Where I do most of my saltwater fly fishing is Long Island Sound which I think of as more of a giant tidal river starting at the eastern edge of New York and flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. And here in Connecticut our coastline is laced with many tidal rivers that are like the tributaries of the Sound. They range from big rivers with strong tidal flows to tiny creeks that empty at the bottom of the tide. In the spring these rivers are breeding grounds for the bait fish that feeds the ocean. Alewives and blueback herring come in to spawn where the salt meets the fresh water. At night adult silversides fill the estuaries in big numbers. Clam worms and grass shrimp by the hundreds meet on the surface of the water to mate. American eels, menhaden, needlefish, squid, crabs and many other critters fill the Sound and the rivers are full of life. And the striped bass are there. Under the cover of darkness in the tidal flows they feed and show their presence. Stripers love current and they set up in feeding lanes much like trout letting the water bring the food to them. They are usually not aggressive or chasing bait like they do out on open water. It isn’t blitz fishing where casting and stripping takes the most fish. A well presented fly that drifts in the current and looks the most natural usually gets the most takes. Traditional techniques adopted from freshwater fisherman like greased-line and wet fly swings are very useful and enable a good drift in the complex currents. Longer progressive action rods of ten and a half feet and floating lines help in controlling your line and drift by mending. Flatwings, originated by Ken Abrames, tied with natural materials like bucktail, saddle hackles and jungle cock eyes move and look alive on a dead drift. I often fish with two or more flies at a time to give the fish a choice. A shrimp fly, a silverside and maybe a larger baitfish or eel at the tail and the stripers will let you know. Most of the fish are small with the occasional ten pound fish but when larger bait is present small runs of bigger fish come in to feed. The other night I had a feeling about this one tidal river I fish. Its a trout stream at the head but gets wider and tidal closer to the mouth. It gets a decent run of herring in the spring but is lesser know than the bigger rivers in the state. So I arrived at the spot and looked down and saw a small school of adult menhaden packed in tight together fighting the flow. I tied on a twelve inch flatwing and set up above the bait. A long cast and several mends kept my fly drifting down the current looking like a bait dropping out of the school. About a half hour in I felt tension on my line and set the hook. It was a small fish but I knew there where bigger ones there. I stayed focused and changed flies and just kept fishing. Then I made a good cast, mended and my fly went through the slot on a perfect dead drift. I felt a fish flare its gills and suck my fly in. I set the hook hard. And again. And I set again. The fish ran straight at me and then upstream going deep into my backing. I knew it was a good fish but when I finally fought it to the bank and grabbed it by the gill plate I was shocked. She was my biggest and absolutely beautiful. Twenty-eight pounds and fat. I held her in the current until she broke my grip and released her to fight another day. I stayed through the end of the tide and caught another nice fish in the low twenty pound range but when the current ended so did the fishing. It was a truly memorable night that I will never forget.
Wow! Nice fish Simpson! .. I learned a ton from you last year towards the end of the season when we were fishing the featherwings together in Rhode Island at that spot with all the current. It was really cool to see a little micro environment like that where the current was perfect, the bait was plentiful and so were the fish. It was really fun to just watch the stripers holding in the current and feeding like salmon or trout .. and have you help me dial into fishing the floating line and swinging the flatwings. It was really cool to just watch everything unfold and watch the fish react to the fly presented in a natural motion like that .. and I realized immediately that in that kind of environment .. this presentation and method was so much more effective and natural than just chucking out any old fly and stripping it in and hoping for the best. I have some awesome tidals rivers and estuaries right around my house here in Maine .. and the bait is already thick!! .. So, in coming I am going to be doing alot of this swinging with flatwings and a spey rod. It also helps that I have all those killer flatwing patterns you gave me last fall! …. Congrats on the nice fish man! I can definately appreciate how tough a 40″+ fish can be on the fly and from foot! .. Infact, I never measured my biggest striper on foot with fly .. but I don’t think it was 40″ .. probably and honest 36″ … So, that is a goal of mine .. 40″ striper on fly on foot and I have a feeling its gonna happen with the flatwing swing. I’ll keep ya posted. Thanks for all you’ve taught me with fishing this method .. and all the sweet flatwings I have to fish with now!
That is an awsome fish! I have been becoming a fan of Ken Abrams lately. Had the chance of meeting him last week and learning his theories on colors and bait imitations. Great guy.
I am a CT resident as well but I feel the strippers have been difficult this spring. We had a warn April then a cold May. We will see were it all goes.
Stripers 🙂
that is a hog. i just got a report from a co-worker that schoolies are in portland. yeehaw!
when you’re fishing with multiple flies, how do you fish them? are you tying more tippet on the bend of the first hook, or leaving an extra long tag from your leader knot?
Ed what a pig! that is a striper of a lifetime indeed. I really appreciate your game down there; you tie your own flatwings, fish all day and all night, and let em’ go to see them swim another day. love it. Before I met you I was totally unaware of this unique method, thanks for opening up my eyes!
Great fish, the flies are a nice touch in the picture. I’m always interested in the flies people use to catch their fish. Nice story and monster fish.
Ed, what a bomber. I like the way you explained how you fish for stripers in the “tribs of the sound.” Sounds just like trout fishing, hell you might see me out there some day with an indicator :). Congrats on a killer night.
Joey – you raise an interesting point .. it is much like trout/salmon fishing (especially swinging in the sense of swing flies) … ed recently came up to maine to fish for trout/salmon and while i was fishing “small” black ghosts, soft hackles and leachy type patterns .. ed was fishing some “smaller” (6 or 7″) versions of his flatwings that he uses in argentina for sea run brown trout ….. fish ate them up like candy .. and not the small fish … so, i am definately sold on flatwings of this nature for trout/salmon .. esepcially when tied olive/black’ish colors .. or white during smelt runs …. these are killer flies for both salt and fresh .. and they are so light; so you can cast them a mile .. but when they get in the water they look super full and the motion they produce is outrageous …
ps… as far as nymphing goes .. that would definately work stripers .. remember henrik at beans? .. in select spots, he used to nymph up stripers on giant chartreuse stonefiles with indicators …
anyway, you should tie up a few of these flatwings .. and throw ’em around out west .. see what happens.
My brother, just a really well written article. I know how much time you put in and now you are seeing the benefits great work man and great self shot photo. See you soon … ALEX
gigante amigo !!!!!! que mala vida que llevas alla!! felicitaciones
aca estamos descansando y esperando que pase el invierno ….son 6 meses largos
hasta pronto
Miguel
wow big fish ! we catch the dutch version of the striper ( European Seabass) also on the swing lately. ( only with hi-density sinking lines..)
Wish our bass would grow that big….( a 30 inch fish is a real monster..)
Cornelis
The Netherlands
( Bass-addict )
Ed. That’s a beauty. Nice article too.
Charlie
Hello,
I am totally new to fly fishing, I have fished my entire life mostly saltwater, mostly New England, I’ve been doing the practice thing in my yard and still find it challaging, can anyone suggest a spot on the eastern CT shore where I could practice and still possibly catch? I’m using a Sage Rod and Ross Reel 9’wt with SA intermidiate sinking line, various clousers and deciver flies to start. any and all suggetions will help, or is there a club in the area thanks Bill