Pop Fleyes Jiggy
Fly of the Month 12.25 - Striper Fly
Rising temperatures, the higher sun angle, more daylight hours and a tremendous supply of bait come together for migrating striped bass in April and May. These are special months to spend fly fishing for striped bass. Impatient striper fly fishing anglers may try for their first striper in late March just because it is good to make the first fly casts. However, mid-April is a more reliable start up date, and the fly fishing opportunities to catch stripers improve with each passing day.
The surf is still inconsistent and too chilly for spring fly fishing anglers to expect decent fly fishing, so chances of finding and catching stripers are far better in the back bays, rivers, and salt ponds along the coast. Back-bay water temperatures are usually 5 to 10 degrees or more warmer than the ocean. The back creek areas are generally shallow with dark bottoms of mud, gravel, eel grass, or dark sand that hold the sun’s heat. The higher sun angle and warmer temperatures accelerate the activity of local bait and the activity level for stripers. The ideal water temperature for striper fly fishing is about 55 degrees.
Summer and fall striped bass fly fishing is often best at dawn. In contrast, spring striper fly fishing is generally better after the sun has had a chance to radiate its warmth through the day, so fly fishing from noon to dark should increase the catching odds dramatically.
Spring striped bass usually are not loners but rather group into small, tight schools after a day or two of sunny weather with not too much wind. Wind can shift warm water from one side of a bay to the other or even hold a pocket of warm water in place for several days. Two days of a steady wind from any direction will probably deliver particularly good fishing on the third day if conditions remain the same.
Moon phase has a strong effect on tide levels, and the additional water pushed into back bays and rivers at high tides means strong currents as the water flows out. While some fly fishing anglers say they do not do well on the day of a new or full moon, all anglers tend to agree that the several days before and after those phases are great times to fish.
A sunny afternoon with a falling tide is prime time and many good striped bass fishing anglers, fly or spin, mark calendars or make notes on their cell phones to keep track of the optimum falling tides. Not only are lots of edible critters washing out of the creeks, but the warm water fully activates the striped bass to feeding. As the water level decreases, the striped bass move down the creek or into deeper water in the bay or river.
In water temperatures just below 60 degrees, striped bass will be a little slow to react to a fly, which requires a slow-steady retrieve with intermittent pauses. A slow retrieve speed gives the striped bass the chance to see the fly and attack. The momentary pause lets the fly sink, especially if it’s weighted, and striped bass often take the fly which appears to be a struggling baitfish as it drops.
In shallow water, tie on a stealth bomber or gurgler and retrieve slowly. Wait a few seconds in between each pause before twitching or popping the topwater fly pattern again. The pause is often the key ingredient to fooling striped bass, especially with a lifelike motion.
Striped Bass Flies
There are a good number of great striped bass fly patterns for spring, but perhaps more important than the fly pattern is the fly’s color. Spring weather forecasts can often be quite windy, with choppy water that turns muddy and brown. A bright fly can visibly punch through dirty water or in darker, deep water better than a dark one.
The Clouser Deep Minnow fly pattern tied in pink, white, and chartreuse. If the tail or bottom color is chartreuse and the top wing is pink, most fly fishers call it the Electric Chicken; if the colors are reversed and the top wing is chartreuse and the tail is pink, it is called the Tutti Frutti. Regardless, it is the combo of the colors that is important, not which one is on top.
In April, spearing and killies are the most populous bait, followed by anchovies, grass shrimp, blueback herring and menhaden in May. These critters are only a few inches in length, so the most effective patterns will be tied on 2, 1, 1/0 or 2/0 hooks. Because the water can be discolored, it’s good to have some patterns tied full, with lots of material to improve its visibility. Striped bass also sense the water movement of a bushy fly as it pushes water on the retrieve. By contrast, a sparsely-tied pattern is more realistic in clear water, where bass can see that a fly tied like a shaving brush looks fake.
Do not forget the Woolly Bugger which is an underrated but wonderfully effective spring striped bass fly that also fools seatrout and weakfish because of its “shrimpy” profile. Also, in shallow water, a suspending fly can be ideal, like a Lefty Deceiver or flatwing.
Flatwing Fly Patterns
Ken Abrams popularized the flatwing fly pattern in his book Striped bass Moon. The Flatwing is a very effective, simple fly pattern for striped bass. The fly pattern is an elegant solution. It consists of bucktail with one or more hackles (feathers) tied at the tail section of the fly. A flatwing is a very good fly pattern when striped bass are keyed in on smaller, thinner baitfish. When you have multi-feather flat wings you can imitate tinker mackerel very well. An all plain white-colored, or fly patterns which have a few strands of olive thrown over white bucktail work best. A Flatwing fly is an incredible way to imitate small sand eels and therefore an effective way to catch striped bass which feeds on them. A small Flatwing pattern with a sparse tapering head, slender body section, and thin hackle feathers for the tail is downright perfect for the job.
Flatwing flies are a popular choice for catching striped bass because they can mimic the swimming action of small sand eels that striped bass feed on in the surf zone. Flatwing flies are typically tied with long hackle feathers that are tied flat on top of the hook. Other materials that can be used include deer hair and dubbing loops. Flatwing flies can be tied to range in size from 7- to over 12-inches. Some fly fishing anglers recommend using brighter colors like chartreuse or lemon lime. Flatwing flies can be used in a variety of ways, including fluttering and hovering in the current, or thrown against rocks in crashing waves. Some popular flatwing patterns include the Orange Ruthless, which is a good option for beginners, and the Rhody Flatwing, which can be used to imitate a variety of saltwater baitfish.
Jiggy Fly Patterns
Large but light - In spite of their long size and the dense head cone, the Jiggies are light flies, which are easy to cast. The most productive Jiggy fly patterns are the Black Jiggy, Green/White Jiggy, Mickey Finn Jiggy, Olive Jiggy, Orange/White Jiggy, Pink/White Jiggy, Red/White Jiggy, White Jiggy and Yellow/White Jiggy. Jiggy fly patterns in green/white, in Mickey Finn (red/yellow) colors as well as pink/white are great in the winter and early spring for sea trout. The yellow/white works great for pollock in rocky areas. The Jiggy in red/white pike colors makes for a nice Pike Fly that is easy to cast with short leaders and larger weight lines. Also good for late season big lake Mackinaw in the shallows in Western Lakes white with red and black head. The Jiggy works on Atlantic salmon as well.
Orange /White Jiggy - A streamer with a cone head, white and orange bucktail is introduced in Bob Popovics' excellent book Popfleyes. The orange and white color combination is a bit bright and a more olive tone is a more natural version.
Olive Jiggy - A naturally colored Jiggy, well suited to imitate a sand eel, slim and sparse - Do not overdo the Jiggy. The sparse wing will look fine and give the fly a natural, soft motion in the water
Note: This fly is easier to tie with an eagle claw Bendback hook. Instead of bucktail, use Craft Fur. Beginning with white, some stands of crystal flash pearl, then a little pink finish with olive. Trying different color schemes, pink makes a difference. For some reason, pink bucktail or Craft Fur is particularly effective. No pink, no fish. Also, the conehead can work lose. Other than superglue gel, does anybody has a solution to make an even more durable head on this fly?
Rising temperatures, the higher sun angle, more daylight hours and a tremendous supply of bait come together for migrating striped bass in April and May. These are special months to spend fly fishing for striped bass. Impatient striper fly fishing anglers may try for their first striper in late March just because it is good to make the first fly casts. However, mid-April is a more reliable start up date, and the fly fishing opportunities to catch stripers improve with each passing day.
The surf is still inconsistent and too chilly for spring fly fishing anglers to expect decent fly fishing, so chances of finding and catching stripers are far better in the back bays, rivers, and salt ponds along the coast. Back-bay water temperatures are usually 5 to 10 degrees or more warmer than the ocean. The back creek areas are generally shallow with dark bottoms of mud, gravel, eel grass, or dark sand that hold the sun’s heat. The higher sun angle and warmer temperatures accelerate the activity of local bait and the activity level for stripers. The ideal water temperature for striper fly fishing is about 55 degrees.
Summer and fall striped bass fly fishing is often best at dawn. In contrast, spring striper fly fishing is generally better after the sun has had a chance to radiate its warmth through the day, so fly fishing from noon to dark should increase the catching odds dramatically.
Spring striped bass usually are not loners but rather group into small, tight schools after a day or two of sunny weather with not too much wind. Wind can shift warm water from one side of a bay to the other or even hold a pocket of warm water in place for several days. Two days of a steady wind from any direction will probably deliver particularly good fishing on the third day if conditions remain the same.
Moon phase has a strong effect on tide levels, and the additional water pushed into back bays and rivers at high tides means strong currents as the water flows out. While some fly fishing anglers say they do not do well on the day of a new or full moon, all anglers tend to agree that the several days before and after those phases are great times to fish.
A sunny afternoon with a falling tide is prime time and many good striped bass fishing anglers, fly or spin, mark calendars or make notes on their cell phones to keep track of the optimum falling tides. Not only are lots of edible critters washing out of the creeks, but the warm water fully activates the striped bass to feeding. As the water level decreases, the striped bass move down the creek or into deeper water in the bay or river.
In water temperatures just below 60 degrees, striped bass will be a little slow to react to a fly, which requires a slow-steady retrieve with intermittent pauses. A slow retrieve speed gives the striped bass the chance to see the fly and attack. The momentary pause lets the fly sink, especially if it’s weighted, and striped bass often take the fly which appears to be a struggling baitfish as it drops.
In shallow water, tie on a stealth bomber or gurgler and retrieve slowly. Wait a few seconds in between each pause before twitching or popping the topwater fly pattern again. The pause is often the key ingredient to fooling striped bass, especially with a lifelike motion.
Striped Bass Flies
There are a good number of great striped bass fly patterns for spring, but perhaps more important than the fly pattern is the fly’s color. Spring weather forecasts can often be quite windy, with choppy water that turns muddy and brown. A bright fly can visibly punch through dirty water or in darker, deep water better than a dark one.
The Clouser Deep Minnow fly pattern tied in pink, white, and chartreuse. If the tail or bottom color is chartreuse and the top wing is pink, most fly fishers call it the Electric Chicken; if the colors are reversed and the top wing is chartreuse and the tail is pink, it is called the Tutti Frutti. Regardless, it is the combo of the colors that is important, not which one is on top.
In April, spearing and killies are the most populous bait, followed by anchovies, grass shrimp, blueback herring and menhaden in May. These critters are only a few inches in length, so the most effective patterns will be tied on 2, 1, 1/0 or 2/0 hooks. Because the water can be discolored, it’s good to have some patterns tied full, with lots of material to improve its visibility. Striped bass also sense the water movement of a bushy fly as it pushes water on the retrieve. By contrast, a sparsely-tied pattern is more realistic in clear water, where bass can see that a fly tied like a shaving brush looks fake.
Do not forget the Woolly Bugger which is an underrated but wonderfully effective spring striped bass fly that also fools seatrout and weakfish because of its “shrimpy” profile. Also, in shallow water, a suspending fly can be ideal, like a Lefty Deceiver or flatwing.
Flatwing Fly Patterns
Ken Abrams popularized the flatwing fly pattern in his book Striped bass Moon. The Flatwing is a very effective, simple fly pattern for striped bass. The fly pattern is an elegant solution. It consists of bucktail with one or more hackles (feathers) tied at the tail section of the fly. A flatwing is a very good fly pattern when striped bass are keyed in on smaller, thinner baitfish. When you have multi-feather flat wings you can imitate tinker mackerel very well. An all plain white-colored, or fly patterns which have a few strands of olive thrown over white bucktail work best. A Flatwing fly is an incredible way to imitate small sand eels and therefore an effective way to catch striped bass which feeds on them. A small Flatwing pattern with a sparse tapering head, slender body section, and thin hackle feathers for the tail is downright perfect for the job.
Flatwing flies are a popular choice for catching striped bass because they can mimic the swimming action of small sand eels that striped bass feed on in the surf zone. Flatwing flies are typically tied with long hackle feathers that are tied flat on top of the hook. Other materials that can be used include deer hair and dubbing loops. Flatwing flies can be tied to range in size from 7- to over 12-inches. Some fly fishing anglers recommend using brighter colors like chartreuse or lemon lime. Flatwing flies can be used in a variety of ways, including fluttering and hovering in the current, or thrown against rocks in crashing waves. Some popular flatwing patterns include the Orange Ruthless, which is a good option for beginners, and the Rhody Flatwing, which can be used to imitate a variety of saltwater baitfish.
Jiggy Fly Patterns
Large but light - In spite of their long size and the dense head cone, the Jiggies are light flies, which are easy to cast. The most productive Jiggy fly patterns are the Black Jiggy, Green/White Jiggy, Mickey Finn Jiggy, Olive Jiggy, Orange/White Jiggy, Pink/White Jiggy, Red/White Jiggy, White Jiggy and Yellow/White Jiggy. Jiggy fly patterns in green/white, in Mickey Finn (red/yellow) colors as well as pink/white are great in the winter and early spring for sea trout. The yellow/white works great for pollock in rocky areas. The Jiggy in red/white pike colors makes for a nice Pike Fly that is easy to cast with short leaders and larger weight lines. Also good for late season big lake Mackinaw in the shallows in Western Lakes white with red and black head. The Jiggy works on Atlantic salmon as well.
Orange /White Jiggy - A streamer with a cone head, white and orange bucktail is introduced in Bob Popovics' excellent book Popfleyes. The orange and white color combination is a bit bright and a more olive tone is a more natural version.
Olive Jiggy - A naturally colored Jiggy, well suited to imitate a sand eel, slim and sparse - Do not overdo the Jiggy. The sparse wing will look fine and give the fly a natural, soft motion in the water
Note: This fly is easier to tie with an eagle claw Bendback hook. Instead of bucktail, use Craft Fur. Beginning with white, some stands of crystal flash pearl, then a little pink finish with olive. Trying different color schemes, pink makes a difference. For some reason, pink bucktail or Craft Fur is particularly effective. No pink, no fish. Also, the conehead can work lose. Other than superglue gel, does anybody has a solution to make an even more durable head on this fly?