To follow up on the article “Where Does the Quebec Striped Bass Come From?”, let’s do an analysis of a bay commonly found on the Gaspé Peninsula and the Côte-Nord. To illustrate this, we will use the bay of Mont-Louis. Before fishing, using Google Maps can tell us a lot of information about our fishing spot. However, these analyses can change because currents and waves modify the seabed quickly.
Black Area
No matter where you are, docks and fish factories can be real fish magnets. Local or commercial fishermen often throw fish waste into the water. Striped bass will be there to grab it. Some of these areas will be closed to fishing, it’s up to us to check the local regulation. In these places, striped basses don’t have to make any efforts to eat. A slow approach with natural density flies like the ones tied with SF Blend or Polar Fiber will be very effective.
Red Area
River mouths often coincide with feeding areas. These areas are a privileged habitat for certain molluscs and crustaceans. The river outflow carries food, such as insects, microorganisms and small fish at their mouths, which attracts stripers. Besides, the rivers form zones of currents that the striped bass loves, it only has to position itself and wait for food to arrive. The river mouths are suitable for all kinds of fishing techniques. I usually start with a small three inches long sand eel imitation or a white Bulkhead between four and six inches long. It all depends on what is in the water.
My favourite technique for this kind of area is a mix of dead drift and swing fishing. Imagine that we are facing the current and the current is going from right to left. We will cast in the current to our right. The fly will pass in front of us moving as fast as the current (dead drift). During the drift, we need to maintain tension on our fly without activating it. Once the fly is in front of us, the current will start to swing it away. The fly will pass from the center of the current to the edge, like a minnow being carried away (swing fishing). At the end of the swing, it is important to do several strips, stripers tend to follow and bite at the very end of the swing. To cover the entire water column, it is possible to fish this way with floating and sinking lines of different densities.
Yellow Area
At first glance, the yellow area appears to be just a beach area. It can be impressive how productive a simple beach can be for the striped bass. There are a few factors that explain this situation.
First, the presence of sand eel. Sand eels are one of the main food sources for stripers and they greatly contribute to the success of shore fishing. This small fish enjoys shallow water and can bury itself in the sand for protection. The beach is therefore a prime hunting area for striped bass.
Second, the presence of shellfish near the shore can attract stripers at any time. When the fishes are not very active or very selective, I like to use an imitation of sand shrimp. In general, some areas of the beach will be more productive. Ideally, we walk the beach at low tide and fish it during the rising tide. The low water allows us to see how the beach is constructed. We are looking for changes in depths, ocean holes, sandbanks or a freshwater entry. A good way to see the changes in depth is to watch the slope of the beach. The more it is tilted, the deeper the water will be. Once the change in depth is located, we can fish it with a cast followed by a step. As for ocean holes, they are often indicated by darker areas in the water. The greater the change in depths the more likely they are to hold fish. Sandbanks are usually created by sea currents and the flow of the waves. In both cases, striped bass uses them to ambush themselves. It is sometimes necessary to approach sandbanks with several techniques and from different angles to make a striper attack. As for the freshwater inlets, even if they are small, they tend to create a microhabitat, just like a small river. They are easy to find, which makes them a place of choice.
Green Area
If we look closely at the map, we can see rocks on the banks. These areas are mostly like small rock cliffs. Striped bass love rocky areas. There are a few conditions that make this kind of spot really good. First, if the rocks are submerged at all times. The striped bass will then go and eat the shellfish that lives there, they will also use them as a refuge. Second, the presence of ocean holes or pockets nearby. The holes are deeper and they attract several species of fish such as mackerel, cod and herring. If these two conditions are not present, the sector can be productive when the tide will rise over the rocks. In this situation, flies that mimic what you find on the rocky banks will be effective. Scallops, crabs and sea worms are often found there. If the rock continues in the water like a rock reef or if there is a hole, flies imitating larger fish such as a Bulkhead or Bufford are effective. These flies create a lot of vibrations that are likely to attract stripers from far away.
White Area
Jetties are structures that run out into the sea and are used to moor boats or protect certain areas from waves. These structures are ideal habitats for striped bass. Sometimes they allow us to move forward and have access to other structures. However, safe handling of fish is difficult. Before fishing there, we need to make sure we have a safe way to bring our fish back to shore quickly and without injuring it. Rocks that are sprayed by water are generally very slippery. Wearing appropriate shoes or waders with studded soles is strongly recommended. It is also forbidden to fish on the Mont-Louis jetty, but let’s use it as an example. The best areas along the jetties are likely to be represented by rip on the water. These rips are created by an underwater structure, currents encounters or an abrupt change in depth. Sometimes it’s the jetty itself that creates the rip. If there is a structure such as a sandbar or a submerged rock, baitfish will be attracted to this area and stripers will use it as a hunting ground. Our fly has to look like a fish moving naturally along the structure. We have to figure out which way the current moves to make our fly travel in the same direction. The stripers will keep their noses in the current and will wait for the food to pass and feed themselves. If there is no current, we need to figure out at what angle and how deep stripers are. Testing is still the best way to go. Also, the best spots change with the prevailing winds and tides. The point of a jetty creates an ambush because it blocks the current. The side of the jetty that is not facing the waves or the current is calmer. Striped bass can then hide on that side and wait for food to be pushed towards them. Also, casting along the jetty is often a winning strategy as the bass can be hidden directly along or under the structure. The main advantage of jetties is that fishing can be good all day and at all tides.
and then Add to Home Screen.
