[RayStachelek]

This weekend there was a rash of large stripers caught. Steve Robbins huge fish of 46 plus, Bob Pink's Chatham beauty, Striblue's honorable mention, and this fish seen below.

All weekend long we didn't catch a striper that was under three years old. Fishing is good now.... but what lies ahead?

Any body catch any smaller fish from the last three year classes?

 

[juro]

Ray -

Thanks for bringing a good light to the several dozen schoolies I caught this weekend! Although I did land a few in the over 30" class, I landed more schoolies than I could easily keep track of.

 

[sRobbins]

We caught a lot of small fish this weekend and we've seen many big pods of micros over the past couple of weeks. This is totally unscientific, but I've been a little relieved as I haven't seen these fish in Chatham the past few seasons. I missed several weeks last year, though.

I do remember years when the flats on the west side of Monomoy would change black as small stripers would come onto a flat for as far as the eye could see. That's no tale, either.

All I know is that when the regs. were 36" my father and I would catch a lot of 35" fish on the flats. When the regs went to 30" we caught mostly 29" fish, and so on. I hope it goes without saying that I'd rather catch a bunch of 35" fish and not be able to take one home rather than getting to keep a 28" fish...

 

[juro]

Steve -

Those are my sentiments as well, everyone I talk to says the same about the limit - always a lot of 'just unders' around. I know you've been a flats master for many years, used to correspond even when I lived out in Seattle so I don't doubt dark clouds on the flats. Saw a few yesterday, although patchy in comparison.

Ray -

That fly in the fish's mouth looks familiar... ;D

 

[RayStachelek]

Maybe certain classes of smaller fish hang out in different locations away from the brooder stock or other natural enemies. Maybe there are smaller fish around, but you have to look in different places.

Caught a six pound bass with a huge piece of meat missing from his back this weekend. Wish I took a picture of it now. The bite looked much larger than any bluefish could do. Maybe it happened earlier in its life and grew to that size.

That fly Juro, is an ultra hair olive spearing imitation with a little polarflash. It's an old family secret. Does looks like a Juro Deep Sand Eel pattern though?

 

[JeffSod]

I would have agreed completely with the noticable lack of schoolie sized bass up until yesterday. I have definetely not seen or caught them in the usual places this year though. Well, I decided to check out the Brewster Flats for the last of the outgoing and first 1 and a half of the incoming. Picked up two small schoolies right away during the last of the outgoing. First one was so small I thought it was some of the seaweed that was fairly heavy /thick in the area. Then after a lull of catching during the slack a school of 2-3 inch sandeels appeared and schoolies hot on their tales. Not sure how many schoolies I caught but there was a good amount available. Wind on the flats was honking and made for diffcult casting but seemed to help the schoolie action. I was hoping for a large in the mix but none over 24 inches to be had. Saw others getting schoolies also but no keeper sized. I did see a couple nice fish landed out on Nauset in the afternoon on bait. Surf was too large for the fly rod though.

Juro- got Zippo at the light after you left current seemed too strong so I tried the bowl but still no luck. How did you make out?

 

[juro]

Ray, been thinking about it and I am also concerned if the schoolies grew up and aren't being followed up by as many micros and twinkies as the last few years. We'll have to wait and see I guess. If and when hen the waves of twinkies finally do come

Actually it's not a "juro sand eel", I didn't invent that pattern or anything - Bob Bianchi, an attorney from Boston and avid angler, gave me two one day in Chip Gouger's former flyshop in Barnstable while I was on a business trip from Seattle in the 80's. He said "fish one, copy the other". He didn't have a name for it. I used it out on Brewster Flats with great success catching fish up to 38" in three feet of water, so indeed I fished the heck out of one and still have the other original one he told me to copy in my fly collection.

Of course mine look nothing like his anymore except for the overall design and idea to take a clouser Deep Minnow and transform it into a sand eel - hence the unassuming name I gave to it, the "Deep eel" to retain Mr.Clouser's original naming scheme and yet clarify that it is not at all a minnow but distinctly an eel, particularly when I tie them in 10" lengths for the rips and outer beaches.

There are a number of differences between Bob Clouser's tying sequence and the eel, but essentially it's what a snake is to a muddler, an angel hair fly to a deceiver, a deceiver to a bucktail streamer, etc, etc, etc... a variation on a proven theme.

Aside from the wooly bugger, Bob Clouser's minnow and it's basic design is probably the most versatile fly out there. The deep eel is just a tribute to that.

Whatever you call them, some things just plain work!