By Ted Koppel

Striper fishing in rivers can be quite a thrill when using fishing lures such as a crankbait. The crankbait is also one of the most productive fishing lures when river fishing for big striped bass. Here are a few fishing tips that may help you increase your bounty the next time you are on your favorite river while striper fishing.

Knockin' On Wood

   All bass fishermen know that a crankbait catches more fish when they are bumped against and off of woody cover. This approach works well for striped bass too. River stripers will use submerged logs and trees as a current break and prime predatorial ambush points. Whether a lipless or a long diving lip crankbait, both will bump off of submerged wood with ease and both can produce some jolting strikes from large river stripers. So with this said, be sure you are knockin' on wood a lot when striper fishing the rivers.

          Crank Them Fast

   In crystal clear river water especially; fish crankbaits with a very fast retrieval rate. The longer the stripers have to eyeball your lure, the more chance you have of them rejecting it. Don't give them the opportunity to see that the bait is a fake; keep it looking real with a fast retrieve. More strikes are usually produced with a fast moving crankbait rather than a slow one, even in colder waters. So, with this said, crank 'em fast for the big stripers in rivers.

Jerk On It

   Generally speaking, most crankbaits have a good built-in, repetitive wiggling action. While this is fine for murkier water rivers, it isn't quite enough when fishing clearer water rivers. Stripers are less prone to rejecting the lure if it appears as if it is trying to escape as the striper approaches it. When fishing a clear water river, periodically jerk the tip of your rod with a sharp jolt to increase the speed of your crankbait. This gives the lure a more realistic and erratic action that makes it appear to be a natural bait attempting to elude a predator. If you can spot a striper staring down your crankbait, rip your lure through the water with a quick sweep of your rod, this will make the crankbait dart wildly just as a fleeing baitfish would and often time results in an instant strike. So, jerk on it when striper fishing clear water rivers.

Tight-Line Your Crankbait

   Often times the current will be too swift to allow adequate casting coverage in most rivers that hold big stripers. Try this little trick, anchor off in the heavy current and try casting your crankbait upstream while tight-lining it as it sweeps down river. You just want to keep the slack out of the line with tension on the lure and allow the bait to drift just under the surface of the heavy currents. This will usually produce many strikes of large stripers, if it doesn't, lift your anchor, drift downstream about 30 - 40 yards and keep tight-lining your lure, this is one way to overcome the swift currents of some rivers. So, swift currents may require tight-lining your crankbait when looking for your monster striper.

   With these striper fishing in the rivers tips, you should catch more fish so, grab a friend to share them with and as always, remember to get out and go fishing when you can, because it's Goooood Fer Ya!