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Joppa FF Report

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  juro 
#1 ·
Just thought I could finally post something on your board....Juro.
After pounding the stripers with soft plastics for a 1/2 hour, including what was most likely my first legal fish of the young season....wandered back to the truck and grabbed the fly rod for the first time this season. Managed three on one of my own flies. That was pretty cool. But man....didn't I butcher the art of fly casting....jeez!

Lots of small herring flipping on the surface....but stripers were closer to the bottom. In thick...but not showing themselves.
 
#2 ·
Very Cool! Great to get them on your own stuff, eh? The 325 QD makes it easier by requiring less backcast and also bringing the fly down to the fish. My experience is that if they are active at slack tides you don't need to get down but when the current is turned on it's the only way to get 'em.

Let me know when you're going again, maybe we can hook up.

I accidentally posted this to the North River Spit thread (dOh)...

<font color="0000ff"><font size="1">I heard that PI is lit up at low tide, which in early AM over the next couple of days. There were a couple of 30-35" caught last night along PI up from the bar (reportedly a little slender but gorgeous just the same), and the schoolies are fat and feisty with some over 24" for every batch of 14-18". Bait is tiny sand eels with some 3-4" around. The terns are focused on the larger eels but hordes of small non-diving sea birds hover and dip into the masses of tiny eels coming over the bar on the flood.

Best bet is to work around the charter boats at the bottom of the tide, but there are pods to be found just upstream from the sand bar and also near the base of the south jetty. As one might suspect, sand eel patterns were reportedly producing. I was warned that the fish push upstream quickly at the turn of the tide so be there or be square.

Salisbury should be very good near the pick on the start of the outgoing too. Up river locations should be seeing lot of action through the top of the tide.</font><!--1--></font><!--color-->
 
#6 ·
Doug -

Between an intermediate and a 325 QD you can cover just about everything on the New England coast with a 9wt. I'd say that big rips off a boat might encourage more grains than 325 to pull grocery flies under the standing waves, and geez when they get on the top I love poppers on a floater - but all in all the intermediate and sinking head lines are the 'meat' and 'potatoes'.

The 325 encourages a different casting style, which is easier for most casters but requires an adjustment period when you go back to a 'real' fly line. This is not a bad thing, the 325 requires less backcast (usually just one and only the head) and throws a respectable distance without a lot of effort. It gets down into the water column or can be stripped quick to excite fish up high.

Get the one with the intermediate running line for better depth penetration and easier use in big waves (outer cape, etc), and the floating running line if you fish in river currents more often than deep water or big waves. The latter is designed for steelhead and salmon in rivers, the floating running line mends easier and won't get a bow pulling the fly oddly downstream in a cross current.

Tom's place is looking pretty awsome, huh Pete?
 
#8 ·
Guys,

Gotta say that this morning was definitely worth the trip down from Amherst. We (Mitch and myself) left for PI at 2:30 - right on schedule and were fishing by 4:45. Things started off well, with each of us hooking up on our second casts. Things cooled a bit after that, but there were fish swirling about 10yds out of casting range. We met up with Sully and Mike S. - nice to see them both after about a year. I also had the pleasure of meeting Bob P. And Terry W. - very nice to put a face with a name, also very nice guys. Mitch and I headed down towards the jetty as there were some birds working close in. The birds moved out and we didn't get into any, but there was a guy in a dory that was hooking a few (StriperTom?). We went back to the original area and decided to fish closer to the old sandbar (Thanks for the tip guys :). Mitch and I caught another 8 or 9 between us, most were small, but a couple of 24-25' fish in there.

We had a blast, and Mitch caught his first of the season. The surise was beautiful (got a couple of pictures), we were able to take a couple of fish shots and I got the hang of that new QD325 line - what a rocket. Today certainly get the juices flowing for more fishing. We decided to take off around 11am - good thing - as two tour buses of teenagers arrived to participate in a field trip, plus the wind was blowing and the rain was about to start. For anyone reading this, I was the one in the camo waders with a red ball cap on.

Hot flies were olive and white clousers and for me the chartreuse and white clouser as well - there was one guy really doing well and he seemed to let the fly sink and use a slow retrieve. He was hooking up pretty regularly for a while.

Juro - stopped in to show Mitch Blue Northern. The store looks great and there really is an excellent supply of materials and equipment - and to top it off everyone is very friendly and helpfull.

Pete
 
#9 ·
Pete -

Sounds like you guys had a good time... wish I was there! I almost did it but that little guy on my shoulder with the halo said "just say no" and I opted for pressing a clean shirt and donning a suit instead of waders. Good thing, I had a productive day at an important time.

Blue Northern seems to be making the right moves. They are doing a great job with their fly shop! I don't get in there enough myself.

On the topic of PI, I noticed the water was quite warm. The activity in the river has got to be related to that. The stripers have been backing down with the ebb and have been sitting in large concentrations by the boat docks at low slack. Although they were swirling way out of reach they were still patrolling around the drop offs even after the turn when I was there. I also slowed the retrieve (shock and stop) and hit several more after the turn. Clearly the birds pushed up with the mass of fish until they were way up at Joppa and soon out of sight. I'd imagine the upper river is getting it's share of activity on the flood too, like last year.

When the water warms up on Joppa and the surrounding area, the end of the refuge gets the fish as does the Crane's and Little Neck areas. My bet is that Hampton is good way up inside near the numerous channels and creek mouths until it warms. The PI River should be good in these conditions, particularly the expansive flats areas before Plum Island sound.

When contrasting the behavior of fish now verses their behavior last summer when the Merrimac was really warm, I'd have to say that it's a strong testament to their temperature sensitivity. They clearly preferred the bright cool water around Ipswich when Joppa was warm and soupy, but now the open water seems sterile in comparison to the brackish river water. The cape exhibits similar conditions.

Anyone happen to take a temp reading out on the beachfront?
 
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