Striped bass are bottom fish. Not actually on the bottom like fluke or flounder but close enough that your lure or bait must be presented at that depth in order to give yourself a good chance of enticing the fish to take it. There are a number of ways to do this. You can use a heavy enough weight to overcome the current at the time and three way a jig or bait, you can troll conventional mono and use a trolling sinker, you can use a down rigger and set the ball at the desired depth or you can troll with wire line.
Each of these methods will work and each has its' advantages and disadvantages over the other. As fishermen we all tend to become accustomed to and favor one over the other. I used to fish with down riggers all the time and still think they are a great way to present your lure at the depth in the water column that you want it to be. As a charter captain who, for the most part, works without a mate, it was a problem. Most of my customers were not familiar with the technique and I had my hands full when we got hooked up.
For the past few years I have chosen to troll with wire line for bass on the Sound. It is very productive if done correctly and that is the crux of this article. Perhaps this information will be second hand to many anglers but for those of you that would like to give it a try I would hope it will be of some help.
The tackle you use should be designed for wire. the line guides have to be able to withstand the wire constantly moving through them and are made of carbide metal. I prefer a rod made for heavy trolling with a moderately soft tip. The soft tip allows you to work a parachute jig a lot easier and give it the action that is required. Penn makes a Saber rod (model # BCF2701RTC) designed for wire and works well. Many tackle shops make custom rods for wire as well. Hilyards Tackle in New London and Hammonasette Tackle in Madison, Ct. are great sources for wire line tackle. The reel most commonly used is the Penn Senator 4/0. Their HST model has a spool made for wire but I have not seen any problems with the standard 4/0. Most other manufacturers have models that compare well to the Penn reels.
The wire used may be stainless steel or Monel. A 50 lb. test Dacron backing is used prior to winding the wire. This is attached to the wire using a small swivel (it has to pass through the tip guide) and a haywire twist. Most of my reels carry 300 feet of wire but 400 is not unusual. The first 100 feet off the reel is marked with red vinyl tape and every 50 feet after is marked as well with white, blue and then red again. The most popular size wire appears to be .0025 and has a test of 40 - 50 lbs.
An 80 lb. test mono leader is then attached, once again, using a small enough swivel to pass through the guides with a haywire twist on the wire side and an improved cinch knot on the mono side. The length of the leader should be 15 - 18 feet. If I am using umbrella rigs I will attach a snap swivel to the terminal end for convenience. When using a parachute jig I prefer a direct tie to the jig rather than using a swivel - the less hardware the fish has to see the better.
Now let's go fishing. Let the wire out slowly running the vessel at about 2 -3 knots. Make certain you thumb the spool because a wire backlash may very well render the wire useless by the time it is untangled. Kinks in wire present a weak spot and I have had wire break on a hit because of this. I am still on the upward swing of the "learning curve" on this point and now know to replace damaged or kinked wire. Know the depth you are working and allow enough wire out to get to it. Rule of thumb is for every ten feet out you will be one foot down. Most of the fishing for stripers in the Sound will be within forty feet. You should allow some of the Dacron to pass through the end guide on the rod if you are jigging as you troll. This prevents a constant wear of the wire at the end of the rod - and it will break at some point.
If you do not wish to fish that deep then simply reel in a few turns every ten or so strokes with the rod and the wear spot on the wire will be minimal.
Trolling speed is around 3 - 4 knots. If you are using umbrellas sit back and wait. There are times when umbrellas are very effective. If they are not productive my favorite option is a green and white parachute jig with a white pork rind on the hook. you have to work this jig so it appears it is swimming. to do this invert the rod with the tip down and the reel up. Now, just pretend you are rowing the boat with it - backwards. Pulling and relaxing will move the jig just the way you want.The strokes should be four or five feet but they can vary and short pulls now and then may entice a strike.
Troll the rips. Parallel them with the current on the downside or move through them dropping the lure off the bottom edge. Use your fish finder to spot fish on or near the bottom and work those "clouds" of bait fish that you see.
Wire has its downside. Pulling in a fish 300 feet out on wire takes a lot of the thrill out of the fight compared to mono. If, however, it is a forty plus striper you will still get excited and you most likely caught it because you were down where he was!

© Osprey Marine Ltd. 2000