Anglers looking for striped bass in the shallow waters of Barnegat Bay and other back bays turn to the humble surf clam to put fish in the boat year after year.  The technique is popular for several reasons. First, it works, because no fish in the sea doesn’t enjoy a nice clam dinner.  Second, what could be easier? Just anchor the boat, toss out a chunk of clam, and wait for the bass to inhale it. Finally, the rising cost of fuel these days makes anchoring especially appealing to most of us.

Here are a few pointers to help increase your odds of success at back bay clamming for bass.

Where and When

Back bay clamming seems to start as soon as water temps consistently push into the 50-degree range.  In my home waters of Barnegat Bay, this usually occurs toward the end of April, and the fishing remains good until the end of June or later. In the fall, the reverse process cools the water and reignites this fishery in October and November.

The relatively shallow waters combined with fairly intense boat traffic keep striped bass on the move in search of food and safety. This means we try to anchor in areas where we suspect fish are moving through, rather than trying to find a spot where fish are holding. This is in contrast to some deeper bays, where bass might be holding on pieces of structure.

Bait

The fresher the bait, the better you’ll do. Nothing beats a fresh surf clam for putting scent in the water, and scent is what will bring the traveling bass to your boat. Frozen clam will work, but needs to be changed much more frequently to keep the scent trail flowing. We’ll also employ chum logs and chopped up pieces of clam to keep a scent trail in the water. Remember, these fish are on the move so it’s up to you to cause them to find you, not the other way around.

Tackle & Rigging

My preference is always to use the lightest tackle that conditions allow. Since we’re usually anchored in the fast moving waters of the channels behind Barnegat Inlet, conventional reels matched to moderate- to fast-action rods are used to provide the power and control needed to turn a big bass when it gets itself sideways in the current. My outfits of choice for this fishing are Lamiglas Tri-Flex BL7020C’s coupled with Abu Ambassadeur 6500TC reels loaded with 15-pound mono.

Our rigs are fairly simple. In-line circle hooks in sizes 6/0 or 7/0 are snelled to 35 to 40 inches of 40-pound fluorocarbon leader. The leader is tied to one leg of a three-way swivel, and an 8-inch dropper for a bank sinker is tied to the second leg. The sinker needs to be just heavy enough to hold bottom in the current, and we’ll typically start with 4 ounces and work up to 6 to 8 ounces once the current really starts flowing. The running line is connected to the third leg.

Fishing the Clam

I use a whole surf clam on each rig, impaling it several times on the hook then locking it into place by running the hook through the tough meat of the vent. These rigs are lobbed back into the current behind the boat and allowed to settle to the bottom. The current will cause the lines to straighten out behind the boat, so the number of rigs that can be effectively