Using the 15 Minute Rule to Catch More Stripers Trolling
How to catch striped bass utilizing the fifteen minute rule.
I take advantage of the fifteen minute rule frequently when striped bass are shoaling, or disseminated throughout a sizeable expanse of water. Perhaps I am observing bass which are hanging in deep water, or perhaps the striped bass are feeding down a long expanse of beach. In either case, when fish are distributed within a substantial area, the 15 min. Rule has proven itself as an effective application for creating a productive trolling pattern.
After marking just one striped bass I will then put lines in the water. I will commence trolling in a particular direction, virtually always parallel to the seashore. That way I troll along the depth in which I marked that initial bass.
I'll next troll for 15 minutes, retaining a close eye on the fish finder the full time. If after 15 min's I haven't lured a bite, hooked a striped bass, or marked more striped bass on the fish finder, I restart my search parallel to the seashore along the same depth until finally I commence seeing fish again.
If I do capture a striped bass during the first 15 min's, attract a strike, or mark additional stripers on the sonar, then my 15 min. time clock is reset. Recently, a typical situation I have come across is locating an expanse of ocean, as much as a mile long, that has had bass along the complete stretch. The areas to the east, west, north and south of this stretch of water oftentimes have no stripers at all.
The 15 minute rule helps me to recognize the productive expanse of ocean in the following way.
Let's say I have recently been hooking fish regularly on the troll for the previous 1/2 hr. For the duration of the past half hour I've trolled a reasonably straight course east through a half mile stretch of ocean. It's now been 15 min's since I have caught a striped bass, lured a bite, and marked anything on my fish finder-implying that I've arrived at the end of the striped bass-filled expanse of water.
The subsequent step will be to reel the lines in, and cruise westward, returning to where I commenced marking, and landing stripers. I'd retain a close eye on my sonar while cruising, remembering any striped bass marks that may show up.
If I mark striped bass on my westerly trek to where I first began noticing striped bass then good, the striped bass are still hanging along the exact same expanse of water. This is the ideal situation, especially for folks just learning how to catch striped bass.
Without doubt there will be those times when I do not mark bass during the journey westward. And upon driving over a mile west of the original location where I primarily began observing striped bass, I'll still fail to observe any fish on the sonar. In situations like this I would presume that the schools of stripers has moved either shallower or deeper. I'd then transition into shallower or deeper water and commence a new search.
Unquestionably, the ability to uncover stripers with reliability is the very first stage to understanding how to catch striped bass.
I take advantage of the fifteen minute rule frequently when striped bass are shoaling, or disseminated throughout a sizeable expanse of water. Perhaps I am observing bass which are hanging in deep water, or perhaps the striped bass are feeding down a long expanse of beach. In either case, when fish are distributed within a substantial area, the 15 min. Rule has proven itself as an effective application for creating a productive trolling pattern.
After marking just one striped bass I will then put lines in the water. I will commence trolling in a particular direction, virtually always parallel to the seashore. That way I troll along the depth in which I marked that initial bass.
I'll next troll for 15 minutes, retaining a close eye on the fish finder the full time. If after 15 min's I haven't lured a bite, hooked a striped bass, or marked more striped bass on the fish finder, I restart my search parallel to the seashore along the same depth until finally I commence seeing fish again.
If I do capture a striped bass during the first 15 min's, attract a strike, or mark additional stripers on the sonar, then my 15 min. time clock is reset. Recently, a typical situation I have come across is locating an expanse of ocean, as much as a mile long, that has had bass along the complete stretch. The areas to the east, west, north and south of this stretch of water oftentimes have no stripers at all.
The 15 minute rule helps me to recognize the productive expanse of ocean in the following way.
Let's say I have recently been hooking fish regularly on the troll for the previous 1/2 hr. For the duration of the past half hour I've trolled a reasonably straight course east through a half mile stretch of ocean. It's now been 15 min's since I have caught a striped bass, lured a bite, and marked anything on my fish finder-implying that I've arrived at the end of the striped bass-filled expanse of water.
The subsequent step will be to reel the lines in, and cruise westward, returning to where I commenced marking, and landing stripers. I'd retain a close eye on my sonar while cruising, remembering any striped bass marks that may show up.
If I mark striped bass on my westerly trek to where I first began noticing striped bass then good, the striped bass are still hanging along the exact same expanse of water. This is the ideal situation, especially for folks just learning how to catch striped bass.
Without doubt there will be those times when I do not mark bass during the journey westward. And upon driving over a mile west of the original location where I primarily began observing striped bass, I'll still fail to observe any fish on the sonar. In situations like this I would presume that the schools of stripers has moved either shallower or deeper. I'd then transition into shallower or deeper water and commence a new search.
Unquestionably, the ability to uncover stripers with reliability is the very first stage to understanding how to catch striped bass.
About the Author:
Captain Ryan Collins fishes for striped bass and Bluefin tuna off Cape Cod, MA. Visit his blog, myfishingcapecod.com for insider tips about how to catch striped bass and giant tuna.
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