Striper Invasion

June is cranking with lots of great striper action on the fly rod. Water temps have crept nicely into the low to mid 60's and small bait schools, such as sand eels, have exploded into clouds of fish food. The fat Bass above crushed a popping bug skittering across the serene saline setting of the Norwalk Islands. After refusing several of the staple fluttering flies usually flung from my foredeck, she inhaled the combo of foam & feather on it's first flight. The Nautilus reel released line and backing at a smooth and steady pace, providing the perfect amount of resistance to bring this beauty boat side. The action continued through out the day and flies dealt from the dance floor outpaced a variety of other artificials launched incrementally from the stern. We got into some Bluefish this week as well, still rising on eels from time to time; mostly on the flood. Mostly though it is Bass; Schoolies of course, but some really nice middle weights are mixing in for a good pull. The next couple of weeks should continue to produce some terrific fly fishing.

The first week of November came in like a lamb, but ended in a nasty, and persistent blow from the east that dropped temps about 20 + degrees overnight. Coupled with a full moon, the tides flooded the shoreline on high, and flushed it out on the ebb, taking with it the terrific fishing we were enjoying. I have always said when the weather is good, so is the fishing. And I suppose catching fat Albies while barefoot, in November was a bit of a gift. Yes, with water temps still in the low to mid 60's I predicted last week the action would continue through November, but I did not expect hard tails to stick around. No complaints over bonus big eyes. Perhaps I spoke too soon as the weekend was a bit of a bust, with only a handful of puny fish. I suspect, and hope, that the mayhem will resume when the conditions improve. We will be back to banging Bass and Blues until it's time for the big bird.

The fishing has been good all week with transient fish competing with the locals for big bait buffet swimming near shore. Schoolies and the occasional keeper are inhaling flies near shore There are likely two more good weeks of the spring Striper sojourn, maybe three, before water temps inhibit all the inhaling.