Wire Line Fishing For Striped Bass in the Lower Chesapeake Bay

The Striped Bass is an opportunistic feeder and isyou will need to attach a 28oz weight with a drop
drawn towards structures found in the lowersection of 80lb leader to the three way. From the
Chesapeake Bay. These structures are comprised ofother three way swivel connect the lure with an 18ft
ship wrecks, bridge pilings, rock piles and man madesection of 60lb leader.
wrecks deployed by The Artificial Reef Program ofI have learned that the best way to wire line is to let
Virginia.the line out until I feel the lure hit the structure. Then
These fish are also known to ambush their prey (baitlift the rod up and then drop back down again till you
fish) while using the least amount of energy. Thehit the structure again. Keep repeating this up and
lower Chesapeake Bay has a hard running current,down motion until the fish bites. On my charters I tell
and as the currents move water over structures, thethe beginner wire liner to imagine a monster trying to
prey becomes disoriented allowing the Striped Basseat your lure as you are trying to bounce the lure on
to pick up a tasty meal with ease. One of the bestand off his teeth. It is very important to feel your
ways to emulate this action is to wire line.weight touching the structure. However, at the same
The principle of wire lining is to use a heavy weighttime you don't want your weight to drag on the
to lower your lure while using a light buck tail lure tostructure; this prevents snagging and loosing your
allow for a good amount of release action. The wirebait. You should wire line troll for Striped Bass at a
line set up consists of a level wind reel, a 5'5" rodspeed that allows you to stem the current and keep
with roller guides, and 65lb test seven strand stainlessyour bait in the strike zone.
steel wire. I prefer a Penn 330 reel. Make sure to putHave fun fishing for Striped Bass in the Chesapeake
a least 300ft of wire on your reel. From your wireBay!
comes a snap swivel and then a three way swivel,