Here's my stupid question for the day: when you are rigging up your storms, are you using any sort of terminal tackle, swivel, etc?

I just tie on a flourocarbon leader to my Power Pro using a uni knot if I am casting. There are times that I use a 3 way swivel when bottom fishing very fast current with a plastic.

If you are talking about Storms for top water striper fishing, don't let anyone fool you. You throw a 4 in. Storm into a school of feeding stripers, and they're gonna hit it if you tie it with clothes line. The only easier fishing is bottom bouncing for croakers. Trolling on top water, you can use and 18 in. mono leader about 30 lb test and a swivel snap. On the bottom use a three way swivel with 5 ft. drop and 15 ft. leader 50 lb. test.

If Im lazy I sometimes just double line my mainline and tie the storm on with a uni. Usually, if I have time to prepare I tie a short double line to a 2-3" piece of 50 # flouro and tie that to the storm.

Striper are real aggresive fish. They bite when they arent hungry because the bait annoys them or something. You can tie your lures on however you want, a striper will always hit it.

When the bite is on, it doesn't matter. But if the bite is off, everything counts. I use the lightest leader possible. If I'm after 18" stripers I use 6 to 8 pound leader. 30" stripers, 15 to 20 lb. No tackle - tie right to the leader/a swivle is OK from the leader to the line. Another trick - Down size. A big fish will hit a small bait, but a small fish will never hit a big bait.

Dont believe me - Do the test. Run an 8" storm and 4"- same color/same depth
See what catches the most fish.

On a split ring, make sure the part where it opens is on the metal part of the lure. Tie to the opposite side. This allows the "crank bait" to wobble a little more.

I have to agree with GIGALOT... nothing can screw up a high $ soft plastic lure like a blue. If you are throwing big lures I'd go with a hard bait or better yet a bucktail with a soft plastic trailer or pork rind. Just my $ .02. As for storms, they are great and I catch more than my share tying straight to 'em.

I do belive that every Storm I have thrown into the Bay has eventually lost its tail.

Anyone use trailer hooks on storms?

I hate bluefish, except for their bait potential.

I still like to tip my lines with a little flouro to keep the fish if he runs across a piling. I have never run across a picky striper. Most I have met would hit a storm attached to bow line. I do think a little leader is good for abbrasion resistance, but 99% of the time you are fine with just a double line.

As far as 8 inch storms, Ive never thought that would be too good of an investment. A 2' rattle'trap will catch 20 bluefish and all the striper you want and you can keep using it. One blue will kill a storm. Last year my buddy bought one of those 8 inch parachutes and within an hour we caught a citation bluefish and his 12 dollar rig was done.

bluefish are the most underappreciated fish out there. Hook up a 20 pound bluefish while you are striper fishing and you will think you have the world record striper. I would put a bluefish up against any other fish pound for pound. That said, every bluefish I keep (which isnt the norm) gets cut for bait, usually for the red man.

For some reason I have a mental block when it comes to appreciating "by catching" anything.

I have always been like that.

When I use flouro, I DON'T get the expensive leader material - way too rich for my blood. I just use 20 lb Vanish. It's a bit stretchy, but it works for me. Properly adjusted drag brings in even the 40 pounders.

For the record, plastics are last in my bag of tricks.

1. Live bait
2. Live bait
3. Live bait
4. MirroLure (for schoolies or topwater)
5. Bucktail
6. Stingsilver
7. Plastics

Can you tell I likes me live bait? I do best jigging pilings - I just don't like trolling, even though it does work.

Much to my dismay, my fishing partner added a wire leader to his lures after a blue took off a $6 lure. I use 25# flurocarbon tied onto my main line with a surgeons not. I usually use a snap swivel.

Even more to my dismay, he seems to catch just as many stripers using the wire leader as I do without it.

I use the lightest tackle I can get away with for the schoolies and tie the storm right to the line with a palomar knot. Don't mess with leaders, swivels, snaps, etc. Can't get easier than that, I think. When the hawgs are around, obviously use heavier tackle--but still pretty simple--I use an 80lb mono leader and clip it to the line so I can change out quickly if I need to. The other end either goes to a 3 way, or to a tomic or larger storm with in-line sinker if needed.

As it has been said, they are definitely not leader-shy. The only reason I use a flouro line for stripers is economy of space in the tackle box. I'd rather just stick to one spool of line in the box instead of one for every occasion. My box is small and there ain't room for a whole lot!

In late December early Jan.when the Hawgs come to town I use a 100 lb flourocarbon main line on my homemade daisy chains.The short leaders coming off the main line are 80lb Flourocarbon.The flourocarbon is stiffer and doesnt tangle as easily.Thats the only time I ever use Flourocarbon for Striper.It also has better abrasion resistance a daisychain lasted me the whole season last year.