how long before stripers show up

[GetANet]

I Live by the raritan bay and don't usually start fishing till at least the third week of march, depending on the weather. I'm usually stir crazy by then but after doing it for so long and becoming older and wiser I don't feel like freezing for the first few weeks with nothing going on. I will start with pretty small circles cause usually the begining is alot of smaller fish. I laugh now when I see the guys getting bit several times and swing and miss!!! That's cause their schoolies, learned it the hard way myself but after I downsized my hooks quite a bit, I hook up almost every time if they take thebait which is usually about a third to a quarter of a clam. Forget the 4/0's and up till later or next month when the bigger fish move in. Small hooks and baits are the way to go IMO>try it and see if it works for you......I'd rather catch five schoolies then ten hits and NO FISH!