How-To — Shore Fishing

How-To: Striped Bass Fishing in Canals and Channels from Shore #161

Posted by Capt. Michael Hogan on

APPROACH Canals are great when you know fish are likely to be in the area. With such high volumes of water running by your feet each minute, there is endless potential for bait and fish to blow by. The challenge here is how to deal with such fast moving water. If fish are holding deep, which they are in canals 85% of the time, you’ll be require to fish the swing. "If I Had Just One" with Capt. Mike HoganLOCATION: Cape CodTARGETED SPECIES: Striped BassLURE:Hogy Pro Tail PaddleCOLORS: BONE, GREEN MACK, BLUE HERRING "I would grab the Hogy Pro Tail...

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How-To: Fishing Estuaries for Striped Bass from Shore #160

Posted by Capt. Michael Hogan on

Estuaries are great for a lot of reasons.  Approach: First step is to identify the direction of the tide. You want to fish on the side the tide is moving toward. Although this is a light tackle fishery, big fish do move up into protected water, particularly in the spring and fall.  "If I Had Just One" with Capt. Mike HoganLOCATION: Cape CodTARGETED SPECIES: Striped BassLURE: 7/8oz Hogy Epoxy Jig LureCOLOR: Olive, Silverside, Pink "I would grab the 7/8oz Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure. I regularly carry Olive, Silver Side and Pink." PROFILE: The 7/8oz Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure is 3.5” so...

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How-To: Shore Fishing on an Open Beach #158

Posted by Capt. Michael Hogan on

Open Beach: There is often more than meets the eye at an open beach. Structure-wise, you have gradual drop-offs, fast drop-offs, sand bars, deep troughs, rocks and boulders.  Approach: Work the system at hand. Bounce along the bottom, fish along the top. Tide: Varies by structure.  "IF I JUST HAD ONE" with SHELL E. CARISLOCATION: New JerseyTARGETED SPECIES: Striped BassLURE: Slow Tail SeriesCOLOR: Bone "This lure has tremendous action. It casts great and I have been fishing for over 60-years in the surf and the way it swims in shallow water (2 to 7-feet) is unbeatable." "It tracks incredibly well because of its weight....

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How-To: Rip Fishing for Striped Bass From Shore #157

Posted by Capt. Michael Hogan on

SHORELINE RIP Shoreline rips that occur around structure such as points are often great spots to find big fish on light tackle close to the beach. The best shoreline rips have some sort of mix or combination of deep areas, including holes; drop offs, rocks, boulders and deep basins.  Moving water means confused bait so blind casting in an organized manner is the ticket. Approach: Fan cast and fish the swing through a 45-degree strike zone.  Tide: Peak 45 minutes of movement is best. Often one tide lays up better than the other.   "If I Had Just One" with Capt....

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How-To: Reading Shore Conditions for Striped Bass #156

Posted by Capt. Michael Hogan on

Anglers are much more tightly lipped about their shore fishing than boat fishing and consequently, getting good shore fishing reports is difficult. I don’t even bother asking around when shore fishing; rather, I just run the playbook based on the conditions and season. WIND In a perfect world, an onshore wind is best for bringing fish close to the beach or shore. The only problem with an onshore wind is that it impedes your ability to cast lighter lures. As a rule of thumb, I especially appreciate an onshore wind in the night or very early morning when targeting big...

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