Guide Truman Lyon said that live bait is the most-consistent method for taking stripers, but there will be some topwater schooling action in May.
“It’s not a pattern that I rely on as I do the live bait, but we’ll see topwater schooling during the course of May, and I’m rigged and ready for it,” he said. “But when it occurs, I usually have a choice to make in terms of going to the school or not. Often I’ll leave it up to my clients if I’m guiding, but it’s hard to leave action where we’re catching stripers on live bait as fast as we drop bait down to move and fish for schooling fish.
“Schooling action is exciting and can be very productive, but stripers are sometimes a bit whimsical, and leaving an anchored hot spot for temporary topwater action is questionable. But if we’ve caught a bunch of fish, a change of pace can be great. When I’m using my graph to search for stripers and topwater action erupts, that’s a no-brainer; we’ll go to them and catch them on bucktails, swimming-minnow baits and even by free- lining herring behind the boat.”
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