Getting started....

[Mulligan]

Hi, I'm in need of all the guidance I can get. My fishing has always been limited to the summer vacation at the Jersey shore.  I'm in Philly and vacation in Avalon where I get to the 8th St Jetty as much as I can.   I want to try to go after Stripers  down there this Spring.  Is the season based on the water temp? If yes, what temps do I look for.  Or is it a specific time?  Also, what kind of  equipment would I need Rod , reel  line test.  My summer stuff probably isn't enough to deal with stripers.  Any other tips would be appreciated .

Thanks.

[BigAl13]

yes 50 degrees, sun up or sun down, I like to try to fish when the tide matches the moon

[ped579]

Hi Mulligan, and Welcome Aboard.

Well, this year as with last might be rough as all the areas that were hit by Sandy are still going to be a mess.  If you want to start early for stripers look to the bay.  The waters there always warm up first.  To give you a hint the creek by the Oyster Creek Power Plant are not warm enough to hold stripers and they are catching shorts on blood worms.  I will go into specifics later bit for right now lets get you started in the right direction.

As far as equipment I would not go for the big bucks equipment as you are just starting out fishing for stripers.  I use primarily light to medium weight equipment in the early spring.  My equipment if an 8' Tica pole with a Penn 360 Slammer with 30# braided line.  I like to use mainly artificials like bucktails or a Mombo Mino that swims kind of shallow at night.  The bucktails are all white with either a white or pink curly tails.

Now for the night I just mentioned.  Do your self a favor and try some night fishing in the back bays.  Look for piers that have lights on them and simply cast parallel to the pier and right around the shadow line.  the colder the water the slower your retrieve.

Right now it is way to cold to find much our front as the water today is in the high 30's.  The blues and stripers can be found slowly migrating out around Mothers Day.  That is when I usually start hitting the inlets.

I hope this helps.  Keep the questions coming as there are tons of guys on here that are all willing to help you out.

Happy Catching

Paul

[Mulligan]

Very helpful. Thanks guys.