Trolling Mojos for Striped Bass in Jamaica Bay

Jamaica Bay is an amazing place to fish for striped bass. In the early part of the season the most productive way to catch them is trolling. Over the years I have grown to dislike trolling and have shied away from this style of fishing even though it works. I do have to admit that I do love trolling with Mojo Rigs. You can use the same rods that you would use for live lining. For years we would use either stainless steel or Monel wire line with shad umbrella rigs. Very effective but not a fun way to catch in my opinion. It's like you are just driving around and winching in fish. With Mojos, once you hook up, you fight the fish the same way you would if you were using live bait. Lighter rods with braided line so you can enjoy the battle, let them run, and have fun. On this day the bait was thick and most boats were fishing with live bunker. Unfortunately the bass were not sitting under the bait schools and they were not taking the live bait to well. We found success by trolling the mojo rigs a few hundred feet from the bait balls and caught nice size fish through the entire tide. Many times I find it is better to fish away from the fleet and do your own thing. Adjusting to conditions and trying something different than everyone else can pay off dividends. Feel free to reach out join in on the next adventure. #saltwaterfishing #stripedbassfishing