| During the early to middle '90s, before I had | | | | befuddled. The alwifes continued to spawn, |
| any thoughts of becoming a striped bass guide | | | | making swirling sounds against the bank, and |
| or professional striped bass angler, I used | | | | the stripers continued to blow up on them. I |
| to pursue these tackle busting brutes solely | | | | tried the Rebels in assorted colors and the |
| at night with artificial lures. My all time | | | | redfins as well, but no luck. As I was |
| favorite lure of choice was the Rebel 6" | | | | digging through my tackle box in desperation |
| Spoonbill Minnow. My preferred colors where | | | | I retrieved a tangle of lures and noticed a |
| blue back with silver sides, black back and | | | | sound coming from the tangle that resembled |
| yellow back. Another of my favorite lures for | | | | the sound the alwifes would make when |
| night fishing for stripers was the Cotton | | | | spawning on the surface. |
| Cordell Redfin. | | | | |
| | | | As I untangled the mass of hooks and lures I |
| I would normally start night fishing for | | | | found within a redfin I had forgotten about. |
| stripers on my favorite lakes here in | | | | It was a black backed and silver sided |
| Virginia around the first week of March. The | | | | jointed model. I tied it on and tested it |
| fish at this time of year would start to move | | | | beside the boat. As I pulled it across the |
| up onto shallow points, into creeks and along | | | | surface slowly I noticed it made a sound like |
| flats to feed aggressively at night on | | | | the spawning alwifes on the bank. I |
| baitfish. During March I would catch a lot of | | | | repositioned the boat and fired a cast down |
| fish just before to right after dark with the | | | | the bank. About 4 cranks into the slow |
| bite moving later and later into the night as | | | | retrieve there was a monstrous blow up at the |
| the season progressed to the spawn in May. | | | | bait and I was into the first fish of many I |
| You could always tell if hungry stripers were | | | | would boat in the next hour. It was a |
| feeding in an area at night by the tell tale | | | | wonderful night and I caught numerous fish |
| popping noises they would make on the surface | | | | over 20 pounds and one pushing thirty. |
| when engulfing a baitfish. I would cast the | | | | |
| Rebel to the sound along the bank in the dark | | | | I stayed in the area until the action |
| and use an agonizingly slow retrieve to | | | | subsided and at this point I was tired, so I |
| entice strikes from these large fish that | | | | decided to lay down in the boat and rest my |
| were very wary in the shallow water. You | | | | eyes for a while. I awoke to the sound of |
| would have to real the lure extremely slow, | | | | fish breaking and chasing bait on the |
| barely moving it. The explosive strikes would | | | | surface. It was just at daylight and the |
| come without warning, sometimes right at the | | | | stripers were breaking the surface all around |
| boat. This is very exciting action and anyone | | | | my boat. I picked up my fishing rod and cast |
| who likes to striper fish should try it. | | | | the redfin into the middle of the frenzy. The |
| | | | stripers would blow up on the plug and knock |
| During one fishing trip on Virginia's Smith | | | | it out of the water, but I could not get a |
| Mountain Lake, I had left a friends house on | | | | hook in one. The fish went down and gave me a |
| the lake in my 20 ft. Winner bass boat around | | | | chance to change lures to a large popping |
| 12 A.M. The time of year was May and I | | | | plug I had. A few minutes later they |
| proceeded down the lake to Cedar Keys cove | | | | surfaced again and I cast the popper in |
| where at this time the stripers would | | | | amongst them. On the second chug of the |
| congregate to spawn in large numbers. As I | | | | popper a 20 lb. fish engulfed the bait and I |
| approached "The Keys", as the cove in Witcher | | | | had another fight on my hands. The fish went |
| Creek was called, I shut down the motor | | | | down before I boated and released this fish. |
| just before reaching the mouth of the cove | | | | It was over and they would not return. It had |
| and listened. I was in deep water and the | | | | been a very good night and morning and I |
| banks here fell away sharply. As I listened | | | | headed for the dock. |
| into the night I could here the tell tale | | | | |
| popping of some extremely large fish to my | | | | Whenever you are amongst fish and can not |
| right. Apparently they had moved in on the | | | | make them bite. Try different techniques and |
| spawning alwifes that were swirling right up | | | | lures. Sometimes the small changes you make |
| next to the steep banks. The fish were | | | | such as color or sound or even retrieve speed |
| enhaling them right against the banks as they | | | | can be the difference between getting skunked |
| were in there spawning frenzy | | | | and having a career trip. |
| | | | |
| I moved in slowly with my electric trolling | | | | If you are an avid fisherman, you know the |
| motor and positioned the nose of the boat | | | | importance of having quality electronics on |
| toward the bank, enabling me to cast my Rebel | | | | board. Visit for a full line of quality GPS |
| parallel to the bank, up close, and slowly | | | | and marine electronics at super savings |
| retrieve the lure back. The feeding was fast | | | | unmatched anywhere else. |
| and furious and I was on pins and needles, | | | | |
| expecting a massive blow up strike at any | | | | This article may be reprinted as long as all |
| moment. After 45 minutes of repeated casting | | | | active links remain intact and active. |
| and many color changes, I was fishless and | | | | |