Flyfishing Pleasant Bay Stripers

by Michael Eichenseer

I was staring and grinning at the Striper at my feet. It measured 37 inches. The boat rocked gently and I looked up to see the butt off my rod levering up from the deck.
I'd been drifting, rod against the gunnel, fly trailing in the water, for only the few seconds it took to tape the fish. I reached for my rod thinking my fly had snagged weeds or a pot line. My fly couldn't have been trailing more than 9' off the rod tip but as I lifted the rod, I felt the heavy pull of another nice fish.
Two keepers, one cast, Pleasant Bay.
Oh, its not often that good, I admit. The down side of that day was that I found those fish on the way to returning a friend's boat. I was late. He was waiting on the beach with guests. I had to release those fish in a hurry and get to him to preserve his trust. Fish were busting all around me and I had to leave. And so it goes.
Pleasant Bay can be like that though. It's almost never bust but can be unexpectedly boom. Once or twice each summer, for a few days, big schools of big fish come all the way up into the Bay. When they do, you want to make your excuses on the job and hit the water.
I'm talking about a thousand fish or so and all in the thirties. They come up in, eat everything they can find right down to the crabs and head back out to the Atlantic.
This is the bonus on top of the usual thousands of schoolies coursing the channels, bars and grass beds of the bay. While some schoolies overwinter in the shallow backwaters where the sun can warm them. Others add to this in the summer migration of southern fish that start arriving in April for a Bay full up with stripers by June.
When the big fish are in and feeding in a frenzy, they'll eat anything. The rest of the time, it takes a little care to catch consistently. Lets take a look at some standard fly gear.
A 6-9 wgt rod is the practical range. The lighter rod may take longer to land the fish but it is adequate to the task if you have the time. However, sometimes the fish suffers exhaustion as a result. Bring the 8/9 wgt. if you have one but don't be put off if you don't.
If you have a strong arm and want to fish the big wind days, bring the 11 wt. and the shooting head and have at it.
With rare exception, at least an intermediate line is called for. Stripers like to feed near the bottom and getting the fly down is very important. Crucial most days.
In Pleasant Bay, where the wind averages 14 knots, a shooting head can be a day saver. Not only will your fly get down faster but you can drive a cast into the wind when you need to. Bring 3x to 6x sink rates depending on whether you plan to fish 8' of water up in the Bay or 20' down near the rock wall.
Bringing two rods or reels? Line one with the medium sinking and the other with at least a 3x shooting head. Now you're covered from the three foot shallows to the 20' deep channels. Wind or no wind, you're in good shape.
Leaders need not be fancy. Standard 6' to 10' leaders with enough stiffness to turn over a beefy Clouser or a big winged Deciever are just fine. I like knotted leaders, easier to replace on a busy day.
Flies? Well, if you could choose just one . . . some would go with a Deciever. Some with a Sand Eel. Others a Bunny. A few might choose a Popper or a little "slider" or a Herring pattern. But Clouser is king.
Again, the Clouser (shown here in chartreuse/creme) gets down to where the fish like to feed. Tied in greens ( chartreuse to olive), oranges and whites, it imitates the local chubs. It also fishes well without hanging up because it rides inverted underwater and it casts into the wind. A fly for all seasons. Literally.
How to fish 'em is a matter of matching the fly and depth. Clousers should settle evenly to the bottom where the fish hold and drift along just above it looking like disorented baitfish. Short strips and steady retrieves as you drift along in the boat are usually just the ticket. Bouncing Clousers off rock and hard bottom is very effective.
Actively feeding fish, day and especially night are usually attracted to the bigger profile of Poppers and Bunnys. Remember, with the Popper, the fish is hitting the activity (the splash) as much as the fly. So keep it going until you lift it from the water. Bunnys are "pumped" in to accentuate their profile.
"Where to go", requires a little experimentation. You can see where others are fishing in the lower Bay: the rock wall, the camps, Strong Island. Or you can go looking for the fish patterns yourself.
On the up side, finding your own place means having it to yourself until others see you catching. The down side? Well, there isn't one if you're not in a hurry.
This is what you are looking for. The rockfish. That's a Striped Bass' other name. So find the rocks (or grass banks edges or channel edges) that provide a current break and try here first.
Work the falling tide. The ebb is just better than the flood most places. It concentrates the bait and the fish in ever fewer places. (This must be genetics driven. Fish that fled to the channels on the ebb survived to breeding age more often than those caught up on the flats in shallow water. Natural selection at work.)
Besides those popular spots mentioned above, you can try these places too:
1) The end of North Beach over by the break. Wade this with care to sight fish in just 2' to 3' of water. The flood is often better but a riskier wade. Sand Eel and Deciever (or silverside) patterns are most natural.
2) The eastern edge of the channel from the end of North Beach to the camps by boat. Find the sharp drop here between the shallow grass and the channel.
3) Minister's Point on the ebb. Plenty of rocks and rubble. Best in low light. This is good shallow water fishing. Wading at night may be best.
4) Southeast corner of Strong Island saltmarsh. The flood tide here dumps into the channel after crossing the long east-west bar to the south. Work the drop.
5) Northwest of Strong Island. The flood flows over grassy flats on the north side and dumps into a 15' channel. First light by boat is best before channel traffic puts down the fish.
6) Buoy 23(?, most years) nearest the golf course. This is a feeding station where a deep channel divides grass flats to the south and the end of a shallow bar to the north. Clouser the bottom or streamer the shallows by boat.
7) The downstream end of either tide through The Narrows between the Bays. Both ends have shallows and rocks (look for the swirls) that hold fish near the current.
8) The flats off the Cupola House on North Beach. Cruising fish for sight casting in the bottom half of the tide (flats boat or wading). The inner North Beach grassy shore on the top half of the tide (boat or kayak).
9) Crooked channel, where ever along its length that the fish have paused to feed in their cruising. The up current end is always a producer, where bait washes over the flats into the channel head.
10) Namequoit Point north of the bar. There is a deep hole here and casting to the shoreline from out at the 5' to 10' depth finds watchful Stripers awaiting an easy meal.
That's more than a dozen places to check and learn in the Bay in all. Don't underestimate the most populous locales. They attract half a dozen boats each day because they are consistent producers of fish.
But if you take the time and have the luck to be on the water on a windless day, you can find many more on your own and with the pleasure of solitude.

A few more points to keep in mind.
Be stealthy. I can approach feeding Stripers so quietly in my kayak that big fish take the fly under my elbow. Walk softly on your boat and drift into position rather than motor whenever possible. Anchoring may be the key in some places if you don't block other boaters' drift.
Flatten your barbs. I have rarely lost a fish without a barb. Setting a barbless hook is easier and so is releasing, of course. No barb also means less damage to the fish. And you may find some little comfort while listening to that big point whistle past your head in the dark.
When you do catch, take a moment to look at these fish in the sunlight. They are remarkably metallic and rainbow hued. They may not be the biggest fighters or the wiliest adversary, yet they offer us such great enjoyment for our effort. A few pictures from summer sure make a nice addition to the tying bench over the winter.
Stripers do their rightful part in making it a Pleasant Bay.

( First published in On The Water, June 1998.)

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