It’s hard to predict when stripers’, upriver migration will begin since the biggest female fish are the ones most likely to spawn and that’s the size striper fishermen like to target. Much depends on water temperature during the winter.
While some fish are caught early in the year, Steve Pack at Packs Landing said his favorite time is a little later, with February and March being prime time. But some fish will be uplake during January as well, especially late in the month if the water starts to warm.
“One of the keys is that once the fish move … we’re ideally situated at Packs to fish for them as they move upstream to spawn and then as they return downstream after completing the spawn,” he said. “The stripers will be caught on both live and cut bait, so I generally use some of both. When herring are available to catch in beginning March, that’s the bait of choice for many, but fishermen can catch shad and they will work very well prior to that time.”
When targeting stripers, Pack typically fishes a bend in the river and positions his baits so they cover different depths.
The fish often move through in schools, so it’s not uncommon to get several bites quickly he said.
“I set up in areas where I have some shallow flats as well as the close proximity of the river channel to fish,” he said. “Early morning and on cloudy days the shallow water may be best but the stripers are still prone to move though a shallow flat at any time, so I keep my rigs in all depths of water.”
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