Sand or gravel?
Not all beaches are likely to attract striped bass. Gravel and pebble beaches are clearly more successful than sandy beaches.
A clue to know if the beach in question is likely to be frequented by sea bass is to look for the presence of crab or shell carcasses on the beach. Indeed, these debris left by birds and tides, are a very good indicator of the food that sea bass can find at this place.
Finally, the best time, not to say the only time, as the activity is maximum, to explore the beaches is during the rising tide, as the fishes venture there in search of food. Once the rising tide is over, it is more profitable to explore other spots.
Striped bass fishing with slugs
To tackle the beaches, only one lure is needed: the slug! This very simple lure is simply perfectly adapted to shallow water fishing. You just have to mount it on a medium weight lead head, between 10 and 30 grams depending on the size of the lure used, and that's all!
Concerning the animation, a continuous retrieve, with a few strokes of the rod low, to give more life to the lure is more than enough. This allows you to move along the beaches, while prospecting quickly.
Which slug to choose ?
As far as slugs are concerned, it is necessary to take solid models, between 10 and 20 centimeters, and to forget those which tear at the least solicitation! In fact, hard casting, added to the numerous catches, can damage the lure pockets.
To minimize losses, reeling in the lure in different directions or shortening it will not affect strikes when the fish are very active, the main thing is to have the right color. For this reason, it's a good idea to bring several color choices, such as white, green back, blue back, orange and pink.
I have a particular fondness for the Slug-Go, from Lunker City, which is solid, and swims by itself thanks to the notches in its body. I can also mention the Crazy Sand Eel from Fiiish, which is well adapted for this type of prospection.
For this second day in Gaspésie, the moment during which I caught many fish was during the rising tide, on a beach. I then prospected different spots, without results. I think that what you have to remember is that you should not be satisfied with one type of spot, but be able to approach different environments, at different times.
If I hadn't ventured out to this beach, the day would have seemed very long and I would have missed a good session.
