Striped Bass Fishing - Surf Bucktailing Rocky Shorelines 

Glad I can help someone who's helped everyone.

i love all the video particularly on bucktail fishing action.

best fishing video on bucktails ive seen!

Try Super Strike popping plugs at dusk and dawn. Tins for distance. Bucktails in the white-water. Visit you local tackle shop and they can help with specifics.

On Long Island they show in April. The little ones are feeding on mostly sandeels, the larger ones on bunker, fluke, and all sorts of bigger baits.

bang!bang! backtoback awesome vid wish we had it that good here in west coast!!!

I live in Jersey and I spent the winter reading, "Fishing the Bucktail". Yesterday, I landed my first striper of the year using a bucktail and your advice. It is a great book and very well written.

If you're east of Riverhead, you might find some action in the early mornings on bucktails and poppers, or on swimming plugs in the dark. It's tough though given all of the hot weather we've had.

Good logic. Thanks for the help.

bucktails and eels work great in those areas.

It works well and is very durable.

right away.

Thank you. The books support my video expenses.

Great thanks for the info! Looking forward to new videos!

Both, but mostly the 50# on the North Shore.

Just another day at the office.... Great video.

Yes, mostly water, a couple ounces of vinegar. I boil for reuse.

I use a Penn 550SSg with 20# FireLine on a medium action 9-footer.

John, I just ordered your book. I got into surf fishing this passed August, but mainly used plugs. I am looking forward to reading the book and hopefully reeling in some fish with bucktails this year!

The sweet spot on that rod is about 3/4 ounce. The 9-footer I usually bucktail with is 3/4-2 ounce.

The water is very warm right now from all of this hot weather. Try again when things cool off.

Use the lightest weight possible that allows you to swim it near the bottom on a slow to moderate retrieve. Probably 1/2 to 1 ounce for open ocean and bay beaches in your area.

Thanks for the info.. ill be using the bucktail next sat ..

Try swimming 3/4- to 1-once bucktails through the white water. They're great in surf.

@xtremelele Yes, they are downcurrent of some rocks there. I don't get hung up there because I know the spot well.

Yes. See the bay bucktailing videos I just posted.

ok thanks john appreciate the info

I don't fish the open beaches much in the spring. Can't be everywhere.

Thanks alot. Caught some fluke today with this info.

Yes.

Thanks!

An andrus or Blue frog is fine, Any round or smiling bill style with a decent hook will be a good choice.

Yes, thank you!

I appreciate you sharing that. I hope you catch many more.

The #57 will be difficult to cast. I only use it drifting from a boat. Cut it if you can.

Long Island Sound

Yup that's where I always fish with my grandpa.... It is good flounder/fluke fishing in the grasses by Frank & Dicks by the houses

April and May should be good.

Eastern Long Island Sound

If stripers are there, I'd cast bucktails tipped with pork rind, but Gulp is fine in place of rind. The "rocky shoreline bucktailing" video would be a good start.

alright thanks a lot i really appreciate it

I don't know that area, but both are good choices. If there are a lot of bluefish around, eels don't work out very well.

The North Fork of Long Island.

There are plenty of good ones on the market. Blue Frog and Andrus are two good bucktail companies.

Over a sand bottom with lighter tackle and a slower retrieve.

LOL!!! Still watching... waiting for my buddy to get here so we can go do some bucktailg for Fluke..... There are still a lot of bass here in Raritan bay so we will chase them and the bluefish around when it gets close to sundown.... Thanks again for the vid

Heavier bucktail.

@nycfisher1 Not bait, but a strip of #50 Uncle Josh Pork Rind.

I remember days like this , I haven't had one in about 5 years though. C t

Watched your bucktailing over structures video. Went out, bought tackle. Went out to Hammonasset Beach, State Park, Madison CT. Walked out on rock pier. Casted, retrieved. Casted, retrieved. 3 hours later. Nothing. Gosh, Mr. Skinner, you make it look so easy. Dang it!

Long Island North fork.

It's a rocky bottom there, and I try to swim the bucktail a couple feet above the bottom.

Will do.

I don't use a teaser when surfcasting with bucktails.

Guy catches more fish Ina half hour than I do in a month... Just bought your book. Anxiously awaking its arrival.

@UsuaaL East of Mattituck

It works anywhere there are stripers.

I'd go with a Penn SSV 5500 for the reel. You should have plenty of rod choices.

If you fish Hortons with bucktails in October and early November, you're almost sure to catch stripers.

white is fine

Usually #50 or #240

I don't use Gulp grubs on the stripers. I prefer pork rind, but if I were to use grubs, I'd still go with the standard soft plastics because the gulp grubs would get torn up and would get a little pricey after awhile. That said. I'm sure the gulp would catch just fine.

If you guys know where Hobart beach is, they have nice porgys good size too. Theres fluke and occasionally stripers. try it out. its near montauk sort of and near northport. asharoken to be exact

thanks

november

Thank you. I appreciate hearing that.

Yes, but the water might be a little warm right now.

Mono is fine for stripers in these waters.

mid to late april

Get an Ugly Stik Lite Salmon Steelhead 8'6 spinning rod MH or Heavy action, paired with a penn fierce 5000 reel, load it with 20-40 pound braid/fireline. Works for me.

bucktails, tins, and poppers. Cast as far as you can.

They're deadly, although the ones I use are in the 4- to 6-inch range.

1:43 PIMP release! Lol, great video thanks for sharing.

John, great video. Would you mind shooting a video like this on the south shore (ocean sandy beach). This would be very helpful, thanks.

You’d be better off with a 560 slammer for that application. The 550SSg is a little undergunned for inlets, and a little small for a 10-footer. I’d use 30# Spiderwire Stealth.

Roughly where are you fishing? If you're south of New England, right now the bass fishing is tough due to warm water. Bait presence helps, but is not necessary.

custom lami on an mb1083m blank

10-12 feet at high tide

Any moving water depending on specific locations. Onshore winds are favorable.

Fantastic John. Thank you for this and your Book Fishing the Bucktail. I'm a newbie to it all but have learned so much from your book and your videos. Thanks again and looking forward to more videos from you! All the best.

MR Skinner why does it look like you have someone behind that rock hooking up fish to your line, every time you cast you get hooked, im only kidding. im a big fan of yu i have both of your books, i even have the same alfits as yours, lamiglas rod, ugly stik rod, penn ssg, penn slammer, pen battle, all with 50# test braided lines. i really consider you my teacher or my fishing coach. i just wanted to thank you for all the information you provide in your 2 great books and on your youtube channel.

have you thought about doing a video for them because im sure alot of fisher men, including me, would like to see them. there also my go to bait when i get into the canals of the marshes and stripers are really looking at the actions and colors

That's a tough price limit. I'd look at the Penn Sargus reel and a matching rod. I fish with a couple of sub $50 off the shelf rods and they're just fine. The reel is a little trickier.

have you ever tried storm paddle tail swim baits. i had just bought some for this season. the ones i have are around 2-3 inches and i have them in a white shad and a bunker.

50# spiderwire stealth

awesome video! The bite didnt look that slow to me!

You should fish the Nissequoge river by kings park for stripers

I don't think either casts further than the other.

Coz he's selling the book. That's actually a smart move...

Thanks for getting the book. The videos are nice overviews, but the book does a better job on the details and strategies. Good luck with the new season.

I do this frequently. Swim it over the top of the rocks. A lighter weight and somewhat dense bucktail is sometimes needed.

What the F!?? Why would you let a secret like this out of the bag!!!??? LOL, I've been using 1/2 - 1 oz white bucktails with 6 inch twister ( now using GULP too ) tails to catch bass for years.... I have made fishing the rockpiles my specialty, and with the advent of Power Pro style super lines, I have become an Ultralight specialist. My personal best so far are a 22lb bass, a 14 pound Bluefish, and an 11.5 lb Weakfish, all caught on a 7 ft Kunan trout/smallmouth bass rod! Great video man!

that's what my family does for the summer here up in the northeast fish all summer to eat all winter

Most definitely!

Alright thank you, i catch bluefish when i mainly go so i try to stay out of the open where they are, they eat the hair off of the bucktails .

I can't imagine a better place for bucktails. Just be sure to fish light enough to swim above the structure and not get snagged.

GoPro

Tide is very important there. I just know the 2 hour window when they're likey to hit there. It's a matter of fishing the same spots a lot until you figure it out.

Sure, but I prefer pork rind because it holds up better.

It corkscrews through the water. Not sure what the bass are thinking hitting it.