Fall Stripers, 2017
Stripers are always a bit of a question mark off the coast on New Jersey in the later fall. If the water stays a bit on the warm side, then the fish stay north. Of course if the weather is a bit on the foul side, then going out on the open ocean is precarious—even foolish. As an aside, I’ve fished the rough water—seasick as all get out—and caught some nice fish, but that was with only 6-foot seas. When the big stuff comes in, it’s just too rough to get over the bar, let alone enjoy the casting and fish fighting.
So, when Theo Bakelaar came over for the International Fly Tying Symposium last weekend, he and Chuck Furimsky wanted to catch some stripers. Too rough out on the big water, so they fished the calmer waters of the bay and caught fish. Chuck managed one nice one, but most of the fish were great 7-weight material. Plenty of fun in waters that allowed easy casting, and the excitement of a good solid fight.
Stripers, like this one that Theo is holding, are great on a 7-weight.