The sun was slowly falling from the sky. Looking at my watch I estimated there was less than an hour of light remaining this particular afternoon. The windcheater and chug bug bite was consistent but slow. There just wasn't enough current yet to cause the necessary whitewater splashes against the rocks to disorient the bait which, for hungry Stripers, signals the dinner bell. As the clarity of the boulders surrounding the third island of the CBBT faded in the diminishing light it was time to try another tactic!

We were slowly motoring to the south end of the island as the incoming tide tried to pick up a little speed. Just as we arrived, I let loose a cast with a six-inch pre-rigged, weighted, spotted blue shad. The bait sailed through the air past all three of the bridge legs and entered the water just beyond the far end of the row of pilings. My fairly slow retrieve would cause the artificial bait to pass within a couple of feet of each leg. The pre-rigged shad never made it past the second leg before a hungry striper engulfed it. Each of the next five casts would produce the same result, six casts - six fish! Now I can get used to this!

I swear by chartreuse and pearl colored shads, however, this was the first time I used this particular color pattern (shown below). It is called a Red Eye Slamm'n Shad made by the Chesapeake Bay Lures, which is a local company.

The blue spotted color pattern is called "bunker." All I know is it sure was effective and out fished any other color by a long shot. I lost count of the number of fish that swallowed this bait whole! I was using the 6-inch version, but will use the 7 ½-inch version in the same color on my next trip to attempt to target a larger class of fish. This method of fishing the pilings is effective most of the year. It is easy to master and a great way to catch a large number of fish.

Equipment: Although bait-casting equipment is effective, I prefer to use a very lightweight spinning outfit, which allows me to fish for hours without tiring. I use two very inexpensive rods. The first is a 6'6" CONTOUR Graphite rod with a 12 - 20 pound line class rating, and a cork handle, made by Sea Striker. The retail price on this rod is only about $40.00. These are available at your local tackle shops. Don't let the light weight of this rod fool you. I have easily caught stripers in the 40-inch class using this rod. My other favorite is a 6' 6" medium heavy "Inter Coastal" Ugly Stick with a cork grip, made by Shakespeare. Oh, if you are fishing the seaside of the second island near the rocks and catch and ugly stick rigged just as I describe here, don't be surprised. Mine slipped out of my hand right after my last cast the other day as I was reaching for the bait to secure it.

The reels I use are Shimano 2000's and 4000's, with the quick fire lever for easy casting. I have a few extra spools for these reels so I load them three different ways. One has 12lb test monofilament, another has 15lb test monofilament, and the third has 12 or 15lb mono backing with 30lb power pro no stretch line.

The last addition to this set up is a three-foot clear monofilament leader with no greater line test rating than 30lbs. When I go to a larger leader in the spring and early summer I just don't catch as many fish. Rigs equipped this way are perfect for casting windcheaters or chug bug type lures to the rocks. They are great for "casting iron" for trout, and they are perfect for spadefish, croaker, spot or medium bluefish.

Fishing Method: If you are fishing the first 4 to 6 sets of pilings closest to the CBBT islands, the fish are there, especially the third and forth islands. If they are not busting the surface, then you will need to locate them, which is fairly simple.

If I don't get a hit or if the fish is small I'll repeat the process, but this time let the bait sink for a second or two, then retrieve it. The bait will be facing the current and slowly sinking until you begin reeling. This is why it is easy to do this with a spinning rod and reel. The line stays tight and you can feel it and the bite when it occurs. On each cast, count an additional second or two then retrieve until you locate the depth of fish. When you do, hang on and have a blast because you're going to be busy for a while! You can also position the boat on the down current end of the pilings and cast to the up current side then retrieve, however, your weighted shad will sink faster and it is much easier to snag debris of rocks on the bottom.

The last technique is to make a short cast right across the front of each piling or drop straight down next to the piling as you drift your boat down the pilings. Stripers feed when the water is moving. The most aggressive fish will be positioned in front of the first piling with the current, and bait, flowing right to them. These will "typically" be smaller fish, but not always. The larger fish will usually be the deepest.

Good luck and…don't catch em' all!