On The Water’s John Burke, fishing with Captain Keith Salisbury and Paul Castellani, tries take advantage of cow stripers’ insatiable appetite for adult Atlantic menhaden by live-lining the bait in the waters near Westbrook, Connecticut.

The first order of business is netting pogies for the livewell, and it doesn’t take long for the crew to obtain a full day’s supply of bait. Since menhaden tend to swim near the surface, the strikes are breathtaking when monster bass pummel the pogies set behind the boat. Although the action isn’t nonstop, each bass hooked is a true trophy, and John Burke even manages to boat a new personal best.

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