temperatures were still in the upper 40 degree range. They have now dropped to 43 in area shown.
I love to fish but what I want to know is what’s the best lure for bass in cold water in the fall
Great question. The bite can change between different lures quite often. Sometimes its a topwater bite, sometimes its subsurface, and sometimes its live bait. When targeting striped bass in the fall I typically bring the following.. Topwater – Spook Jr and Moonwalker…. Subsurface soft plastics- Slam Shady and Alabama Leprechaun (larger sizes) paired with 1/2 oz jigs, Dartspins (up to 7inch). I also do like suspending lures like the Mirrolures.
Well, that depends upon the forage and size of the bass. For example, I use small baits for the schoolies, in Maine. They are always the last to leave during mid-October. I fish off a bridge at night near the structure’s shadow, with a 4″ gulp jerk shad in the smelt color, on a 1/4 jighead. That combo kills’em every year until they get smart to it. Then I’ll switch over to a 1-ounce Kastmaster. Jigging it 3-5 feet below the water’s surface. Again, near the bridge’s shadow. The bridge’s shadow is their favorite ambush point, starting an hour or two before and after high or low tides. In my experience, the high tide produces more because there’s more water to fish.