How to Troll for Stripers: A Guide to Lures, Set-Backs & Tides

Trolling for striped bass is one of the most effective—and exciting—ways to target these powerful fish across rivers, bays, and coastal waters. Whether you’re fishing the East Coast, West Coast, or inland rivers, the fundamentals remain the same: understand tide movement, run the right spread, and pair proven lures with gear that can handle the fight.

In this guide, I’ll break down:

• Tide strategy and why current direction matters

• How to set up a productive trolling spread

• Wild Thing lure colors that consistently produce strikes

• Why the Okuma SST + Coldwater Reel combo is a great budget-friendly trolling kit

To ground this in reality, I’ll use our Napa River case study from a recent trip where we tested everything on the water.

Tide Strategy

• Incoming tide: Stripers stage in main channels waiting for bait flushed from the bay. Troll structure edges and slough mouths, running against the tide whenever possible.

• Outgoing tide: Bait gets flushed back through sloughs and cuts. Focus on ambush points in deeper slough pools.

Fishing against the tide consistently delivers more bites—often 60/40 or even 70/30 better than with the current.

Trolling Spread & Wild Thing Lures

A three-rod spread covers water at multiple depths:

• Demon Shad – High-contrast for low visibility or stained water.

• Bone Collector – Natural producer, responsible for multiple hookups.

• Italian Stallion – Proven #1 producer in Napa and beyond.

Run corner rods at 110–150 ft back, and a shorter meat line at ~70 ft. Add a touch of anchovy scent to boost attraction.

Gear Spotlight: Okuma SST + Coldwater Combo

This kit is the workhorse for trolling Wild Thing and other deep diver lures:

• Okuma SST Rod (2-piece): Portable yet powerful; handles stripers easily. Sensitive tip will communicate your lure action, while the strong backbone will assist you in reeling in your catch, even at speed.

• Okuma Coldwater Line-Counter Reel: Precision back-set control with manual reel counter, smooth drag, built for braid.

• Perfect depth range: Keeps Wild Thing deep divers hunting 12–16 ft—the strike zone.

This setup is available soon at CatchHappy.co 

Napa River Case Study Results

On our recent trip, outgoing tide produced best, though incoming usually holds its own. We landed multiple keeper stripers, released shorts, and lost several in the fight—a reminder that presentation, lure action, and tide timing all matter.

The takeaway? A system of tide strategy + Wild Thing colors + Okuma kit consistently produces stripers, whether you’re fishing Napa River, Chesapeake Bay, or the Hudson.

👉 Explore Wild Thing Lures and the Okuma Striper Kit now.