Chumming for Striped Bass

Pickup fresh bait! fresh bait is always the most important part of chumming for striped bass. If you’re fishing in Gloucester, Massachusetts you are lucky enough to have access to the large mid-water herring trawlers at the state fish pier. For around 30$ you can purchase an entire fish tote of herring. You can also negotiate a price for a five gallon bucket full of bait. Our favorite way to get bait is directly off our friends who captain local fishing draggers in Gloucester. Often times we get this bait directly off the boat while at sea.

Cut the bait ahead of time! Always keep extra bait cut incase the action is overwhelming and you cant keep up. It’s always easier to cut the bait at the dock and not on a rocking boat. Especially around tide change! This is when it gets fishy

Keep the chum consistent without breaks in the chain. The best way to think of this is a stairway of bait making its way to the bottom with the pull of the tide.

If you didn’t bring any bait but its swimming under your boat catch it! Sitting around and being lazy fishing doesn’t make big striped bass bite. If you are in an area with stacks of mackerel jig some up and create a chum slick.

Try to throw the chum into the water so the stream of cut bait falls directly into your set lines. Also keep a line moving the entire time. Do your best to drop your hook bait in a manner that mimics the chum.

Never let the chum slick stop. If you have a triple strike instead of catching those three fish, focus on catching one at a time and more importantly keeping the chum going so the school stays under your boat!