Every day, throughout the season, using wire line to troll lures remains one of the most effective methods to find and catch trophy striped bass and bluefish. Here’s what you need to begin.
By Tom Richardson
Mike Laptew understands better than many that larger striped bass tend to stay deep, significantly below their smaller counterparts. As an underwater videographer and ex-spearfisherman, Laptew has spent countless hours underwater, observing thousands of striped bass in their natural setting. If you watch one of his excellent videos, you’ll notice that the largest stripers tend to stay closest to the bottom, beneath the rest of the school. This also applies to bluefish, as the biggest ones swim lower and behind their pack.
“I wish I could explain why game fish, especially stripers, form a hierarchy where the largest fish primarily sit at the very bottom,” says Laptew. “To my knowledge, it may be because they prefer not to expend energy competing with more aggressive smaller fish. Perhaps those bigger fish enjoy foraging on the bottom for lobsters, crabs, flounder, scup, and similar prey. And when bluefish are attacking menhaden from above, the larger bass consume the scraps that sink. Want to catch big bass? Think deep!”
If the current makes reeling in a hooked fish too challenging, reduce your speed and drift through the area if it’s safe. It’s critical to maintain a taut line at all times during this process.
Laptew’s underwater videos visually demonstrate what experienced anglers have long recognized — if you want to catch the biggest bass and blues, you must fish deep, particularly during bright midday hours when most inshore game fish rest near the bottom. One of the best ways to present a lure to deep-dwelling fish is the traditional method of wire-line trolling. Not only is this an effective way to position a lure in the target zone, but it also allows you to cover vast areas, aiding in fish detection.
Getting deep and covering ground are any successful rip fishing’s essential elements, which are well-known for producing trophy bass and blues. Rips occur when currents flow over uneven bottoms, creating swiftly flowing, turbulent water that leaves baitfish vulnerable to stronger predators. Stripers and bluefish align themselves along the rip line, often staying close to the bottom to avoid the strongest current while waiting to snag an easy morsel drifting past overhead.
Parachute jigs rank among the most widely used wire-line lures. They excel in sandy bottom regions, particularly when large baits like squid, herring, or mackerel are abundant.
What exactly is a rip, and how do you find and fish one? Rips are created by sandy shoals, rocky reefs, wrecks, and solitary boulders — anything that alters the surrounding bottom’s contour. Some rips are evident by a slight line of choppy water, while others show a prominent wall of tall waves that require the skipper’s constant attention.
If you’re unfamiliar with a productive rip’s location in your area, consult a chart. Identifying areas where the water depth sharply rises from 30 to 40 feet to within 15 feet of the surface may reveal prime fishing spots for wire. If a strong current flows over this depth shift, you can expect stripers and blues to gather there.
Rip-line fishing is best done with two people, particularly for beginners. One should handle the boat while monitoring the depth sounder, while a second person manages the rod. As you become adept at wire-line trolling, you can fish alone, but it remains a complex task, especially on larger rips. Although it is possible to handle two wire-line setups at once, it’s best to start with just one since untangling 150 feet of wire is quite a hassle.
Setting Up
Proper boat control is vital for wire fishing in a rip. The first step involves determining the up-current side of the rip, where you want to position the boat. This side is indicated by a stretch of fast-moving, calm water that ends at a distinct line of choppy water — known as the rip line — and continues for some distance behind the rip.
The next step is to assess boat traffic. Popular rips can get crowded, especially during peak season, and regular anglers often frown upon newcomers who don’t adhere to proper etiquette. If you’re inexperienced in rip fishing, it’s advisable to find a quieter area to practice. At the very least, observe how other boats are working the rip and join in the line of trollers as smoothly as possible. If other anglers are employing different techniques like drifting natural baits or fly fishing, choose another location to troll.
Since bluefish possess teeth as sharp as a Doberman’s, it’s smart to attach a one-foot length of wire to the end of your leader when targeting them to avoid break-offs.
As you near the rip, the angler should be ready in the cockpit after letting out the appropriate amount of line based on the water depth and the current’s strength. In a moderate current, the rule is roughly one foot of depth for every 10 feet of wire. For example, releasing 150 feet of wire will position the average lure about 15 feet deep in a moderate current. Remember, you want the lure to swim just above the bottom. If it’s too high, fish likely won’t expend energy to pursue it. The best method for determining how much line to release is to free-spool it gently until you feel the lure hit the bottom, then reel in three to five turns. This technique works well in sandy rips but may cause issues over rocky or vegetated bottoms.
Working A Rip
With the angler set, approach the rip cautiously. Smooth boat handling is crucial at this stage. The objective is to maintain the boat on the up-current side of the rip by using the engine(s) to counteract the tide. This requires skillful throttle and steering adjustments to keep the boat in position and optimize the lure’s action in the productive part of the rip line. Meanwhile, the angler must manipulate the rod to impart action to the lure while managing the line, reeling in as the water shallows and letting out when it deepens. Constant communication between the angler and the skipper is vital, with the latter monitoring the depth sounder for changes in the bottom.
Once you’ve mastered the technique to stem the current, you can “crab” the boat parallel to the rip line by gently steering the wheel and adjusting the throttle. This technique enables you to fish various sections of the rip. Again, the main goal is to keep the boat ahead of the rip, allowing the lures to work through the strike zone, typically just ahead of or right in the rip’s most turbulent section. By adjusting the throttle back and forth, you can maneuver the boat to cover different rip areas.
When you hook a fish, immediately mark the spot on your GPS and turn the bow into the current. Maintain the boat’s position while the angler battles the fish. If the current makes it too challenging to land the fish, throttle back and drift through the rip, but only if it’s safe to do so. In this scenario, ensure the angler keeps a tight line on the fish to prevent losing the hook. Once you’re across the rip, it should be easier to reel in the fish. In large rips where drifting isn’t safe, you may need the boat’s power to assist in pulling the fish from the rip line into calmer water. Take care to do this slowly to avoid dislodging the hook.
After landing the fish, revisit the same rip section, as it may still hold more fish. If unsuccessful, continue your search by trolling along the rip. Always target areas of the rip where bait concentrations are likely. If there’s bait present, game fish will follow. And if you notice birds diving and circling over a specific rip section, make your way there quickly!
Choosing Lures
You can use almost any kind of lure on wire, but the most effective types will depend on the fish’s preferred prey, which varies based on environmental factors. Here are some general tips for lure selection, but the key takeaway is to always fish low and slow, regardless of your lure choice. If you’re not occasionally hitting bottom, you’re likely not fishing deep enough.
Long tube baits are typically used over rocky bottoms or wrecks, where eels and worms are prevalent prey items.
Parachute jigs are likely the most commonly employed wire-line lures. They perform exceptionally well on sandy bottoms, particularly when larger baits like squid, herring, or mackerel are available. Parachute jigs boast a heavy lead head, a reversed skirt that pulsates when jigged through the water, and come in two, four, or six-ounce sizes. Experiment with various colors and sizes, and always adorn your jigs with a long strip of pork rind. Parachutes are often fished with short rods, with the angler making the jig dart through the water in quick bursts. This can be achieved by holding the rod upside down, with the tip pointed towards the water, and executing short, sharp sweeps — much like using a broom.
Multi-lure umbrella rigs are extremely effective when sizeable schools of sand eels, spearing, or juvenile menhaden (also known as peanut bunker) are present. Umbrella rigs are generally fitted with small tubes, metal spoons, or soft-plastic shad bodies, depending on the predominant bait in the area. Adding an oversized swimming plug to the center of the umbrella rig, trailing behind the smaller bait school, can elicit strikes by triggering the competitive feeding instincts of larger fish.
Long tube lures also rank highly among wire-line trollers and are generally fished over rocky bottoms or wrecks, where eels and worms are common prey. Experienced tube trollers often place one or two sea worms on the rear hook of their tubes to provide added scent and taste. Some anglers suggest that the tube serves primarily as a way to present a virtually weightless worm to fish.
Bunker spoons, large metal slabs with keel weights, are effective when adult menhaden and herring are abundant. The key to fishing these lures lies in trolling them as slowly as possible for the spoon to wobble and flash like an injured baitfish. Some anglers prefer using extra-long rods for trolling bunker spoons on wire, typically eight-foot rods with slow, parabolic action, which are often left in the rod holders while trolling.
Other productive wire-line options include wide-lipped swimming plugs, large spoons, eel-skin rigs, and bucktail jigs.
Regardless of the lure type you choose to deploy on wire, ensure you let out sufficient line and troll it slowly to keep it near the bottom. Remember to focus on being low and slow to significantly boost your chances of landing a trophy fish.
