Viewer Question: “Hey guys how are you doing hope all is well. I was just wondering if there is any special setup for striper fishing, for the viper spoon. I’ll be going fishing on Thurs so if you can get back to me by tomorrow that would be great. Cesare.”

Hi Cesare.

I’m assuming that you’ll be fishing from a boat. If so, all you have to do is tie a snap to the end of your fishing line and clip on the Viper Spoon.

Best Size and Bait

Use the largest Viper that you have. (size SP5’s are great for stripers) Good baits to use are a whole fillet of mackerel, herring or bunker which you’ll probably have to fillet yourself.

Take your fillet and impale the ‘tail’ end of the fillet on the hook closest to the Viper spoon. Impale the other hooks along the length of the fillet. Always impale through the skin of the fillet, as this will help hold your bait much better.

Try to keep your fillet as straight as possible on the hooks as this will maximize the action of the Viper Spoon. You will want to make sure that the hook points are exposed, as this will enable much better hook sets.

Don’t be afraid to use large baits. Stripers will easily take large bait & remember large baits work great for large stripers! You can use thawed baits if you can’t get fresh. Sometimes supermarkets sell mackerel or herring, if you cannot find them at your local tackle shop.

We also have a video on how to rig your Viper Spoon for maximum fish-catching power.

How to Fish it

When you’re ready to fish, one method is to drift with the Viper Spoons for stripers. Bait your Viper spoon and make a short cast. No need to use a sinker in this case, as you will be fishing suspended.

As you drift, let out say 50 to 80 yards of line from your reel. Your Viper Spoon will be far away from the boat and probably somewhat close to the bottom.

Stripers may be spooked by the boat that’s why you want the bait to be far from the boat, and that’s why drifting is also very effective.

Make sure your bait is not dragging the bottom and make sure your bait is debris free at all times. In order to achieve this, every once in a while, pull back on the rod to allow the Viper Spoon to ‘lift’ otherwise all you have to do is hold the rod steady.

The Viper spoon will do the rest.

This occasional lifting will also enable you to cover more water above as well as below. Further, it may help trigger a reluctant striper to hit.

Thanks for writing in Cesare & I am very happy you are using the Viper Spoons as they will work great for you!

I wrote a second article for you and give you more Viper Spoon tips, in case you want to troll for stripers, or cast for stripers with the Viper Spoon.

Good luck on the water!

Claudio