Flies for stripers?

LimerickShaw

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I have never thrown a fly in saltwater at all but I'm going to be going to a marsh area to try and hook up with some stripers. I probably won't be using the fly rod the whole time but my try to throw it for a little bit. I don't have any real streamers other than smelt imitations and some buggers.

What are a few of your go-to's for stripers?
 

bigjim5589

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Generally, you want to have flies that imitate the predominant forage where you'll be fishing. Stripers are not usually selective, but they can be. Size of the flies is often more important than the exact colors.

I agree with the above suggestion, as that's a very productive color combination for Clouser Minnow's. I like both Clouser Minnows & the Half & Half versions, tied with both feather tails, and some tied with rabbit strip tails. Lefty's Deceivers are another good style to carry, as are Bendbacks & Seaducers. Flatwing streamers are also a good choice.

Again, you should have some flies to mimic whatever forage is present. So, if it's Sandeels for example, thin, sparsely tied patterns should work, and if it's Bunker or similar baitfish, then a fly of appropriate size & profile.

Your Smelt patterns would probably work fine, although the hook sizes & type might not be appropriate for the Stripers.

One note about Clouser Minnows, or any such fly with barbell eyes. many folks tend to tie them with barbells that are way too heavy. Sometimes you need the heavy eyes, but in shallow water conditions, you probably don't. I tie many with brass barbells and just heavy enough that the fly will ride point up.

The design of the Clouser is intended to have a jigging motion and at the same time will glide thru the water like other streamers when retrieved . If the barbells are too heavy, then the jigging motion will be much more pronounced, and although that's not always a bad thing, they tend to hang up on any snags more and you might as well tie on a bucktail jig than a fly.

Tie some and vary the weight to cover the water column & conditions and you'll catch more fish than if you just tie them heavy.

If you aren't already aware of the site Stripersonline, check it out & check out the Fly Tying section. There is an on going thread titled: "A Fly a Day". There's a lot of excellent flies in that thread and many excellent tyers there who primarily target Striped Bass.
 

clsmith131

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Another vote for clousers, deceivers are good too. To me, stripers are most particular about size, so try to find out what they are keyed in on. They will take poppers on top, but I usually go with an intermediate or F/S3 sink-tip line, so topwater flies are a no-go. Vary your retrieve and throw in the occasional 3 sec pause. They often hit on the fall (this is why clousers are so good). I would try to get not only different hook sizes, but different weights of clousers. If you tie, they are very easy, and you can use lead, brass and tungsten barbells to help fish different parts of the water column.
 

LimerickShaw

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Another vote for clousers, deceivers are good too. To me, stripers are most particular about size, so try to find out what they are keyed in on. They will take poppers on top, but I usually go with an intermediate or F/S3 sink-tip line, so topwater flies are a no-go. Vary your retrieve and throw in the occasional 3 sec pause. They often hit on the fall (this is why clousers are so good). I would try to get not only different hook sizes, but different weights of clousers. If you tie, they are very easy, and you can use lead, brass and tungsten barbells to help fish different parts of the water column.
Right now on my 7 WT I only have floating line which I know is less than ideal. Do you think I can still get it down far enough if the fly is weighted or maybe if I just add a split shot?
 

clsmith131

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I think floating line will work, in fact some people prefer it, but I would stay away from the split shot. That's asking for a tangle. It would be hard to keep your loop from collapsing with split shot. I typically only target striper high in the water column anyway.
 

bigjim5589

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I grew up & lived in MD so fished the Chesapeake Bay & tributaries. I used a floating line most, but also added sinking lines of differing sink rates to deal with current strength and/or depth when needed.

I live near Santee Cooper in SC now, and as yet have not had much opportunity to target Stripers with fly tackle, but have no doubt that the floating line will still be what I'll use the most.

Usually fishing adjacent to marshes, the water is not going to be extremely deep. I had no problem with the floating line down to about 10' as Stripers tend to roam the entire water column as long as there is forage available. I've seen them a few times in water so shallow their backs were exposed.

Your 7 wt will limit the size & weight of the flies you're going to be able to cast as it is. I know of one fellow who uses a 7 wt rod, with a 9 wt floating line, and most of his casting is short. He also uses unweighted flies where he fishes.

I'm not a fan of split shot either, don't use it at all.
 

gpwhitejr

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How about crab and shrimp flies, sand eels, and the cinder worm if they happen to be spawning?
 

bigjim5589

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Those type flies will certainly work, and particularly if you find the real thing where you're fishing. My experience with crab flies in MD was that they were a situational fly. In some places where there was sod banks, Stripers would work along the banks looking for crabs that would get in the pockets to sluff their shells. Sometimes a crab fly cast onto the bank or right against the bank & pulled into the water would get a strike. This was something we found in the Fishing Bay area on the Eastern Shore.

We also cast them around bridge pilings, pier pilings and offshore duck blinds as these structures attracted crabs and the Stripers looking for them. Otherwise, casting crab patterns was usually just casting practice, and a baitfish pattern produced a lot better.

I've heard of others in the NE using crab flies in shallow backwaters where the Stripers will come to feed, so certainly viable if you find that situation. They could also be used at inlets where crabs might get washed with the tide.

I have tied shrimp patterns to target Stripers, but never used them much, but the same applies. They will take them.

I've never encountered the famed cinder worm "hatch", and here again, if you do, then having flies to "match the hatch" would be a good idea.

I mentioned sandeels previously. They are a forage that Stripers will key on when present. As both clsmith131 and myself have said, size can be very important when they're keying on a specific forage, but there will be a range to the size with sandeels. So, if you find them present, and for example in the 4" to 6" length range it would be advisable to have a few in different sizes within that range.
 

bigjim5589

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BTW, I don't know if you'll find this, but some of the MD rivers that I had fished, particularly places with a lot of adjacent marshes, had ditches dug through the marsh for mosquito control. During high tide all type of critters would get into the marsh grass to feed and hide.

When the tide would turn, and start to empty out into the rivers, as the water levels fell, those various critters had to move with the water or be left high & dry. This was a great time to work the outfall of those ditches as various fish species would be nearby to get in on the food.

I had a friend that had a boat when I was a teen, and we found this on various rivers, again mostly on the Eastern Shore area of MD and it made for some excellent fishing. Some rivers it seemed the falling tide was the best time, but on others the rising tide could also be good.

We fished the Blackwater River often back then, which runs thru the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and this was always a good bet.

Unfortunately, in most of those rivers, a boat of some type was the best way to fish, as wading was not possible. Plus, a boat allowed us to move down river with the tide & work whatever ditches that was there. ;)
 

Meadowlark

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In addition to clousers, you might want to try the "lime punch". It has produced well for me and has area lakes records.
 

Rip Tide

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Been fishing the surf all week.
Fish over 22 inches were rare but we caught hundreds (hundreds) of schoolies..

Deceivers, half&halfs, flatwings, and blonds. Every one of them basically a sandeel imitation.
Yesterday when the the wind was down I got a few on top on a Gartside Gurgler
Don't cheat yourself out of using a surface fly. That's the most fun.
 

CWFlies

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I have not fished stripers myself but my brother went with a group to fish that Cheeky Striper tourny they do every year. I tied my brother box and he did very good with surf candies. He said he would hook one ever couple casts. All small fish but he had a blast doing it. I am sure clousers would also do pretty good. If I knew he was going to be catching so many I would have packed him some crease flies too. Below is similar to what I tied for him.
64554654_10157356934412812_1886941637515411456_n.jpg
 
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