Baits for Big Summer Stripers

Catch large shad, 12- to 18-inches long, put them in the livewell, and use them to catch stripers. To take big stripers, use big shad. When fishing in tailraces with live shad or shad minnows, tie the main line to a barrel swivel, a split shot or a slip sinker. In any case, tie the weight above the barrel swivel with a hook tied on the end. Then bait with live shad. Let the speed of the current dictate the size of the weight you use. You want the weight to be heavy enough to carry your bait down to the bottom, because that's where the stripers feed. Another tactic for catching tailrace stripers is to fish right in front of the turbines, where the water boils-up as it comes through a hydroelectric dam. Cast a large shad on a hook, weightless, right into the center of the boil. As the water boils-up, it mushrooms and goes straight back to the bottom. The motion of the water will carry your shad to the bottom, where big stripers are lying in wait for injured shad coming through the turbine. Whenever you fish for stripers with live bait, be sure your bait is active. Use a round tank that circulates and filters water for live bait.