Fishing is a vast topic. It’s vast because there are a ton of things that decide the difficulties and conveniences of fishing. One such thing is the body of water. Fishing in an ocean is different from fishing in an artificial lake. Similarly, fishing in a river is not the same as fishing in the still waters. From baits to possibly the gear, the time to the seasons, every single thing takes veer away depending on where you are fishing.
When so much apparently changes, then the rig you prepare will vary too. Our topic of discussion today, hence, is river fishing, and the fish we are targeting is the angler’s top choice, the striped bass. Best striper rig for river fishing, thus, is what we are going to share with you in a moment.
Best Striper Rig for River Fishing – The Slip Sinker Rig
In our opinion, the easiest and most used rig, but very convenient, is likely to be the best rig for fishing some giant stripers in the river. The best doesn’t require to be complicated. And that easy and convenient rig is the slip sinker rig. It is one rig that will get you your striper from the river, lake, ocean, from shore, from piers, no matter what the water source is or where you are standing to fish. Prepare your slip sinker rig for river fishing the stripers, following a few steps using some very basic rig components.
The Rig Components You Will Need
- 5-6 feet 14-20-pound test fluorocarbon leader
- 8/0 or 6/0 circle hook
- 2-3 glass beads
- 3/8 oz removable split shot sinker weights, about 3-4
- A small barrel swivel
Consider Proper Bend in Your Fishing Rod
While fishing in the river, the most important thing you need to consider in a rod other than it being durable and sensitive is whether it bends down well or not. That bend will for sure come if the rod has the perfect flexibility. So, purchase your rod accordingly to make your striper fishing and handling more convenient and quick.
All Fishing Line Will Work in River Fishing the Stripers
Now, stripers are fishes that will fight with all their might when hooked. Therefore, you will require the sturdiest mainline possible. However, as we are talking about striper rigs for river fishing, you can use braided and monofilament fishing lines. Due to the inclination towards affordability, we actually prefer using the monofilament line in the river. 30lbs test line will be enough to catch the striper no matter how far it drags your line after taking the bait.
Get A Light but Durable Spinning Reel
A basic spinning reel, but durable to tackle the might of the feisty striper, is all you need when it comes to the fishing reel. But make sure the durability doesn’t increase the weight of the fishing reel. It has to be very light on your hand and fast to wind up. Exceptional castability with an equally exceptional drag system will make your fishing experience smoother. However, all those exceptionalities come with a budget. If you are still in the beginner stage and don’t have the budget, just get a good light spinning reel.
The Head of the Herring
As striper bait, we think herring works the best in the river. However, you never know what the striper will prefer eating at that specific period when you are fishing in the river. So, be a little experimental and have your herring chunks, worms, shad fishes, and mackerels too. After all, we are expecting multiple stripers in the river. Big stripers love the head of the baitfish. So, if you are using chunks, then offer them the fish head first. The triangular fish piece also attracts the fierce striper equally well. So, more than going with our words, try different stuff, especially regarding the bait. An artificial lure is not what we like to use when fishing stripers in the river. If you want to, you can, however.
Preparing The Fishing Gear for the Rig
Take your rod and install the spinning reel on it. The next step is to spool up the reel with the monofilament fishing line. Then, take the fishing line’s tag end through the guides of the rod. Make sure you have enough fishing line dangling from the tip of the fishing rod. The deeper you will need to take your rod to fish the striper, the longer your line has to be. Shallow fishing will not need that length, but none knows where they will find the school of stripers hiding or chasing the bait fishes. So better keep it moderately long.
Preparing The Best Striper Rig for River Fishing
- Practice tying a tight uni knot well. You will need it to tie the leader line to the hook and swivel as well as the mainline to the swivel.
- Tie your leader tag end to the hook with a uni knot. The size of the hook varies depending on the size of the bait you are offering to the fish. The bigger the bait chunk, the larger the hook.
- Then hold the barrel swivel and tie the other end of the leader on it using the same ole uni knot.
- Get the glass beads one by one on the mainline. The bigger the fish and the stronger they can pull the line; the more glass beads you will have to use. For a striper, two bright glass beads are enough. At most, three is enough to make the much-needed noise and avoid the collision that ruptures the fishing line.
- After you are done getting the beads on the mainline, tie the tag end of it with the remaining side of the barrel swivel. Yes, with the uni knot.
- Now depending on how deep or shallow you are fishing, use some split shots. In river fishing, you require four split shots max to get the hook deeper and stay standstill for the stripers not to notice the movement. However, the clever stripers quickly scan the weird-looking weight itself. Hence, get spooked and stay away from taking the bait. So, use the weight wisely.
- If not the split shot, you can use an egg sinker. Do not go past 1oz when using the egg sinker. However, we like using split shots in river fishing because then we can add and take off the weight quickly, which is not the case with egg sinkers.
Other striped bass fishing techniques related article at OutdoorBoat
The 7 Best Live Bait for Striped Bass in The Freshwater
How to Catch Striped Bass from Shore?
Striped Bass Rigs for Pier Fishing
Striped Bass Rigs for Surf Fishing
When you are fishing a striper in the river, keep in mind that most certainly, the stripers migrated there to spawn from the saltwater. Hence the chances of getting multiple stripers a day will be no surprise. So, get ready with the most practical rig. It is all tried and tested by expert anglers.