Saltwater

In many ways, Jordan Paullo is your stereotypical NAFC member. He fishes hard, spends more days on the water than solid ground, and is constantly trying to figure out a better way to catch fish, whether it’s smallmouths and largemouths in a tournament or striped bass on the Connecticut River near his Coventry, Connecticut, home.

What fisheries are hot and what you need to know when planning your next trip

This is an event I will never forget, and I will be sure to go back again, after that monster from the deep.

My first ever California yellowtail came last July near northern Baja’s Coronado Islands.

My fishing partner Jack has caught some humongous landlocked stripers. I was with him the evening a 48 pounder noisily engulfed his prop bait, but that fish was a mere minnow compared with the cow he hooked on a foggy morning last August.

“You just smashed your boss’ boat against the rocks. And worst of all, your best friend is suffering a heart attack!”

“Somehow, the hook had rebounded straight from that fish’s mouth to enter one side of my nose and come out the other.”

Though heavy tackle would seem necessary to tackle sharks, truth is that you’ll have more fun with light big-game tackle.

I’d call trophy landlocked stripers the most misunderstood of all large gamefish—not only do most people know little about them, much of what they think they know is myth.

Successfully catching bait can be a key to fishing success, and when it comes to catching bluefish, striped bass, and a variety of other saltwater sportfish, anglers should know how to get their own menhaden, a particularly attractive bait.