by Captain Tommy Kampa
June is the best month of the year for Striped Bass fishing in the Western Long Island Sound! There always seems to be BIGGER Stripers caught and lost during this month. The majority of fish have already spawned and are very hungry, as they migrate to our East. These Stripers are spread out over our entire area and can be caught shallow and deep; with Bunker chunks or live Bunker. Fresh bait really helps; all the tackle shops get fresh Bunker at least once a day, this is an easy way to get bait and some inside intelligence on whatâs going on in your area. Support your local bait and tackle shops!
On the water, learn to snag your own bait, using treble hooks, cast into a school of Bunker, and let your hook sink, than steadily retrieve it until you feel a fish, then strike hard and reel the Bunker in. Throw the ones that donât look too bad in a live well and the rest on ice, to chunk with. If you can throw a cast net, even better! Get friendly with one of the commercial Bunker netters and they might let you buy some from them; but remember these guys are working, you want the best bait, so take good care of them. Your bait will last much longer in the live well when caught with a net.
OK, weâve got our bait, but where to go fishing? Getting out early is important to me; I want to be fishing by 5:30 AM or earlier when live lining; once the sun gets to a certain point in the sky, the bite is over. Boulder fields, reefs with a little current are where Iâll start out. Figuring out what tide and what part of the tide that works best at each individual spot requires an investment of time. Use your mind, be original in your thinking, itâll pay off quicker than you think and your catch will be that much more rewarding than just following the fleet around.
So youâve anchored up in your honey hole; I like to put my live Bunker out first. I use a seven foot conventional set up, spooled up with forty pound monofilament line. I use a seven to eight foot piece of fifty pound fluorocarbon leader attached to main line with a barrel swivel and a 9/0 hook snelled to my leader. Hook them near the end of the dorsal fin; being careful not to put the hook through their spine, this would kill them. (This is a rig I like for shallow water, when fishing deeper, Iâll hook the Bunker through their nostrils). Dropping them into the water, I try to get them to swim away from my boat until I feel they are in the âzoneâ; put the reelâs clicker on in free spool and put them in a rod holder and get ready. Sometimes your bait will get attacked immediately so be ready. Keep control of your line, donât get any big bows in your line, you must know where your bait is at all times, because your trophy Striper wonât give you a second chance. Striped Bass need to swallow your Bunker head first, be patient; Iâve watched many anglers pull their baits right out of a Striperâs mouth. Its big bait, you have to let them eat a little; once the fish has taken the bait, lock up your reel, wait for the line to come tight and swing hard! Yeah, I donât use circle hooks, I enjoy setting the hook and as long as you donât let the fish run too long before hooking, they shouldnât be gut hooked. Fight the fish slow and steady; when she wants to run, let her, retrieve when you can; keeping constant pressure and your rod tip up. When your trophy gets close to the boat make sure you net it head first. Congratulations!! If youâre not going to keep this fish, get it back in the water as quick as possible, holding its head into the current until she gets her breath and swims off. If you have gut hooked the fish and its bleeding bad or you canât revive it, and itâs legal; you should make that fish your catch for the day. It may not be the trophy you were looking for, but thereâs no sense in wasting a fish; good Karma will be rewarded by the fish gods! Remember to take good care of your catch and get it on ice immediately, you and the family will be grateful at the dinner table.
Chunking with Bunker is very effective also; and if possible I fish a few chunks even when live lining. Usually in shallow water if there is not much tide, you will not need any weight. But if youâre fishing deeper put a fish finder rig in front of your swivel and use enough weight to keep your sinker on the bottom. I will use a three foot fluorocarbon leader, my usual seven foot conventional setup; keeping the reel in free spool, with the clicker on when not holding it. You donât have to let these fish run more than a few feet, lock you reel, wait for the line to come tight and set the hook. Stripers have strong hard mouths, swing hard! A nice steady retrieve will get your fish to the boat and in the net.
Wherever you decide to fish, Stripers like structure and itâs rare to find them over open bottom in great numbers. Finding good structure, even a small gulley on the bottom in the middle of nowhere will hold fish. Big Stripers, âCowsâ are very smart, theyâve seen many hooks and lures over their years to live this long. They will wait for an easy meal when the tide starts to slow down, and ambush their prey with a minimum amount of effort.
Another method is drifting live bunker near the bottom in deep water. I will use a fish finder rig, a long leader and hook the Bunker through its nostrils. Some guys like to use Bait Bridles when fishing like this and feel they get more hookups with this method. Drop your rig to the bottom, crank up your line three to four turns, and lock up your reel. Hold on tight because these Stripers hit hard and fast.
Itâs important to experiment with all of these methods and to find your own âHoney Holesâ! Think outside the box and you will improve as a fisherman. Respect those fishing around you, remember that good Karma!
Captain Tommy Kampa holds a USCG 100 TON MASTERâS LICENSE; he runs a 29â Dyer custom bass boat, the MOONLIGHT LADY. We are booking Charters now for the season. Captain Tommy can be reached at capttommykampa@gmail.com or 347 203 5087 to book a charter or express a comment or suggestion.
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Catch âem up!!!!
