Striper Fishing
Techniques
Lures for Stripers
Surface lures: Quite possibly
the most fun to be
had is using poppers and
sliders
for stripers when they are surface oriented. Most of these come out of
the box with two treble hooks, so in most of the Kennebec river you'll
need to remove one of them or render one of them harmless by either
cutting off the points at the hook bend or bending the hook point to the
shank. Some folks like to leave the rear hook, I like to leave the belly
hook, mainly because stripers take a bait head first, so I feel that
I'll make better hook point contact with the belly hook in place.
Selection: Make your selection based upon the size and color of the natural bait in the area. Generally in the spring, 6-10 inches, resembling the adult Alewife that is upriver spawning in great numbers ... Dark top with light colored bottom is my favorite. Some of these may come with a rattle that can really attract active fish. The rattle can also be a turn off when fish are in a fussy mood. So just to be safe, you should have some of each in your tackle box.
Subsurface lures: These can work really well at times. Retrieve should be a "stop and go" type retrieve. Keep from developing slack in your line by continually reeling while "snapping" the rod tip downward. Most often the strike comes during the "stop" instance of the retrieve, so be ready for it with a slack-free line. My favorite lure for this application is "Rebel's Windcheater", this one has an internal rattle that really turns them on!