Float and Fly Super Hot Right Now

The egg float and pink Deceiver
has been a killer in the last couple
of days for albies and stripers.

 For the last two days I have been into good numbers of fussy fish.  They are feeding on big schools of small bay anchovies which makes it very difficult to "match the hatch". I've given my readers ideas in past posts about what might work when these predators are on small bait. Stuff like Albie Snax, small epoxy jigs, float and jig and float and fly are all possibilities. The killer in the last two days for me has been the float and fly.

Yesterday I had albies in front of me (yes, they are still around) and I coaxed two big ones to take my float and fly.

Today it was big numbers of stripers on a rampage.  I managed to land 10 of them up to slot size on my float and fly using a slow retrieve with a stop once in a while.  Like using skinny plastic, many of the hits will come on the stop.

My set up is a wooden egg float that I drill and wire myself.  They can also be bought in tackle shops. I run three feet of 30 lb. test Varivas fluoro off the end of the float. At the terminal end, I tie on a homemade pink Deceiver fly.  The pink is an attractor, but the fly has the looks and movement of the small bait. I saw good number of frustrated anglers, mostly boaters, out trying today with some god awful big offerings.  I didn't see anyone else land a fish.  Maybe they should be reading this blog!

I landed this albie yesterday on the float and fly.

Today this big striper that was feeding
on tiny bay anchovies grabbed my fly
which was trailing off the float.

Can't Beat the Egg Float and Jig in Rough, Shallow Water

 

I landed this slot fish today in some
rough, stormy conditions using the
egg float and jig.

 I fished this afternoon and evening in some rough, stormy water. The wind was whipping and the rain was like stinging needles right into my face. In front of me there was a lot of white water.  I just knew I could find some stripers even though nothing was visible. Conditions were perfect for my egg float and bucktail jig.  It didn't disappoint as I did mange to find some decent slot fish.

The egg float and jig is my go to lure when the water is rough and shallow and when stripers are feeding on small bait as they have been all week. My float is a a homemade craft egg that is drilled through and wired. My go to jig is a half ounce H style (fish head) homemade bucktail jig that has a Bass Pro 3 inch Triple Ripple curly tail added. I attach my jig to the float with roughly 3 feet of 35 to 40 lb. test Varivas fluorocarbon. The set up is cast into the white water and reeled in slowly.  No need to put any rod action on it because the wave action and current will bring the jig to life.  Just reel in slowly.  This works great in rocky or shallow areas since the float keeps your jig above the snags.

I remember when I was just a kid I used to make these floats from cut off sections of my mother's broom handles.  Back then I used screw eyes from the local hardware store to set up my floats. It worked back then on stripers in the 1960's, and it works with equal efficiency these days.

Columbus Day Weekend Outllook

 

I landed this hefty schoolie in
some white water yesterday. There
are stripers around but you have to
really work to find them.

The fishing has cooled in the last couple of days along the oceanfront.  It seems that the albies are thinning out or moving south.  There were good numbers of them just a week ago but a week is an eternity in October when you are talking albies. I was out the last couple of days and saw only a few jumping here and there with no concentrations. The numbers being caught are way down in the last few days though a lot of diehards are still trying.  Still, you never know about these fish. Could be loaded tomorrow!!!!

Striper fishing has also taken a hit. Less around in the last few days, but still some if you really look for them.  Yesterday I found a great white water location along the oceanfront and landed three of them on a float and jig. I saw no other fish landed all day. If you can find a lot of bait you will most likely find some stripers. I found very little bait in the places I looked in the last couple of days. Without the bait, your best bet is to look for loners in white water locations. The Bay is still a good bet for both bonito and stripers.  The peanut bunker (bait of choice) is holed up in the Bay, and that's why the fishing there is more consistent. Note that it's generally a boating thing- a boat or kayak will get you out where the fish are and make it easier to move with them. Look for birds working.

Even after dark the striper fishing has been inconsistent from shore. I tried a couple of times this week and had just one good fish on after dark in a great spot.

Good luck if you get out this weekend.  Nice tomorrow and showers on tap for the rest of the weekend which could be a good thing.

Photo of the Day- "They're Back!"

 

They may have disappeared after the storm, but I can tell you they are
back with a vengeance. Albies were blasting the surface in wide swatches 
of the oceanfront today and seemed to be just about everywhere.
The bait has come back also with huge schools of bay achovies
moving around.

Post Storm Report- Albies Gone, Striper Fishing Hot in the Bay But Poor Along Oceanfront

 

It's been hot fishing for me this week from
my kayak in 'Gansett Bay. Most of the fish
have been slots and all were caught on Finesse
Fish. They have been around in good numbers.

It's been almost a week since that big northeaster. The ocean and the fishing have settled down. I've been out the last 7 days in a row.  Here is what's going on:

Albies Gone- I'm in touch with a lot of albie fanatics who fish every day for them. NO ONE has seen or landed an albie since the big blow. At least a week with none.  Heck, haven't even heard of any from the boats. There are still a few bonito around but that's about it for pelagics. The fanatics are confident the albies are coming back.  I'm not so sure.

Striper Bonanza in the Bay- It's been some of the best fall fishing ever in the Bay for me for stripers.  They have been around in big numbers chasing down schools of peanut bunker that seem to be holed up in the Bay but not along the oceanfront. I have been getting most of my fish from the kayak. Most of these fish are in the 26 to 35 inch range and slots make up the majority of fish. They have moved around a lot this week, and it's a matter of finding the stripers and the bait.  Look for birds working. All my fish have come on a 5.75 inch white Finesse Fish fished weightless and rigged with a BKK 5/0 Titan Rider hook. I wish I could report good fishing along the oceanfront for stripers but it has been generally dead once the northeast winds and ocean calmed down. Most of my sharpie friends have been striking out. Rest assured the stripers and peanut bunker will move out of the Bay eventually.

Striper Fishing Blows Up Post Storm; Blitzes from Shore and Kayak!

A bucktail jig coming off a wooded egg float
was the ticket from shore yeaterday.

I had two great days of striper fishing in a row.  

Yesterday I walked into a massive blitz of fish going crazy in the white water and rough conditions along the oceanfront.  It was a good ole fashioned blitz with birds diving and fish breaking.  It was still quite rough from the northeaster, but safe and very fishable where I was.  I ended up landing 25 fish that ranged from 24 to 30 inches.  Hefty schooolies made up the bulk of the catch.  I got them all on a wooden egg float and a jig, an ideal set up to use in white water where a long cast is needed and where stripers are feeding on small bait (looked like bay anchovies to me).

Today I took the kayak out into Narragansett Bay where my son Jon has been killing them in the last few days.  I found good numbers of fish breaking here and there.  And, these were larger fish than what I saw at the oceanfront yesterday.  At times the breaks were like cinder blocks hitting the water.  But, they were fussy in some super calm conditions.  I could only get them to hit an unweighted Finesse Fish on a super slow retrieve with stops. I ended up the morning with 7 stripers- generally all slots with one over slot. I had a ton of hits but a lot of fussy takers.

It was hot fishing in the kayak today
for large fish. Most of my fish were slots
with this one over slot.

So, that big northeaster has charged up the striper fishing. It's about time.  Looks like a fall run is in progress!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

 We are in the grips of a northeaster and it's wreaking havoc on the oceanfront. I've fished 4 days in a row this week and conditions have gradually gone downhill making fishing very difficult in most areas.

I landed this hefty schoolie in some
wild, but clean white water this week.
There have been some impressive
catches in the blows this week. Look
for clean white water with lots of
bait.

I love fishing rough water and over the years it has really produced for me.  However, this past week has been marginal with a fish here and there in some beautiful white water. Yesterday, conditions really took a turn for the worse with a lot of weedy and sandy water, stuff stripers try to avoid. It was the first time in a week I got skunked.

While I have not been lighting it up in this week's northeast blows, I have heard of some great catches. These have mostly occurred in places of clean, white water with a lot of bait.  My son Jon had the best outing I heard of with 10 stripers over 40 inches two nights ago. So, you can score in the roughness if you find the fish.

There are many well known "Northeaster Spots" to fish in RI.  Most of these are either points that offer fishing on three sides which gives you some shelter from the wind, but still gives you white water.  The backwaters are also good bets and within the breachways on the outgoing tides might offer some good fishing in clean water.

If you do get out in the next few days, proceed with extreme caution and stay safe. The wind and surf are really supposed to ramp up.