Written on October 27, 2008.

My quest for bigger and bigger striped bass called on the expertise of many, and this is an account about one memorable experience fishing with Capt. Paul Peluso, owner of MamaMia Charters. On October 23, 2008, Paul and his good friend Dean landed a big striped bass just outside Moriches Inlet. At the time, they were away from any other boat in the area!

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Capt. Paul (Pablo) Peluso and I had already fished together for smaller bass and flounder throughout the summer, but this was the Fall that both of us had been waiting for. The night of October 23rd, I get a call from Capt. Paul, "Peter, now's the time! Get out here tommorrow morning. I leave the dock at 6am."

The word had already gotten out, and every boat from Moriches Bay was out searching for big BIG striped bass today. The table was now set for another seemingly impossible task- bringing another 30lber into Capt. Paul's boat.  We knew that as the air temperature dropped in the Fall, the internal clock inside almost every little baitfish species that has resided in Moriches Bay for the summer will be cued to leave and begin a migration signature of their species. The winter chill will kill them if they don’t leave, and so they swim together out of the bays and into the sea. The path of least resistance would seem to be the areas between sand bars along the ocean’s beaches. When the tides are minimal, areas between sand bars form a "fish highway" (sensu A. Knie) of sorts. Stiller waters and the bars hide the migrating small baitfish on their left and right as they move out of the bay to their overwintering grounds.

The Atlantic Ocean is just outside of Moriches Inlet. On this day, waves were breaking 5 to 10 ft into the air. Underlying them were sand bars, by the twos and threes. I learned that waves form as water is pushed against shallower depths. This is because the water tries to keep going forward, but if the bottom shallows, the top keeps going as the bottom is slowed down. The wave is formed and comes crashing over the bar just underneath. Why is this obvious fact so important to a striped bass fisherman? Big fish hang out near the wave breaks. If it were not for breakers, the art of surf fishing would never have been born. But on this day, the advantage would be to the boating community for the bigger fish were hanging out a bit too off shore for the shore-bound surf anglers to reach.

On a calmer day, the baitfish would have had it made, but on a day like this, the bigger fish predators were going to be the beneficiaries. The strong waves cause schooling baitfish to be tumbled and tossed. In disarray, struggling prey are like a ringing dinner bell for the bigger fish, and today, the big fish predators did gather.

Our terminal tackle for the day:

Boat rigs: 9/0 Gamakatsu hook snelled to long (36") 50lb Seaguar flurocarbon leader tied off in a perfection loop, which was connected to the snap end of an (1 or 2 oz.) in-line lead sinker, all of which Capt. Paul provided.

Bait: Eels, again provided by Capt. Paul.

Capt. Paul, Chris and I started on our first drift. Paul masterfully steered the boat right up the shallowest parts that his boat could go. Dragging our baits on the bottom, we were hoping to present our baits as naturally as possible to entice a big fish. Sure enough, almost instantly, we get some signs of life. Chris has a “run-off,” the term given to what happens when a big fish swims away with one’s bait after having swallowed it. The “run-off” is what occurs simultaneously on the bail of a reel as line PEELS off: ZZZzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!  Unfortunately, Chris’ fish picked up and dropped the bait, but this was not a bad thing for it was a clue about the fishes’ temperaments this morning; it was evidence that the fish were going to be finicky.

Finicky fish? Our minds start brain-storming. Are these fish just too full? Will we need to change our presentation? Do they not want live eels? On our next drift, I hook up on a bluefish. Actually it’s snagged on the side of the eye.

Hmm…. How truly finicky are these fish such that we have them dropping our baits or even missing them? From their perspective, the bait is freely floating in the white wash - how could they resist our delectable eely delights?

On our next try, we improvise. Chris changes to smaller hooks but still gets a few more run-offs.  I opt to shorten the leader to 18", which would enable me to cast further out into the crashing waves on the bars. Also, I didn't have to worry about the shortened leader spooking the bass and bluefish because with such horrid waves, a snap swivel close to the hook should easily be interpreted by the fish as random debris. Sure enough, these adjustments worked. I get a run-off, too. I lean forward and let the fish have its way with the bait. After counting to three (and bowing to the, hopefully, cow), I tighten the line and pump the rod back as hard as possible to “set” the hook in the fish’s mouth. A short fight ensues and I get the fish aboard. It’s a bass of similar size to my first-ever keeper. At 32” and about 10lbs, I look to Capt. Paul and say “Now, we’re in business!”

Next to be on with a fish was the captain himself - a very nice striped bass of keeper size. A pro in these waters, he caught this fish right off the shelf of a bar which was precisely where he predicted these fish to be the night before. "No time for pictures for me. I gotta get us away from these swells RIGHT NOW!", shouted Capt. Paul.

As I looked around during the move, I see that other boats were also catching fish of similar size. I did not notice major differences in our techniques- everyone was using a sinker of some sort and different lengths of leader. If we didn't change our tactics, we’d likely get the same-sized fish over and over again. However, if there was a bigger fish in the neighborhood, these methods may not work for one of two reasons: (1) the way that we are presenting our baits was not preferred by the bigger fish, or (2) our new presentations were so good for the smaller fish predators that they would get to the bait before the big ones. So, I decided to make one subtle change.

Noticing a slowing tide, I removed the in-line sinker but continued using a shortened leader. My logic was that the sinker may pose resistance that the bigger fish could feel. After all, they were finicky today. I grab a large eel and cast out into the white water on our next drift, but I wasn’t able to get as close to the breaking waves this time around. I also noticed that the boats nearby were at around the same depths as us and still catching bluefish. Just as my mind begins to wander, I get a nibble, a pick-up, and a drop. I reel in the bait and notice a few cuts on the eel. Sure signs of bluefish- finicky bluefish again, but we were out in deeper water now away from the bar.

….Change the bait? Nope, it’s okay because I learned that the big fish don’t mind scraps. Bigger fish don’t have the energy of smaller fish and if one was mixed in with this school of bass and blues, it was likely to be opportunistic.

Capt. Paul’s next drift got us closer to the dangerous white wash than we had been all day. It was almost poetic. Now, the stage was set.

Shortened 18" leader, scarred up eel, and no sinker were my arsenal.

Knots? Secure!

Hooks? Sharp!

This was going to be my lucky day. I laid down the perfect cast into the white water.

Tap… Tap tap…..(release the line off the bail)…wait…..(place the line back, turn the reel handle a few cranks)…….(lean forward, feel the weight of the fish…)

(Grab the spool, lean back and--------------> SET!)

ZzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

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Thank you Capt. Paul for your constant support, encouragement, shared knowledge, and gracious generosity in my quest for this big fish! “This one was a long time coming, friend.” After all, it was your boat and your rigs, and “my” catch on Oct. 24, 2008 was not “mine” at all. With Chris at the net and you at the engine, that fish was destined to make it into your boat by any one of us - I just happened to be the lucky one. Sir, you know how to put anglers on fish and you have the heart of a true care-taker of our wild waters!

Here is to goals, memories, and the compassion of good fishing friends!

Capt. Paul Peluso (MamaMia Fishing Charters) runs a fishing charter business out of Moriches Bay, NY. He can also be found on our forums as the Long Island south shore captain under New York Fishing Reports. Capt. Paul Peluso can be reached via email at the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Wanna also read Striped Bass Fishing Part I?

Wanna also read Striped Bass Fishing Part III?