Fly of the Week: Bunny Leech

Here is an easy fly-box arsenal builder, the Bunny Leech. This fly is great for fresh and saltwater, all you need to do is switch up the colors. Here I tie up a darker profiled fly for bass, which you can bounce off the bottom or strip with pauses to allow the fur to puff out in the water giving it a nice profile. These are great for steelies if you get fancy with the colors and use some orange, pink, or purple. If you want to try these out for saltwater, leave a longer tail and add some flash. If you go all white with some chartreuse, I could see it hanging out of a stripers mouth for sure.

Recipe:

• Hook: Streamer #6
• Thread: 6/0 Uni Thread Black
• Body: Zonker Strip (barred or regular)
• Tail: Zonker Strip (barred or regular)

Tie them while they're hot.
-The Fly Fiend

Cows are in!

I spent Wednesday night in the city-limits surf fighting the 10pm incoming tide in search of a nice, big striped bass. I got there around 8pm and saw some action right away. There was some bird commotion going on, but couldn't see any surface action. After talking to a few other anglers who had been skunked, my faith was fading. I finally got to my spot and after only 5 minutes, I saw a keeper sized fish flip out of the water. Unless there is a feeding frenzy going on, this is pretty rare to see. A few casts leading to catching seaweed and mussel beds (feeding areas for striped bass) and a few bumps, my faith had been remotely restored .

It's crazy to say, but it was actually beautiful seeing the sunset over Boston, even though there were Boeing 737's flying overhead, so my attention started to fade. It didn't help that I knew the Bruins were tied at 1's going into the third period, but I knew the game would give me the water to myself. As my attention drifted with the incoming tide, I had a hit and solid hook set. Once that fish knew it was hooked, I had to hold on. It's initial run was about 30 yards and it sounded nice to hear my reel scream, but I was working the edge of some fast water and I realized I should probably work the fish away from there so I wouldn't get spooled. The fish made a few additional runs, but man it was great to have a tight line!

I landed the cow and got out my measuring tape to see whopping 33 inches! I was fishing alone so I had to ask a couple walking to take my picture. After deciphering their thick Bahhhston accents, I was able to get a decent picture. All in all a great night, but could have been better if I capitalized on those early bumps. I hooked up with this pig on a brown-back shad imitation and tried some mackerel imitations where bigger bait is in. I saw a few bait schools working the shoreline before sundown...think big and white!

-The Fly Fiend

North Shore, MA Schoolies

Last night fell into place nicely. I checked the tides and saw it was roughly a 9:30pm low tide on the North Shore, MA and a 7:30pm sunset so I couldn't say no. I was able to convince my buddy that we would certainly get into fish with a solid 2 hours of fishing. My buddy is from the West Coast and had been scouting and fishing striper spots only to get skunked. He told me he thought that the striped bass might be an elusive animal after all his stalking.

We got to our spot about 7:30pm, geared up, and set out. We had the water to ourselves! First cast, STRIKE! Fish on an all white clouser (schoolie fly-fisherman's ole' trusty). It had been a while so I had a pretty poor hook set. A few minutes later, a second hookup with another sub-par hook set. Finally, I was able to land a nice schoolie and I had to let out a sigh of relief. 

Now my friend and I have fished together before, but it didn't produce any fish. So at this point, I was starting to worry that I might be bad luck for him and I needed to get him a fish. He had been stalking stripers on the fly all spring and is headed down to the Cheeky Fly Fishing Tournament this weekend without knowing what a tight-lined striper felt like. Well a chartreuse and white clouser seemed to do the trick. 

We got into fish up until 9:30pm at night on clousers, deceivers, gurglers (right as they hit the surface and stripped once, BAMMMMM), and sand eel patterns. It was an overall great night and it is still early in the season. We landed 10 fish between the 2 of us and hooked into easily 20. There was a little surface action from here and there where fish would start crashing for 5 minutes then stop and then start again.

Get out while the schoolies are hitting hard!

If it's white, it's tight!

-The Fly Fiend

Striper Update from May 7th

Yesterday morning I was on the T to work headed over the Charles River to North Station. As I normally do, I looking out thinking about being on the water at that wonderful time of the day and saw the Charles boiling from fish. My thought is that herring were in and the Striped Bass had followed. When I got into Science Park Station, I had to hold back from turning back and calling in sick.

As the day went on, all I could think about was the Spring run and how far/how many fish had moved up this way. When I got home, I grabbed my rod and made way for the Charles where I saw fish busting that morning. I figured where it was an evening high tide, fish might be moving in. After wishful-casting for 30 minutes I decided to move up river where I have caught fish before, but still had no luck.

I called Surfland for a report and they said the same things I had heard about fish in the Boston Harbor and heard the Saugus River was producing a few fish. No Earth shattering news yet, but there will hopefully be big news soon!

-The Fly Fiend

Fly of the Week 5/7/2013: San Juan Worm

Everyone has an old reliable, but I think this should be nicknamed "The Old Reliable." The San Juan Worm is a fly to have in every freshwater fly box. It is great for all sizes of trout if tied in various colors like pink, red, orange, or tan. This fly is very simple for fly tiers of all skill levels and can be tied in different ways. Some people like to add a bead head for more weight, but all you need is a hook, chenille, and thread. If you don't know, here is how.

Recipe:

• Hook: Nymph #12
• Thread: 6/0 Uni Thread (to match worm)
• Body: Ultra Chenille Pink (Red, Orange, Tan)

Tie on.
-The Fly Fiend

Spring Skunking

As many of you know, stripers have been the topic of the spring. 

"When are they going to be here?" 

"What are they eating?"

"Schoolies in Rhode Island."

"KEEPERS IN RHODE ISLAND!!!"

"Mack's in the Boston Harbor."

With all the talk, I had to try my luck. I knew it might be a bit early to hit it, but I fished the outgoing tide at Castle Island in Southie yesterday. When I parked, I crossed paths with a kayak angler who fished high tide. He said he was dragging tube worms and saw a few others out, but he didn't have any luck and he didn't see anyone else hooking up.

If you have never fished Castle Island, there is a large man-made walkway that creates a salt pond. There are 2 bridges that allow water in at high and drains at low. It is great to fish right near the bridges because it creates some fast water and some eddies. 2 hours of throwing Slug-Go's and no luck. I saw a few birds working an area outside the Castle Island area but that was all the excitement.

I think it is a matter of a week before schoolies are in thick down in Boston and 2 weeks for North shore/Salisbury area. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later, I am ready for this season to start.

-The Fly Fiend

Fly of the Week 5/1/2013: Gurgler

I have seen the pictures and I have seen blog posts...Stripers are in! Headed up the coast, I have heard of keepers caught in Rhode Island and in Cape Cod. With that being said, I hope you have saved up your sick days and are ready to work those tides.

How about a top-saltwater fly this week? You can always rely on clousers or surf candy, but there is something about seeing a fish SMASH something on the surface then making your reel scream. These are used for tarpon, but are also used for striped bass, bluefish, and even freshwater bass.

Recipe:

• Hook: 3/0 Saltwater Hook
• Thread/Body: 6/0 Danville's Flat Wax Nylon Yellow/Tan
• Tail: Tan Buck Tail and Pearl Crystal Flash
• Body: Olive Estaz
• Back: Tan/Green Foam

Tight lines with linesiders
-The Fly Fiend