Astronomical Numbers of Schoolies Arrive

Cocahoes on a small jighead
were hot producers today.

My shrimp fly teaser was
also a hot number and led to
numerous double headers.

They are here.  I mean REALLY here.  I hit the MOTHER of all spring blitzes today as astronomical numbers of schoolies hit the shore in the location I was fishing along the RI south shore.  This was an all day bonanza.  I saw an army of shoulder to shoulder anglers land over ONE THOUSAND schoolies. Guys were walking off because they were "sick of catching fish". I had a fish or a hit on every cast for at least 4 hours.
Credit those recent warm days and a southwest wind for blowing the main migration of stripers our way.  And, yes these were migrating stripers.  Nearly all the fish I landed were bright colored and loaded with sea lice.  These fish were all on the small side, running as small as 7 inches and as large as 20 inches. The average fish seemed to be about a foot long.  There are rumors swirling that some small keepers have been taken in the last couple of days, but I saw nothing that came close today.
I landed all my fish on either three inch Cocahoes on a half ounce jighead or the shrimp fly teaser rigged ahead of my jig.  I probably had at least 25 double headers with that rig.
The good times have arrived in a BIG way.

Check out the sea lice on the tail and lower body of this fish.  Nearly
all the fish I landed today had sea lice, a sure sign of a migrating striper.