Even trout fishers need some time off. So it's Newburyport again (actually Plum Island) and it's great. First there's good times with family and friends AND there are stripers this year. Had the opportunity to work Joppa Flats with Bob Zieba, a.k.a. "Tincup" from this blog as he plied the shallows in his craft at the start of the turning tide. Then out to the mouth of the Merrimack which is like the Y Pool except it's crowded with boats and plug casters from the jetty instead of wading fishermen. It's got fish too. Then back to the flats until dead low tide. We got deep into the double digits with stripers but no legal fish. That's ok!
Next day I did the entrance to the in a kayak working grassy banks and tide lines. More schoolies were caught when I got the idea. Instead of the 8wt how about a 5 wt. Now is the chance to use that seldom used, beefy Orvis Zero Gravity 5wt that has been collecting dust in the corner. I still have a 5wt sinking line. All I have to do is hit the road early and do a 260 miles round trip to grab the stuff which I did. I'll be ready tomorrow and I'll fill you in.
Flies for the Salt - 20 years ago I used to do a LOT of salt water fly fishing. One of my pet issues was that many larger flies were just too big and wind resistant. I never liked chucking clousers and preferred unweighted flies on a fast sinking line. So I tied mine long and sparse. I get the size and profile but also get ease of casting which is important. I've tied up some deceiver types for the 5wt which are 4 to 6 inches long but will cast like a dream. Also, I tied some up on #4 FRESHWATER STREAMER HOOKS!! Just the right size for the schoolies and they will not suddenly rust away as CONVENTIONAL WISDOM dictates.
The Swift - Bob O nailed it. "It's a yo-yo".
Fish it anyway!!!
Ken
10 comments:
Sounds like a great time, Ken. I want to fly fish for stripers one of these days, something I've never done. Have fun out there in the salt water! As for me, I will be hitting the yo-yo Swift tomorrow night after work with a few new dry flies I tied up tonight. They all have white wings so my aging eyes can keep track of them floating.
Best Regards, Sam
Ken, very familiar with the area, though not Joppa. I've surf casted that area of plum Island on the state side by coast guard light house as well as the federal side before salt water fly fishing became the craze. Actually the mouth of the Merrimac is the state side of the island, but I preferred the Parker river on the federal side which is Ipswich bay. We trolled Ipswich bay & the Parker river for years. Was great fishing over that side, so give the Parker a try?
Sam,
You have to give it a try. It will never replace trout for me but it is a good diversion. I know a hard core trout fisher who got introduced to the salt. In two years he had a boat and a captains license!!
DRYFLYGUY,
I plan to try the Parker if I can pry myself off of Joppa. Got one on a 5wt this morning!!
Ken
I am very familiar with Joppa and Striper fishing in general-its a blast, not like trout fishing, I will always be a "Trout Bum" but with a summer like this + tons of Stripers, you'd be a fool not to go for it. This is the best year in several with fish in all classes available from southern New England through coastal Maine. My #1 fly for this time of year in the flats, well actually everywhere, is Ray's Fly, a super sparse bucktail. You can google it but SPARSE is best-if you start to think its too sparse you got it right! The old timers used to count out the bucktail. Not sure what the actual numbers are but something like 15 white bucktail fibers topped by 10 yellow bucktail fibers topped by 10 olive bucktail fibers topped by 3-4 strands of peacock herl, some put a piece or two of pearl flashabou in between the white and yellow bucktail. You can add jungle cock eyes but it is completely optional. the body is pearl or silver body braid. That it and it is a killer! I tie it on a #1/0 or #2/0 Eagle Claw 254, its an inexpensive saltwater hook but of very good quality; but thats just my preference-its got a nice wide gape. The fly itself can range from 3-4" long +/-. Going to be in the Conn River Valley Wednesday...may try to find some cold water if there is such a thing right now.
Ken. Friends called and said. Someone finely got my best side with that photo. Bob. T. All around great fly I always start with the small menhaden version of Ray Bondorew fly, but end up with the thin sand eel pattern u described . One change. I don't think chartreuse was around when Ray created it with yellow. With the chartreuse it fishes better. Also. How important is olive in the color scheme, olive bait fish wooly burgers nymphs and soft hackles. After fishing with ken , I can't wait to hear of a soft hackle striper. Streamer.
Tincup Bob,
I'm working on a SH striper streamer ala Gartside Sparrow!!!!
Bob T,
Yes, keep 'em sparse. I like the idea of counting fibers!!!!!!!!!
Ken
The flow is indeed a yo-yo with the flow back up tonight. Sparse top water action going on, but a few brookies brought to net along with some hard fighting fall fish. A beautiful, hard fighting rainbow netted on an emerger pattern of musk rat dubbing and tail and short wings made of mallard fibers. Catching and releasing that beauty was a lot of fun. It was a dandy to be sure.
Regards, Sam
Sam (Parachute Adams)
You caught Fall Fish?? Assuming you were on the Swift were you below the dam in Bondsville (I hope).
Ken
Yes sir, Ken. I was in Bondsville and had it all to myself.
Sam
FYI Jack used his soft hackle streamer extensively in the salt...never heard about the sparrow per se but knowing jack there was probably something like it. I was really fortunate to work in downtown Boston in the 90's. Jack would do fly tying demo's and talks fairly regularly at Orvis and Stoddards at lunch and after work-great opportunity to learn from an original. He sold his named flys but would just tie stuff up like a saltwater version of the sparrow or something and just fish it...if it had movement he'd give it a go.
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