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Meet the Striped Bass...

If you haven't already been introduced, striped bass (morone saxitalis) are handsome saltwater bass with both modern and historical importance to the region. In fact it's availability as a food source played a role in the welfare of the Pilgrims settlement in Plymouth, MA. It's written that the proceeds from "mongering" various inshore species including striped bass were used to build the first schoolhouse in the new world.

Today the striped bass still plays an important role in our welfare by providing a means of balancing our hectic lives with a source of pure, simple enjoyment in the fresh ocean air. It gives us reasons to see sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, and keeps us connected with the things that really count in life. Beyond the striper's benefits for the soul, the related resort, boating and gear trade generates billions of dollars in commerce across the striper's range. Inshore fisheries from recent plantings in lakes and also the pacific populations from a single planting in 1886 in the San Francisco area broaden the widespread popularity of the species.

An aspect of striped bass behavior that keeps angling interesting is the wide range of age groups inhabiting the coastline at any given time. Because they are an inshore species throughout their life cycle, you're likely to find a school of 8-16" fish in a good spot during the afternoon and encounter a 40" bass in the same spot that same evening or night. Smaller fish are locally referred to as "schoolies" due to their tendency to stay in large groups. Larger fish tend to stay in smaller groups or work alone while on their well-learned hunting sorties, and prefer to hunt during off hours and at night. Due to the number of years it takes for a striper to get large, they tend to be pretty savvy by the time they reach 30" in size. Rod and reel weights of over 70 pounds have been reached, but only a few times. C. B. Church caught a 73 pound striper in Vineyard Sound in 1913. More recently, Cape Cod's very own Anton Stetzko landed "big bertha" - a record striped bass of 73 pounds on Nauset Beach on November 3rd, 1981. Tony's a great guy, incredible fisherman and a talented artist as well. Al McReynolds currently holds the IGFA all-tackle world record, a 78 pound 8 oz. fish caught at night in Atlantic City after a September storm in 1982. The largest recorded specimen to date is a 125 pound striper taken in Edenton North Carolina in 1891.

Life Cycle

Northeastern stripers breed primarily in tributary rivers in the mid-atlantics states - the Roanoke River, Chesapeake Bay and tributaries like the Potomac River, Hudson River system, etc. Eggs are released by larger females with several males surrounding her, releasing milt. Semi-buoyant eggs must remain free drifting for 48 or more hours depending on water temperature before they hatch. This limits the habitat where successful reproduction can take place.

A significant percentage of striped bass migrate seasonally along the Atlantic coastline, moving into New England in force by late spring, staying through late autumn. Smaller populations occur as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as the St. Johns River in Florida, but the region from Cape Cod to North Carolina is the most important part of their range. Some percentage will winter over in northern climes but most winter in the mid-atlantic estuaries and offshore shoals where favorable temperatures and forage is available. Stripers migrate northward to New England in early spring after spawning and arrive in large numbers by May. Younger non-spawning fish arrive sooner than the bulk of spawning adults.

Striped Bass Size / Age / Spawn
(Adapted from Standard Fishing Encyclopedia, A.J. McClane)

size (inches)	~age	spawn/eggs	approx wgt	notes
12-13"	2 years	0/0	.75 lb	Some males sexually mature
18-20"	3 years	1/proportional	2.75-3 lb	Some females mature
24"	4 years	1/65,000	5 lb	All striped bass sexually mature at this age
30-32"	5 years	2/proportional	10-15 lb	Legal kill - most states by this length
33-36"	6-7 years	3/proportional	18-20 lb	Nice fish
38"	10-11 yrs	4/proportional	30 lb	Most races last spawn at 11 yrs
40-42"	13-14 yrs	5/5,000,000*	40 lb	*Chesapeake Bay race spawns until 14 yrs
50"	17-18 yrs	<no spawn>	50+ lb	No longer able to spawn
IGFA Record 53" long x 34.5" girth, est. age 30-40 years old

Their life-cycle is well studied. The effect of commercial fishing during the crucial spawning period has been historically devastating to the population and it's management has been the key to it's astounding recovery. The depletion that the species experienced through the late 70's and early 80's was proof of the impact of over-harvest. The continued concern for conservative commercial harvesting methods is critical to the long-term welfare of the species.

The sportsman is not void of responsibility either. Statistics gathered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) indicate that recreational mortality of discards (fish not kept and eaten) is significant. Proper angling methods and release methods are crucial to the reduction of C&R mortality of these fine fish. These concerns will be discussed in the C&R Bulletin we will produce by mid-May of 2000. (They will also be discussed in this article later)

The New England Striper Season

Starting in May, New England undergoes an onslaught of hungry migrating striped bass. This creates a phenomenal season until encroaching winter storms, shorter days and cooler water sends signals that cause stripers to return to their southern range. The New England season starts in May and remains active until early November as a general rule. Like all such rules in fishing, your mileage may vary.

Ray Capobianco field tests a new rod
design for Phil Castleman (Castle Arms,
Springfield MA) - with a little help from a Massachusetts Bay striper

Although most stripers anglers encounter will run less than 10 pounds, they will attain significant size, like Tony Stetzko's staggering 73 pound record striper from Nauset Beach, Cape Cod. It's a characteristic of this fishery to find some type of action on almost every outing due to all the schooling younger fish you'll encounter as you hunt around for bigger fish. On fly gear, a 22 inch striper puts up a nice little scrap, and once you get over the 30 inch mark they get downright challenging. From 36 inches up they are quite a handful on a 9wt rod.

Photo Courtesy Ray Capobianco, Castle Arms

Stripers can be caught by countless methods and more techniques are developed each year. Many of us share the opinion that the "only" way to pursue them is with the fly, in fact sometimes it's even more effective than bait or lures. Stripers tend to get into a "groove" and often ignore offerings outside of a selective list of morsels. This is more of a mid-summer concern, but the point is that sometimes a fly rod and the right presentation and fly fits right into their groove - like burrowing sand eels and a weighted eye fly. Other times the fly provides an alternative snack that they are interested in even while other baits swim by - like a crab fly. Sometimes a neutrally buoyant presentation in the turbulence of the waves is what it takes to seduce the fish. Nothing achieves this better than a well tied fly.

There are an infinite number of little things to discover when one embarks on the striper fly fishing odyssey. Despite appearances, it's not the unpolished meat-fishery that a spring-creek aficionado might suspect. There is always a lot to learn with any fishery, and being successful in the striper zone is no exception.

Fly patterns need to consider the adjustments the fish make as the season progresses. A simple deceiver or clouser minnow may be all you need in the spring or fall, but it's common to see big fish cruising or laying idle during mid-summer offering nothing more than half hearted follows to standard offerings.

While migration is underway, fish of all sizes can occasionally be found together as they make their way. These fish are looking to recover from winter, spawning (if old enough), or keeping the energy level up for their long swim. In fall they are fattening up for an approaching winter. In any case, they will feed ravenously during the migration.

During spring migration (northward), I look for the cherry blossoms to be in bloom as a natural signal for the arrival of stripers to the New England coast. This trick was taught to me by Aubert ("Smitty") Smith 20 years ago and I've yet to find it untrue. Most of the early spring fish are pre-spawn aged fish arriving to the New England coast ahead of the larger fish delayed by spawning. Focusing on herring runs and other large forage opportunities leads to earliest large fish opportunities.

They're not all huge... but
they're always fun to catch!

Once striped bass settle into summer grounds, the larger fish tend to separate from the smaller fish, that is to say that there are certain spots where large fish frequent more often and other spots that are generally ruled by "schoolies". This is a generalization (as are all such fishing conclusions) and even on dog days big and small may be feeding together, but knowing where big fish tend to frequent during summer months will help you find a greater percentage of big fish throughout the season. The schoolie spots are good to know as well, they can often make a good trip out of a skunk session. I've never become disenchanted with schoolies. Their spirited take and persistent fight is always a welcome treat. The trick is to not get too hooked on that fix - all efforts made to decipher the behaviors of large fish go toward a lifetime's knowledge of the topic, and those who have invested in this are reaping the rewards.

During the fall migration (southward), I've observed that storms seem to prompt fish to move onward from a given locale. An area that receives daily blitzes during September or October often seems barren immediately after a storm. Perhaps they move to the traveling lanes past the shoals and shorelines to make time after mother nature's reminder. Luckily, the fish pushing from behind that pack will arrive in the days to follow, and the race with old man winter begins until the following packs are all gone and it's tying season for another year.

Finding Active Stripers

The most important thing you can do is observe. There are signs everywhere if you know where to look. The presence of bait is the most important ingredient for finding stripers willing to feed. Our great friends the birds show us where the bait is, and more often than not where the fish are too. Terns dive into schools of smaller bait fish and indicate the presence of sand eels, silversides, young of the year herring, and other small schooling baitfish. Cormorants and mergansers join in on the smaller bait parties from below the surface. Larger gulls and diving birds like gannets indicate the presence of adult or near-adult menhaden and herring, squid, and other species which are targeted by larger bass as well as these larger birds. Although gulls can't dive effectively for moving bait, they hover and circle and pick up baitfish as they are attacked from below the surface by game fish. The striped bass and birds actually cooperate by attacking from above and below on the hapless baitfish.

Whether the birds are working the bait or not, there are other signs to keep a watchful eye on as you hunt for coastal gamefish. I take pride in those (rare) moments where I detect active fish before the birds do, although the winged hunters are never far behind.

Sometimes the feeding activity is so obvious you would need to be asleep to miss it. In the photo at right, the stripers are driving the young menhaden out of the water onto the rocks where I am standing with my camera.

Surprisingly, they were hard to catch until I tried something unusual to trick them. Because they were specifically feeding on the bait as it came through gaps between the rocks in the rising tide current, flies stripped across the open water were largely ignored. Realizing this, I tested a wild

Stripers froth the surface as they attack young menhaden, some of which leap from the water onto the rocks to avoid predation

theory and it worked with amazing results. I simply reeled in my line and dapped the fly in the current flow pushing through the rocks a rod length away. In seconds, a striper would rush up from the deep edge and slam the fly.

Out in the open water, although dozens of stripers could be seen swimming in anticipation of the next push of bait through the rocks, one could cast 50 times to solicit a strike. In a few seconds I could hook a striper without so much as a cast. The lesson - think about what the fish are thinking, and adjust the presentation accordingly.

Techniques for Bigger Fish

Most big fish feed at night, but there are those bluebird days when good fish are on a noon-time feed.

These moods are affected by season, tide, available forage, and a number of other factors which we will discuss later on.

Big fish can be found in areas with access to favorable living conditions and easy access to food, like Billingsgate Shoal on Cape Cod Bay, Monomoy Island and its rip currents, and the Outer Beaches from Nauset to Race Point. In these

Sean and a happy client
(photo Courtesy Sean Fields)

areas where large fish spend the summer, they often get into a cycle of staying offshore by day and coming to feed in a few feet of water by night. A percentage of larger fish tend to prefer areas of high current flow during tide changes, giving them the advantage over forage species like herring, menhaden, squid, eels, sand eels, even crabs and lobsters. This is true of the outer beaches, which is why many of the giant bass are taken at night. On broad ocean beaches it's a hit or miss proposition because there is such a large area for the fish to choose from for nightly raids. Certain spots get more consistent attention from the fish than others, like Nauset Inlet or Chatham Inlet. It's not hard to see why, an outgoing tide through the evening hours provides a buffet line for big stripers.

The estuaries are very pleasant to fish by day, but tend to be the daytime refuges of smaller fish throughout the main season. Big fish visit estuaries at night to look for eels and to ambush menhaden and herring under the cover of night, but then again the chances of finding a trophy are better in big water.

The coastal fishery is more than the striped bass - the voracious bluefish, inshore tuna species (little tunny and bonito), squeteague, and even occasional salmon or sea run trout appear in the mix. When southern currents reach the region, all manner of subtropical species are reported - even tarpon and cobia.

The chapters that follow will describe in detail what you need to know to get involved in this awesome fishery.

More to come...

Keep an eye on this page, contributors from the Forum will be continually adding more as time permits.