It was April 24th and I needed a break; two tests and an autobiography due the next day for my ninth grade humanities classes. Without my parents consent, I called up a cab, rigged up and headed out on the sound to one of my spots. I wasn’t sure if there were any striped bass around yet, but on an evening as beautiful is it was, I had to go in order to maintain sanity. I had to have some fun amidst all of this academic torture. After the awkward cab ride, I was emancipated to a crisp evening with my Loomis 9wt fly rod and only 2 flies. After several hours of dead fishing, I accepted the absence of fish in the area. As dusk began to approach I switched flies from a white deceiver to a silver 5/0 bobs banger fly. If there was a fish within my domain now would be the time for her to take my fly. 15 minutes before dark, I shot my plug-size fly to the other side of the rip and worked it back across the roaring current. Towards the end of the retrieve I stripped faster because I was ready to leave. As I was doing this, I witnessed a happening that I will never forget. There was boil just behind the fly. Had I become delirious? A second later a dark gray beast made an aggressive yet graceful roll as he slurped in the huge top water fly. #%@*+# !, I made a desperate attempt to gain back the slack fly line by jumping back and setting the hook using my rod and a strip. It worked and the beast ripped the loose line from my feet and took off relentlessly down the rip. After 15 minutes of gaining back 200 feet of line, I had the the beast on shore. It was a 27″ fish and it was a night I will never forget. In late April, on a beautiful sunset that I would catch not only a huge striped bass but my first striped bass fly fishing. As of June 1st, I have had one more 27″ inch 10 pounder as well as a 29″ keeper. I average about 6 hookups per night.
Nice! First striper on the fly and good fish too! Pretty sweet too, that it took a top water fly. It’s pretty cool these days seeing the articles/fishtales from so many different places and people who do all sorts of different fly fishing in different elements … Taking a cab to go catch stripers with Manhatten skyline probably in plane view; that’s pretty cool and something I would like to do someday… I always thought it would be cool to catch a fish on the fly within clear view of the statue of liberty. Does the striper fishing hold up all summer on long island?
Congrats on your first striper on the fly they are amazing fish. I love the black and white photos with the city in the distance. Alex
great fish and the picture is worth a thousand words. Congratulations on your firdt striper on a fly, it won’t be the last.
Awsome fishtale! and what a memorable experience for your first striper on the fly. I love the picture of the long island bridge and buildings….
Beautiful, let the addiction begin! Great fishing story and always nice to hear someone having the time of their life with a fly rod in their hand. Nothing is more fun or more addicting than the sound of a fly reel screaming.
They say a picture can say a thousand words. Those pictures say millions… Looks like a great night on the water.