School Me On Sea Bass Fishin!

[Cape Cod]

Guidance needed from all you salty seasoned Sea Bassers. Life long angler here but next Monday will be my first trip specifically targeting Sea Bass. I’ve always caught them as bycatch while togging and fluking. I always like to be prepared. I usually tie all my own rigs. 30lb - 40lb leader material? 4/0 - 5/0 baitholder type hooks? What size/color jigs? Silver or gold? Ava’s with tails? Gulp? Should I just keep it simple hi-low bait rigs?
Thanks in advance 👍

[AndyS]

Clam, hook, sinker, don't overthink this stuff. Bells, whistles and shiny trinkets big sand sharks.
Simple hi-lo rig with the line and hooks you mentioned.

[IrishAngler]

Clam will slay em. I like Gulp too, but why shell out the coin when a nice stinky bivalve will do the trick.

[porgylber]

What the others have said. Simple hi-lo with a clam. If the dog fish become a nuisance, don’t bait the top hook, only the bottom. That will somewhat reduce their bites.

When you near your limit, switch over to an Ava 27 to try to jig larger sea bass.

[Gerry Zagorski]

All great advise above but just know you might be drifting. If you are and it's over sticky stuff, if you're not careful and leave your rig dragging on the bottom, you can get hung up a lot.

Love fishing AVAs for them on the drift as well...

[damnyankee]

Diamond jigs with a bare 4/0 baitholder hook about 2 to 3 feet above on a dropper loop, no need for bait. I think it's a lot more fun too to jig than it is to just sit there and wait for something to bite.

[bunker dunker]

what he said,throw the iron and have fun

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by damnyankee

Diamond jigs with a bare 4/0 baitholder hook about 2 to 3 feet above on a dropper loop, no need for bait. I think it's a lot more fun too to jig than it is to just sit there and wait for something to bite.

Agreed, but a lot depends on the day.. Some days, the jiggers go hitless or close to it, and the bait fishermen get most of the hits... Also, remember, there are usually a lot of Ling and Tog on the sea bass grounds.. They are fish that want meat, and jiggers typically don't catch them, unless they foul hook them here and there.. Thats something to consider.

If those sea bass are on small bait such as sand eels, jigging is usually better..

Lots of guys say bigger fish hit the jigs, and smaller ones hit bait, but I have never seen that personally, and often I have seen exactly the opposite.
Rig a bait rod, AND a rod with jig and teaser, and see what the fish want that day.. They are a lot more fun on the jig, IF they are hitting them . Also, when jigging, I see guys yankin' crankin' and yo yo'ing to beat the band, when all the fish want is a slow and steady reel up... If in doubt on that day, ask the captain or mates.. They will often yell at the guys jigging telling them the fish want less movement, and less speed...

Personally I typically start with bait, and switch to jigs when I see them coming over the rail on jigs.. Can't tell you how many times I have watched guys jigging and catching very few fish but refusing to switch to bait, while bait guys were catching Sea bass and Ling at a steady pace.. I would not be that stubborn, and typically do what the cap or mates say to maximize my chances.. These days inshore, there are a TON of throwbacks too.. Sometimes its like 20 to 1 or better.. Maybe this year those numbers will improve,, We'll see.. Hoping to get out in a few weeks myself.... bob

[tunajoe]

Inshore seabass in recent years has been a challenge and that is putting it nicely. Average ratio of keepers to those caught is ~10 -1. Try to get on a boat that targets them a further offshore. Most boats just sit a few miles off the beach and drift from sandy hook to roughly deal. Yes, there are some keepers in there, but all in all it's a challenge to land a decent amount of keepers when all you have are 100's of boats drifting the same areas over and over again.

[BugEye Chris]

The jig is the way to go. It may take a bit to figure out because every day is different. Some days Yo-Yo works others just a small lift off the bottom. Some days nothing on the jig but a teaser is hot.