Join Capt. Mike on a spring recon mission in Vineyard Sound, exploring the Elizabeth Islands for a jig bite. Armed with the full mesh crate, Mike breaks down environmental factors and bait presence as he targets striped bass with the versatile Hogy Protail Paddle.

Stem Jigging Rips:

When: Best suited for deep-water rips when fish are holding tight to one specific zone—often over a hole, boulder, or wreck. Ideal in rough conditions or crowded rips where drifting isn’t practical and repeated passes would be disruptive or unsafe.

Execution:

• Position the boat uptide of the rip, in smooth water just before the turbulence begins.
• Toss jigs slightly uptide—just enough to give them time to reach bottom before entering the strike zone.
• Drop quickly and get tight—you want the jig on bottoB1101m as it approaches the edge of the rip, not after it’s already past.
• Work the jig immediately with short hops or pulses.
• As it drifts back, feed out line in controlled drops to extend your drift while maintaining contact.
• Limit to 2–3 drop-backs—beyond that, control and effectiveness diminish in fast water.

Why It Works: This method combines the precision of stemming with the vertical control of jigging, allowing you to surgically target fish in or just behind the rip. It's especially effective when predators are parked on a specific piece of structure. By holding position and working the jig through the water column just before and across the shoal, you stay in the strike zone longer and with more control than a free drift allows.