august striper

shakey

shakey

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Joined
Oct 7, 2007
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i'm going to be staying on shelter island in NY next week and hope to get side trips to montauk for striper.

i realise it isn't the best time of year for this.

what flies do i need?i tyed up decievers,half and halfs and clousers in red and white,chartreuse and white,yellow and pink.
i tyed some squid like flies in white and black eels.

anything else?

thanks so much,i don't know about salt water fishing.
 
I'd say you have most of the bases covered. You might add a couple poppers, deer hair, or crease type flies for surface or upper water column. Frankly, Clousers cover most of the bases. Try varying the size. The bait prevalent in summer might tend toward the small size: anchovies and spearing. A green over white Clouser about 3" long would be your go-to fly. The beaches there are rocky with a lot of sea weed. Try tying some of your flies with a heavy mono weed guard. Good luck.
 
Shakey,

Also remember that when fishing over small bait the bass aren't going after one single fish. They are vaccuuming down a bunch at a time. So I have found that you need to put something on completely different and way bigger. Matching the hatch in this case doesn't always work.

Alot of guys Montauk and North like to use deceivers. The gartside gurgler is a great fly to have as well.

Your in a great place b/c if you hit it right it could ruin Jersey for you forever. Montauk and north blows Jersey out of the water. I use to think Barnaget Inlet was a great place(and it is for Jersey) but can't hold water with Long Island and New England. The reason for this is simple Jersey doesn't have the structure that hold the bait fish for an extended period of time, therefore the fish pass by hang out a while and then keep moving.. If you really want to get into some good action you should plan a trip up there in late October or November.

Last year I witnessed major blitz daily in New England. We had a competition to see who could get there line in without getting a fish on. I have never consistently seen this in Jersey.

Also some spots are great at high tide and not so great at low and vice versa. This is footwork your going to have to do. Another thing people on Long Island aren't as cordial as people in New England, especially at Montauk.

Good Luck!

If your interested in going this fall up to New England let me know. I'll show you around. It's a great experience if you hit it right.

Make sure you have a bunch of various flies tied in black w/some krystal flash if you will be fishing at night.
 
Good info above.
When I live in MA, my 2 go to baits at this time of year were sand eel imitations (really simple to tie) and whistlers (a real good large profile that was still easy to cast.)
If you can find structure with flowing water (either tide or river flows) you can fish the sand eel like a nymph then strip it in. If it is water without that movement, search with the whistler.
You would probably do best in early morning 3am til just after sun up.
If you can catch either side of high tide during those hours, all the better.
Good luck.
 
thanks so much guys.i added gartside gurglers and crease flies to the list.i'll have to google this whistler.

i did tye eels in black with black crystal flash,ill try them at night.

i hadn't thought of green over white clousers,i'll tye some of them.thanks!!
 
Another thing is breachways(which is what they call inlets in New England) are usually good on outgoing and incoming. Problem is trying to cast a fly rod on one they usually have a bunch of people on them.

Good link Tom I especially like the bottom one.
 
Here's another link for them:
http://www.danica.com/flytier/kseyoufi/whistler.htm

I usually tie mine similarly, but do the front of the shank tied palmered aka wooly bugger style to give it more of a defined body outline. I felt this helped hold the shape when getting tossed about in the surf. I it could also add a couple inches in length to make a longer bait fly. Blue / white and green / white were my favorites.
 
One thing I have noticed about good saltwater patterns is that they are tied much more sparsely than one would imagine...had to trim up my clousers the first year I went...too bushy.
 
You are right about that Tom. When you get into 6"-10" flies, they will hold alot of salt water not only making them extremely difficult to cast for any distance (in a usually ceaseless wind) but will also wear out your arm very quickly (at least my arm).
The biggest the outline with the least actual material makes for the best salt flies.
 
"tied much more sparsley than one would imagine.......too bushy"

-OOPS!!

it is amazing how fast you can go through white material,white thread ,white hackle and white bucktail with these salt patterns.

i don't really expect to catch anything anyway,i can only cast about two feet. :)
 
Shakey,

What type of line are you going to use?
 
rio wf7f.i'd like to use a seven weight floating for most stuff.i may also bring an eight weight rod rigged with sinking line.

it depends whether i go by train or motorcycle.the eight weight is a two piece and rather unwieldy for the train but straps to the side of my bike ok.

i've heard of people using 10 weights,but that seems like overkill to me.i have caught most(schuylikill) striper on a six weight.i don't expect to hook a giant,or anything at all for that matter.

at this point i can't go heavier than eight,but my seven weight stuff is possibly nicer.
 
I've caught some big fish on a 7 wt...it's what I used 70% of the time. Typically you are fighting them in open water, so you have the advantage of putting all the pressure you can without worrying about getting wrapped around something. Your 7 wt is fine.
The wind was usually the determining factor if I went to a heavier rod.
You may want the 8wt though for the sinking line...that could be the difference between fish and skunk...or small fish vs big fish.
As for casting distance, you will typically have a tailwind to help you out...just get it high enough that it goes OVER your head, not INTO your head (I speak from experience :-( ).
 
Depending on wind and the tide I would say you should use a 9 weight. An 8 will get you by though. If you would hook into a nice fish a 7 would be a little light. I use a seven for smallmouth. If you get into bluefish a seven will probably be too light. Take the eight. If you can have another spool with floating line that would be good.

David

In a lake with a 7 weight OK. But with an outgoing tide ripping out I would be more confident with a nine weight. I have already had a fish or two get me into my backing with a nine weight.IMHO
 
An 8WT would be fine for fishing from a boat with fairly small flies when you're out over deeper water if you have a good drag and 200yds of backing (a 9WT is better). Albacore will likely be around, esp late in August and they will really burn your reel but prefer smaller flies. The blues and bass this time of year can be handled with an 8 WT from a boat too, or if you're fishing a sheltered bay area. When I fish Montauk I fish the beaches near the light - mostly the North Bar and and Turtle Cove. This is big water with a lot of fishermen. For the beach I strongly recommend a 10WT. The currents can be strong and there are a lot of big rocks with seaweed that you'll have to horse a fish through. Your backcast will need to be high and short to clear the beach boulders behind you. You'll need to shoot line, esp if you're unable to wade out to a boulder in the water (local surf fishermen here actually wear wet suits so when they get knocked off a boulder they can swim or wade back!). The large numbers of fishermen on the beach, some of them rather blunt and outspoken, makes it imperative to get a fish in quick to avoid tangles.
Also, watch out for the "Montauk Monster." :-D

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395294,00.html
 
Interesting.........my vote goes to the government animal-disease research facility on Plum Island, just offshore from Montauk.
 
Shakey,

Korkers and a PFD are usually a good idea. They make for a safe fishing trip.
 
i can't thank you guys enough for the help.
 
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