How to Catch Striped Bass on the Delaware River: Purchased Bait Selections

Purchased Bait Selection for Delaware River

As we discussed in prevoius sements in the How to Catch Striped Bass on the Delaware River. we discussed the spring migration of striped bass on the Delaware River, types of locations to fish, tackle and equipment to use anf some other basics needed for a successful striped bass outing on the delaware river. in this segment we will talk about the bait that has been success on the Delaware River and where to buy it.

Eels

As mentioned in the prevouis section eels are a main stay in striper fishing all along the east coast. On the Delaware River they have their time and place. When the herring are in the river thick good luck using an eel. Having said that a Striped bass ofetn does not refuse the little wiggly candy. Eels work very well in the early season and they also work well in the late season.

Clams

Clams just like in the saltwater catch stripers, they are definitely a bait you want to have on a trip. Somedays all the bass want are clams and some days you can't buy a bite with clams. You definitely should buy 2-4 clams if you going out all day hunting for striped bass.

Bunker

FRESH bunker and I emphazie freesh because if the bunker is not fresh it worthless for fisherman. When the bunk is old or froozen after being on ice for a while it becomes super soft and will not stay on your hook. Will will need to bag them in mesh or wrap them with elastic, something that is quite frankly not worth it. Now flash frozen bunker is not so bad, flash frozen bunker is frozen as soon as it is caught. This helps the bunker to hold its firmness as it is defrosted for use. You need to defrost only what you need when you need it or it defeats the purpose.

Bunker by far is the MOST economical bait used on the Delaware River and it catches big fish. I could go on about but I'd rather just show you a picture from a fish cut on bunker chunks from SportMasters during the 2020 season.

Blood Worms

Blood worms are a great warly season bait, probably the best. They are expensive, they went form $8 a feww years ago to $15-20 a dozen. Thier popularity in the south like the Carolinas have made the price jump significantly. Using a single blood worm on a hook is the gold standard for fishing the Delaware River. Blood worms catch pigs that all I have to say. But over the last 7 years using the stlye of salmon fishing sacking eggs up, blood worms are now sacked up into what are refered to as blood bags. What are blood bags? Well its egg sack material or cheese cloth that encasing 3-6 worms, tied up and a big 7/0-9/0 hook goes right through it. This give you pretection from the smaller predators from picking your hook clean. The advantage is that you now can fish blood worms later in the season. Once the perch arrive in force its difficult to keep a single worm on. Man do blood bags catch cows.