So here is my question to you guys… Has anybody been fishing Norwich harbor for hold-over stripers, and while you’re at it, what is your favorite way to catch the cold water schoolies? My favorite technique for when the stripers are holding the bottom is to throw Arkansas Shiner colored super flukes on white 1/4 ounce jigheads. I will throw the jigs around the pilings of the docks, count to 8 and reel as slow as possible, when the jig stops set the hook, you’ve got a striper!

When the fish are actively feeding on the surface, my bait of choice is a black and purple mambo minnow or bomber long A. Just give it a good zing out there and keep your rod tip up while reeling slowly. Hold on tight, the big boy stripers will really give you a good rip on topwater.

When the fish are more active throughout the CT River, I like to throw large houdini shad in pearl white or bubblegum.  This technique not only crushes the active schoolies, it also gives you a good shot at hooking a trophy pike when fishing in the coves. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a giant pike destroy a houdini shad!

ct river fishing in the coves for schoolie stripers

So now that you know what I like to fish for and how I like to fish the CT River in the spring, it is your turn to tell me how you fish the river, and what you like to fish for. Leave us a comment below with your favorites, maybe we will get inspired to try something new in the upcoming months.

I couldn’t be happier with the money I saved on my boat insurance this season, and boat u.s. made the whole process simple!

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A recession doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love! Tight lines everybody…

So you have been trying to insulate your house against the onslaught of cold weather this season? You went to Home Depot and you bought a can of “Great Stuff” insulating foam sealant to fill those little cracks around the house. It works great at insulating, but it’s not very people friendly as you likely found out if you are reading this!

I needed to fill some cracks in my foundation and since it is too cold to fish, but not cold enough to ice fish yet, I figured I should get some work done around the house.  I started filling in the cracks in my crawlspace (which is dark), and was wiping the excess off the tip with my bare finger expecting to take it off with some solvent later… BIG MISTAKE! This is the most stubborn chemical I have ever encountered.

Once I got into the light I saw that they had written in large letters “Always wear gloves and eye protection”… OOPS. Since the damage was done I consulted the can for removal instructions. Apparently acetone will remove non-cured sealant, but only mechanical removal of cured urethane will work.  Well I don’t have 5 days to kill with nasty hands, so here is what has and has not worked for me.

Acetone – worked so so on the portions that were not fully cured, but still required some hard scrubbing.

Mineral Spirits – do not try this, it just makes the spray on insulation turn black on your hands.

WD40 - AGAIN like mineral spirits do not try this, it will only turn the urethane black.

Gasoline – worked a little with some scrubbing, but left my hands smelling terrible, and also dried them out.

Soap and hot water - does nothing.

100 grit sandpaper – finally something that works! Strong enough to remove the insulation, fine enough to keep your skin!

Here are some other solutions that I have seen on the internet in my research which I didn’t try, but figured it might be nice to have everything in one place.

Wear latex gloves until your hands get really sweaty and then wash with hot water and an abrasive soap.

Carburetor fluid

GooGone – Most people say it doesn’t work on this.

Low pressure sand blaster – who has a sand blaster?

Gojo Pumice orange hand cleaner- some say it works a little.

Paint thinner – most say it doesn’t work.

Razor blade – not suggested!

Motsenbockers Foam Sealant Remover – Only read a little about this but someone said it can be found at home depot, if you try this leave me a comment and let me know how it works. Here is a link for the stuff too – http://liftoffinc.com/product-sealant-remover.php.

My first suggestion wear gloves BEFORE using this stuff, but if you do get spray insulation on your hands, I hope something above works!

As an angler that has fished with senkos and other soft jerk baits for almost 10 years now, I can tell you that I have tried almost every kind of imitation and knockoff lure out there in hopes of finding one that outperforms the original senko made by the yamamoto bait company. After all this “research” I can honestly tell you that not all stick baits are created equal.

First lets list a few of the senko imitators, and then we will go through the some the advantages and disadvantages of each. The list below is by no means a complete list of the generic / imitation senkos available on the market today, but merely a collection of some of the most popular brands.

Net Bait Salt Lick Worm
Strike King Ocho Soft Baits
Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series Stik-O
Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow
Chompers Salty Sinker Worms
Kinami Flash
Luck “E” Strike Salty Elite Series Jogger Worm
Yum Dinger Worms
Strike King 3x Plastic Zero
Berkley Gulp Alive Jerk Shad

Now that we have a nice list lets go through some of the general advantages and disadvantages of the original yamamoto senko versus the list. The first advantage that we see with the yamamoto senko is its weight. Right out of the package you will feel that the senko is heavier than all of the baits in the list above. This heaviness gives the bait greater castability and lets it sink fast for fish in deeper water. The yamamoto senko also comes loaded with salt which some of the knockoffs do not have. As far as color and size selection is concerned yamamoto baits by far has the edge.

Now for some of the downfalls of the original senko. Even though these baits feel heavier and more rugged than some of the other baits, it has been my experience that they are easily torn and usually only last two or three fish. Some of the other baits like the Stick-O from Bass Pro and and the Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow tend to hold up much better. I have caught 15 bass on a single Stick-O Lure. A second negative to the original senko is the cost. At roughly $6.99 for a bag of 10 baits, senkos are by far the most costly, giving you less bait for the buck. For a cheap alternative try the Kinami Flash which is also made by Yamamoto baits, but it is labeled under the Kinami name. For an even better value the Stick-O is about half the price for double the baits, and has a great selection of colors and sizes. I highly recommend giving them a try if you have a bass pro shops close by, or you can order them online.

One differentiating feature of some imitators versus the original senko is smell. This can be a positive or a negative depending on the situation. Obviously when the fish are feeding they can be triggered to strike solely on movement, vibration and sight, but when the fish are fickle an attractant may improve you chances of hooking up. If you aren’t catching fish with a scented bait you still get stink hand for your efforts, especially with the berkley baits.

The moral of the story is that with all of the baits listed in this article you will catch fish, but under certain circumstances one will work better than the other. I still feel that the original senko reigns supreme, but, if you want an all around good soft jerk bait without the price tag on the yamamoto baits, the Stick-O by bass pro shops is my number one choice. If you can’t get your hands on a package of Stick-O’s the Kinami flash is your next best option since they are sold locally at almost every sporting good store and walmart.

Number 4: Yozuri Banana Boat

I have found that the Yozuri banana boat is one of the best lures to use when fish are active and you are looking to cover alot of water in a little amount of time. The following features and characteristics are what set this bait apart from the rest and make it a must have in any bass angler’s tackle box.

• Castability – The banana boat is very aerodynamic and casts like a bullet. Being able to cast this bait a long way makes it a better choice over a conventional popper or topwater walking bait. Make a nice long cast parallel to structure and start working the bait back and forth and the fish won’t be able to resist striking.
• Unique Action – Like most other floating topwater baits, the banana boat is fished with a “walk the dog” presentation, however the action produced while “walking” the banana boat is very unique and that is what will trigger more hard hitting strikes over a conventional topwater bait.
• Fast Retrieve – Since a banana boat is best used when fishing for active fish feeding on the surface, a fast retrieve becomes a plus for this bait since you can cover alot of water very quickly.  This is helpful in finding fish, as well developing a pattern for the rest of the day.
• Treble Hooks – With 6 treble hooks on a small bait like the banana boat, you will notice a good ratio of strikes to hookups versus a bait that only has a single hook or 3 treble hooks.  The design of the bait also allows for the bait to sit upright in the water in between twitches, which increases the chances of hooking up.

Now that we have seen the positives of this bait, I would like to touch on some of the negatives that come along with the banana boat, and most topwater baits in general.

The first negative is the amount of work expended walking this bait. A constant twitch retrieve is required for maximum action on this bait, and a few hours of this can really be a workout… The good news is that you don’t notice how much your arms hurt when you get a bunch of explosive strikes.

The second negative is that many times after a cast or during the retrieve your line will get caught on the front treble hook, or even on both sets of hooks, which costs valuable time in the strike zone.  Although this happens with the banana boat, it tends to happen more so with other similar topwater baits, and mostly with poppers in my experience.

The third negative has to do seasonality. This bait only produces fish when the conditions are right.  The bass must be actively feeding and willing to chase a bait.  This limits how many fish you can catch on a banana boat, and is ultimately why this bait is near the end of our top 5 list.

The baits come in 7 different colors, including: Blue/Silver, Clown, Gold/Black, Trout, Tennessee Shad, Black/Redhead, Red Head. My personal favorite is the Tennessee Shad.

So the next time the fish are chasing bait, try the Yozuri Banana Boat, you won’t be disappointed!

Up Next is the Wiggle Wart Crankbait Coming Soon

Previous Segments:

Number 1: The Senko

Number 2: The Spinnerbait

Number 3: The Spider Grub

Keep an eye out for more knot videos here on IFishCT.com in the near future…

Number 3: The Spider Grub

I have ranked the spider grub number 3 in the list because of its extraordinary fish catching ability, ease of use and broad range of fishing techniques available. The following characteristics are what make the spider grub a great tool to help you land more bass on a consistent basis.

• Castability – The spider grub is a jig based lure meant to be fished along the bottom and is therefore heavier than most artificial baits. The heavier a bait is, the farther you can cast it, allowing you to be far enough from your target structure so you don’t spook the typically skittish cold water bass.
• Versatility – A spider jig can be fished a number of different ways. The most common is a jig and stop retrieve in which you cast towards the structure you want to fish (rocks, submerged stumps, knocked down trees, etc) and let the bait fall to the bottom. Once on the bottom, reel the slack out of your line, and wait a few seconds. Most of the strikes come on the initial drop so be ready to set the hook. If you don’t get a hit on the initial drop give the lure a jig by giving an easy controlled jerk of the rod upward, and reel in the slack, wait a few seconds and repeat. Don’t waste time jigging all the way back to the boat, if a fish doesn’t hit within 10 feet of your target structure, you likely wont get one on that cast, so reel in and recast. Another common retireve is a “swimming” retrieve, in which you keep a steady slow retrieve, keeping the bait swimming horizontal along the bottom. This is most effective when fish are more active, mostly the end of spring and beginning of fall. I have personally found the swim method to produce less fish and most fish I do catch seem to be from drop offs where the horizontal motion becomes vertical. If you had to choose a technique stay with the vertical jigging, it will produce more fish.
• Ease of use – The spider jig is easy to use; simply cast it out, reel in the slack, and give it a jig. The difficult part for beginners is the hookset. My advice is to not react too quickly when throwing a spider jig. Typically a fish will grab the bait and hold onto it, allowing you enough time to reel in your slack and get a solid hookset. With no slack in the line (especially when using braided line), your hook to bite ratio will go up substantially.
• Variety – With more manufacturers jumping on the spider grub band wagon, there is are is an abundent assortment of styles, colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cabin Creek Salty Spider Jig

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Chompers Hula Grub (smells like garlic)

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Yamamoto Double Tail Hula Grub

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The Cabin creek salty spider jig is great if you want the jighead included, but they get expensive since bass tear them apart, but they also sell just the “spider jig parts” at online retailers. The other two listed above perform equally well if you use a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce jighead, and are a better value as you get more baits per dollar. If you could only buy 2 colors I would get a black with blue fleck, and a pumpkinseed color. Those two colors will cover 90% of your fishing environments well.

I would have ranked the spider grub higher in the list if it wasn’t for the fact that it is a “seasonal” bait, having most if not all of it’s success in the colder months of the fishing season (here in the Northeast those months are March-May and October-December), when the fish are tight to the bottom and are feeding only if presented with an easy meal. So what are you waiting for, get out and buy some spider grubs for this Fall!

Up Next is the Yozuri Banana Boat CLICK HERE to keep reading…

Previous Segments:

Number 1: The Senko

Number 2: The Spinnerbait