How to Tune Your Skills and Tackle for Midsummer Striped Bass

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The excitement of sight fishing for striped bass on the flats has captivated fly fishermen for decades. For many anglers, this engaging alternative for catching stripers serves as the gateway to an addiction to all of the challenges of flats fishing all over the world.

But by midsummer, stripers in the clear shallows become notably more difficult to catch—suddenly, they’re as tough as big bonefish. When they reach 20 pounds and larger, they present a permit-like challenge . . . and it stays this way until the end of the flats season in late September.

In July, three phenomena simultaneously take hold that make fishing for stripers much more challenging than it was in May and June. In order of relevance, they are: elevated water temperature, accrued fishing pressure, and increased availability of prey. Successful sight fishing throughout the season requires awareness of these adversities and the ability to overcome them with smart fishing strategies, enhanced stealth, refined presentations, attention to fly details, and key tackle adjustments. Collectively, these extra efforts constitute your “A game.”

Summers on the Flats

From mid-July through September, water temperature and fishing pressure become important considerations for locating “catchable” bass on the flats. Stripers prefer water temperatures below 70 F., which can make just finding them a challenge from midsummer on. During the early flats season (May and June) the water is consistently below 70 throughout the day, and locating fish is relatively easy. As midsummer approaches, however, bass generally appear in the shallows only when cooler waters—in the 60s—prevail. Flats temperatures fluctuate naturally in response to daytime solar heating, overnight radiant cooling, and tidal flow.

Smart strategies that consider time of day, tide, and location on the flat enable anglers to capitalize on favorable “thermal windows.” Focus your efforts early in the day, before shallow waters have warmed excessively. Or time your fishing to hit the incoming tide, which floods inshore flats with cool ocean water. Seek out and work any areas near sources of cool incoming seawater—for example, close to inlets.

If you plan your fishing while taking water temperatures into consideration, the probability of encountering feeding fish greatly increases. Offshore flats and ocean beaches are less of a problem in this way—they have direct contact with ocean waters and are less susceptible to overheating.

Increased fishing pressure is another problem. By midsummer, resident stripers have encountered plenty of flies and lures and every imaginable bait-fishing contraption, and many bass have already been hooked and released. With enough fishing pressure in one spot, stripers eventually stop visiting the flat altogether. Keep in mind that you’re always at the mercy of other anglers, who may lack stealth.

They make the game tougher for everyone.

Dismiss well-known flats that get pounded every sunny weekend, and instead become familiar with as many less-traveled flats as possible. Rotate your time on them so as not to fish a spot more than once a week—this supports consistent success throughout the season. Be mindful not to become your own worst enemy by overfishing a particular flat, or section of one, either.

Stealth Strategies

Stealth is critical to your success. Midsummer flats feeders are often resident fish that have been grazing the flats for months. They’ve probably encountered many anglers—and if they’re over 10 pounds, they’ve likely been hooked a few times in their seven-plus years of life. These older bass have become sensitive to any unexpected stimulus,  including noises, flashes, silhouettes, and movements associated with wading anglers, skiffs on the open flats, and anglers working shorelines that abut the flats. Alarmed fish promptly flush, often “flashing” as they flee to alert other bass nearby of the danger.

For anglers, remaining concealed is enormously important. Flashes from shiny items on lanyards or zingers, wristwatches, rods, reels, Go-Pros, and other video paraphernalia will immediately put the fish on alert. All sources of unwanted flashes should be eliminated. The same is true of bright clothing, such as white, orange, yellow, or anything neon.

Your attire should be muted and complement natural backdrops: olive along marshes, beige along sand beaches, and so on. Shades of medium gray blend well with the water’s surface and the sky (when viewed from below) and are suitable for most sight-fishing environments. Items high above the water are visible at greater distances to cruising fish—therefore, stealthy shirts and hats are more important than lower body camouflage.

When stalking hypersensitive fish, it behooves you to move and operate slowly and quietly from the time you approach a flat until the time you leave it. Dynamic surf environments are noisier than protected inshore flats, and are much more forgiving where sound is concerned.

When bass are advancing toward you, lower your profile by stooping at the waist. Squatting effectively removes you from view. Temper your movements whenever stripers are nearby, and hold completely still when they surprise you at close range. If you can avoid detection, it often results in a viable shot at that same fish later on. Back away from the water by a rod length (or more) when fish are prowling very close to shore.

Sunshine is important for sight fishing, but in the morning and afternoon the low angle of the sun becomes a liability. Be vigilant about the shadows you’re casting over the water where you’re hunting. Your shadow may be long early or late in the day, and the bass may swim into it before you ever see them. Conversely, low sun angles can starkly illuminate you, too, alerting fish advancing toward you out of the glare. In either case, step back from the water or otherwise reposition yourself so your shadow is off their apparent path or you’re no longer illuminated in their view.

Finally, always carry your rod low. Keep your fly in your hand with sufficient line stripped off the reel for casting. Carry the rod with your arm fully extended down toward the water or skiff deck, raising it only to cast. Cast sidearm whenever possible. These habits prevent “rod flash” from foiling close-range opportunities or alerting unseen stripers that are still out of spotting range.

Leading the Fish

Careful presentation is paramount with difficult summer bass. Accurate casting and fly positioning; leading the fish a long ways; and artful, tempered retrieves are important elements. Early in the sight-fishing season—when the water is still cool—striped bass feed actively on baitfish near the surface. This presentation scenario is rather simple, as the fish are scanning upward for prey over a wide surface area, and this eliminates the need for pinpoint casting accuracy. By midsummer, the fish become much less active and casually graze low in the water, where temperatures remain cool. They are often found scanning the bottom at close range for shrimp, crabs, and juvenile flounder.

In midsummer, you must present your fly accurately and at the fish’s level near the bottom, rather than above and generally out in front of them. Bass should encounter your fly already on the bottom as you start your retrieve. To accomplish this, drop your fly directly in the fish’s path or slightly inside (quickly strip it back appropriately if you overshoot) with enough lead distance to allow it to settle to the bottom before the fish is close enough to see it. Depending on the water depth, fish speed, and the current, this can be as much as two rod lengths in front of the fish—even with a properly weighted fly that descends to the bottom quickly.

Wait for the fish to approach to within 4 or 5 feet of the fly before starting a delicate retrieve that mimics the prey’s natural response to distance itself from predators. Your retrieve should never narrow the gap between the fish and the fly.

Everything slows down as summer water temperatures rise. Therefore shrimp and crab imitations should be moved with tempered hops and nudges punctuated with regular pauses, and baitfish imitations with slow, steady strips. The most common mistake—especially with crab flies—is an overactive retrieve.

In calm conditions, fish are more likely to spook from the splash as a fly drops to the surface. Longer leads and smaller, lighter flies easily remedy this on quiet inshore flats, and it’s rarely an issue in noisy surf environments.

Operating without a stripping basket gives you greater mobility to make quick, short casts and odd-angle shots to capitalize on sudden striper encounters, and it’s easier to crouch low without a basket. In skinny water in late summer, I often find myself going without a basket just to keep a low profile.

Pattern Choices

Certain fly attributes can make or break your success with difficult summer bass. The most important elements are the fly’s action in the water, hook details, size, flash, and weighting.

I consider a fly’s movement during the retrieve, including when it’s paused on the bottom, to be its most important quality. Many baitfish imitations are “slinky” by design or have a built-in “hop” to their action and they appear quite lifelike when you retrieve them. But instilling life into shrimp and crab imitations that are intermittently paused during the retrieve is a fly tier’s challenge.

Flies that are constructed of soft, action-oriented materials—such as schlappen, rabbit fur, marabou, silicone legs, and other kinetic materials—project an impression of life. Natural colors that complement the bottom are most effective.

Obviously, the fly must have a hook, but its “presence” can be minimized in two ways. Reducing the hook size is very important, and eliminating its shine can also help. Keep in mind that bass are feeding very casually in the summer, and they take their time. Delicate, intermittently paused retrieves allow them to scrutinize your fly at very close range in clear, bright conditions. Hooks with dull finishes, such as Daiichi and Tiemco, are best as they don’t radiate hook shine that often alarms the fish.

Size 2 is the largest hook I use throughout the season, and I prefer size 4 most of the time. But I downsize to size 6 and even size 8 when pressured fish become hypercautious.

Small hooks are less visible, and they support small imitations of tiny crabs and shrimp that seem harmless and appeal to careful, pressured fish. Such hooks may seem silly for stripers, but they’re adequate even for 20-pounders when fishing shallow, obstruction-free flats where you are able to let big fish run. Use your backing and finesse rather than muscle to land your prize.

Flashabou and Krystal Flash are widely used in saltwater patterns to garner attention and trigger strikes. But on bright flats where bottom prey items appear subtle and dull, pattern flash becomes a liability that often triggers refusals.

Bright, chrome dumbbells or bead chain can also take away from the realism of the fly in the water. I use plain, unfinished black eyes on most of my patterns that call for weight. Flies tied with shiny eyes, including bead chain, are easily remedied with a coat of quick-drying nail polish that complements the fly and bottom color.

Downsized Tackle

An 8-weight clear intermediate-tip line is standard for sight fishing for striped bass, but sharpening your game with rod and line adjustments and special leader modifications should be considered from the middle of the season on. Overlining by one line weight increases your ability to load the rod quickly for sudden short and midrange presentations (20 to 40 feet). A 9-weight line on an 8-weight rod, or an 8-weight line on a 7-weight rod, is ideal. A 7-weight rod can easily handle even a 25-pounder on the flats.

In quiet, windless conditions, I sometimes drop to a 6-weight rod for even greater finesse while fishing size 4 or 6 flies. I recommend flat- or satin-finished rods that minimize or eliminate “rod flash” while stalking the flats and while casting.

Fluorocarbon is the right leader material for challenging stripers—its finish is less reflective than nylon monofilament and it sinks, which helps small patterns to descend while using less weight. Long, light leaders improve presentation stealth and they enhance fly movement.

I consider a 10-foot straight-shot (no knots, no tapering) 12-pound-test leader standard for sight fishing, but I drop to 10- or even 8-pound-test when the fish become miserably cautious. I lengthen my leader to 12 or 13 feet in the summer to further distance the fly from my fly line, even when using a clear intermediate fly line. Experienced, pressured fish can sense even a clear intermediate line 10 feet away . . . easily.

The tempered, stop-and-go retrieves employed with small bottom-working patterns make the nonslip loop knot popularized by the great Lefty Kreh ideal. This knot allows your fly to sink quickly and exude lifelike action throughout the retrieve.

Tropical Connection

The unique challenges and tropical feel of sight fishing for striped bass rank it as one of fly fishing’s highlights. Consistent success, however, comes to keenly observant anglers who are attentive to detail. These anglers take advantage of every opportunity throughout the five-months-long flats season.

Striped bass are demanding teachers. Fly fishers who pursue stripers on Northeast flats find their skills transfer easily when visiting exotic destinations for bonefish, permit, and other tropical flats species. When you’ve acquired your A game, you will know it. Success throughout the season is a good yardstick, and when you’ve attained that you’ll realize that flats fishing is much more about the Indian than the arrow.

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Alan Caolo has been photographing and writing about fly fishing for more than 30 years and has authored two books and dozens of magazine articles. You can find him at alancaolo.com.

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