Sardines will be a good bait and wait for the stripers. But if you're planning to compete in the striper tournament, you're going to have to use spoons, umbrella rigs, and look for shad. Your cut baits are good enough for what you are going for. As for spots, if you go fish around the bill Williams river, right in front of havasu springs, there is a bouy that runs across there. You can try to bait and wait around there and spoon in the morning. There will be a few boaters that you will see trolling a U-rig too. You cannot go wrong fishing Parker dam area