Thursday, December 29, 2011

Changes in Striper Behavior and their Influence on Striped Bass Fishing Techniques

By Captain Ryan John Collins


Striped bass behaviour is still a mystifying issue for me personally, and for the majority of serious fishermen. Just after you think you have the fish understood, striped bass do something unexpected, and leave anglers totally confused. Being able to match a specific striped bass fishing technique to the behavior of the fish is one of the best ways to continually find and catch big stripers. Unfortunately successfully accomplishing this is much easier said than done.

I'm certain a large number of different factors influence alterations in bass behavior. Investigating these types of elements is well past the breadth of this article, and is possibly best left to marine biologists. The important thing for all of us striper junkies is to be able to realize when a change in striped bass behavior has occurred, and how to quickly modify our striped bass fishing techniques so we will be able to continue finding and hooking large striped bass.

Often times a sunrise or sunset will result in a shift in striped bass behavior. From what I've experienced over the years, striped bass will frequently go deeper or shallower as soon as the sky begins to darken or begins to brighten again. Bass will often switch from resting to an active state after a sunrise or sunset. What this means for all of us anglers is that whatever striped bass you have found (or not found) may considerably switch their habits right after these 2 celestial occurrences. If you wish to continue on catching (or begin catching) bass, then modify your search strategy and striped bass fishing techniques as required.



Bass will regularly transition from schooling behavior to shoaling behavior, and straight back to schooling again throughout the course of a day or night. For those who find a massive, football field size school of bass, but then suddenly lose track of the bass, a shift in behavior may have taken place. Individual stripers from the giant school might now be shoaling in the region. After the sun sets or rises yet again, there is a reasonable chance that the stripers will assemble back into schooling configuration.

Tidal changes also influence striped bass behaviour. However for yours truly, it's a lot more complicated to illustrate exactly how. The critical thing to not forget is that a tide change can spark the bite, or turn it off. Tidal changes can also cause bass to move out of a once productive location, and into what was at one time desolate zone. Often times after a sunrise or sunset, I find myself spending extra time searching out new areas for signs of life.



How all these factors influence bass behavior will probably remain a mystery for years to come. In spite of the many question marks, having a knowledge that certain events will result in a shift in striper behavior, will certainly help you adjust your striped bass fishing techniques in a way that will result in more and bigger striped bass hitting the deck of your boat.




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