Master Caster For Stripers: Jim Taibi Talks Spoons

Hi Bill,

Fall is one of my favorite time of year for hitting up the lake and targeting striped bass. With low water in most of our lakes it has decreased the amount of water I need to cover while looking for these open water fish. Mind you that I still look for points, humps and outside flats that seem to always hold better numbers of these fine eating fish but make sure you keep your eyes peeled for any bird activity or the stripers themselves boiling on the surface. Out of all the years I have been fishing I have found a few lures that are always at the top of my list as "Go To" baits. What's the top one on my list? a 1oz Kastmaster. Now I do some modifications that I think your viewers here at theBBZ.com would like to know and maybe this will help them put a few more stripers on the table for their next "Fish Taco" dinner. I use 1 oz. Kastmasters in all chrome and I paint one side white with a yellow stripe to resemble the Threadfin Shad that are prolific in our lakes. The combination of these colors work very well in both clear and stained water and through the years the depth I use these baits can very from top to bottom, or as you explain it Top, Middle, and Bottom. From the surface to 100' feet of water these fish that can still be a little hard to catch at times but I have had great luck and even on some of the harder days on the water I can get a few to take a swipe at this lure and color combo. In addition I modify the hardware as well,  I used a 4X size 2 Owner Stinger treble hook, some heavy duty stainless steel split rings and a Spro swivel. I usually troll these at 10-60' on lead-core line or vertically jig them in 40-100' of water. Overkill you say? These are saltwater fish that live in a freshwater lake and have been caught at over 45lbs. The real trick is to keep changing the speed of your retrieve to see what triggers them to hit, some days it is slow and steady while others it is the stop and pause. I hope everyones enjoys this little bit of information on one of my secret baits that I have used for years here in Southern California. Love your site -Jim Taibi- 

Jim