THE
BIG FIVE-OH April 12, 2008 - With
surface temperatures lingering in the low to mid 40’s, depending on
location, we have yet to experience our first real push of school fish.
General consensus among the fly-fishing community indicates that
50-degree water temperatures are imperative to encourage the northward
striper migration to enter Massachusetts’s waters. With this in mind
we have fielded a number of scattered reports from anglers to the south
fairing quite well while fishing the mouths of both the Housatonic and
Connecticut Rivers in Connecticut. Not sure if migrants or residents are
providing the sport but it’s stimulating none the less. FLY
PATTERN VS. FLY LINE A popular estuary in the Chatham area of Cape Cod has been a venue of mine for nearly 30 years. It is one I have grown intimate with and grown knowledgeable of through both success and failure. Arriving at pre-dawn, and expecting little if any company, I was stunned to observe another fly angler canvassing the water that was to be my focus for the outing. The geographical characteristics of the estuary could easily support many fly anglers so my disappointment was minimal, if any. Sporting a rather fast-action 10 wt. rod accompanied by 400- grain line (water depth at high tide was approximately 30 feet) I began the routine of dredging the channel with a rather nondescript baitfish imitation. Cast after cast was greeted by a school striped bass while my new companion went fishless merely a double haul from my post convinced that I had somehow stumbled upon a clandestine fly pattern sure to secure success. As the morning sun made it’s complete appearance, I inspected the equipment my cohort was employing and learned that his 9-weight rod was complimented by a floating line, hardly appropriated for the water he was canvassing. To prove the point, I respectfully solicited a fly from his collection, attached it to my leader, and began to repeat my earlier success in the exact location of his failure. Good
fishing and safe wading, |
