While I’m a die hard bass fisherman at heart, I don’t mind taking the occasional day off to go after some big striped bass. Fishing for striper is a great way to put a ton of big fish in the boat and have a really good time doing it. I’ve striper fished everywhere from eastern Tennessee down to southern Alabama, and it’s an absolute blast no matter where you are located.
The invention of live sonar truly changed the way we fish especially when it comes to targeting offshore striper. Using this technology to target these specific fish has really increased our overall effectiveness and efficiency while on the water. Targeting this species can be very simple and super productive once you have a basic understanding of what they look like on live sonar, where to find them and what to use to catch them.
WHAT STRIPER LOOK LIKE ON LIVE SONAR
The easiest way to identify differing species of fish using live sonar is by recognizing their size and how they act.
Size is the most identifiable sign of what type of fish you are looking at. Obviously striper are much larger than the typical largemouth bass, sometimes reaching sizes up to 60-plus pounds. These fish will have a much larger return on live sonar due to their overwhelming size. This makes spotting and tracking these fish much easier than the typical bass. This is a really great way to practice targeting individual fish on live sonar.
The next important thing when trying to identify these fish is knowing how they act. Striper often run in groups, so once you locate one you’ll often find a big group of them close by. These fish tend to suspend high in the water column. While some striper do hang out on the bottom, I’ve found that these suspending fish are often much easier to coax into biting when using artificial lures and live sonar.
These fish tend to be far more aggressive than a typical bass, making them an absolute blast to catch. Some of the most aggressive strikes come from when you locate a tight group of striper on live sonar. The competition of other fish causes them to fight over the lure, leading to some ferocious bites. Targeting individual fish can be a great tactic as well, however these fish can sometimes be a little more stubborn when using artificial lures. While it is important to understand what these fish look like on live sonar, understanding where they are is equally crucial to a successful day of striper fishing.
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