Trolling the Delaware River for Striped Bass
Capt Karl Hoelper
Bass Chasers Charters
www.delawareriverbass.com
When people think how to catch stripers in the Delaware River trolling for them never crosses their mind. It is a technique that is rarely used in the Delaware River, herring and blood worms are the dominant baits during the Stripers migration season. This does not mean it is the only way to fish for them. Early March when there is not many if any herring to be found in the Delaware River or it tributaries is a good time to slow troll for bass. Targeting flats where bass are warming up can be a tricky task but it does work. The way I troll for these early season bass is either a back trolling method or a side slipping method. The back trolling method is down by putting baits out like shad swim baits, large plugs, and or parachutes. What you need to do is keep the engine at a speed that you are actually moving backwards with the current at a very slow rate. Let the baits hit the bottom them lift them up by bumping forward with the engine. As you are doing this you want to turn the boat at an extreme angle to either shoreline and side slip over which will give you a drifting effect with the baits hanging out of the back of the boat. If you think you are moving slow, you probably need to slow down. Remember these fish are very lazy and the water is still in the high 40's low 50's.
When the herring move up in numbers I like to troll with parachute rigs with a live herring, umbrella rigs with the long bait tipped with a live herring, naked herring with drones or a down rigger to get them down to the bottom, and naked herring with no weight. I troll the same way as described above; back trolling, bump trolling, and side slipping. The key factor is to rig all your baits with a stinger rig so you catch every bite or strike.
During late spring when the Herring are not in great numbers I will use herring if I can find them. Lure like long A's, Stretches, parachutes, umbrella rigs, and big spoons are my primary quiver. The speed can be increased a slight bit but it still needs to be at a slow walk. The same methods used above works well and you can even just troll like you are in the ocean. I like to vary the depths from 35 foot channel ledges to 14 foot of water.
One of the most exciting ways to troll the Delaware River is at Trenton. At Trenton between the three bridges and above the Bridges in the rapids is where I love to troll. Trolling up at Trenton is normally done when there is good number of stripers around. Shallow running plugs, swim baits, and of course live herring. I apply the same trolling tactics as I do in the lower river as I do up in the rapids at Trenton. It takes a better eye for the water, nerves of steel and a great deal of patience because you will get hung up and snag rocks.