Sand Eels
From the crest of the dune, we looked out over the calm waters of Vineyard Sound as a light sea breeze rose to greet us. It was hard to imagine a prettier scene. To our left an orange sun settled silently into the west, signaling the final hours of a perfect spring day. The only sound was the hush of gentle waves against the beach and the call of terns as they darted over the sandbars.
After a moment or two, we headed down the face of the dune, out across the back beach, and then down to the blue water’s edge. Our strategy was a simple one—split up and search for striped bass feeding on sand eels. After surveying the surface for swirls, I elected to walk to the east. A short distance ahead, where the beach took a jog, a number of terns were busily diving into the water. Obviously the terns had located a school of sand eels, and just as likely there were stripers on the prowl there too.
I moved quickly to the spot and peeled line from the reel, preparing for a cast. Immediately I spied a cluster of swirls about 50 feet out. Flexing the rod, I sent the fly toward the melee. After allowing the fly to settle for a second, I began my retrieve. A moment later the rod bowed with the weight of a striper. The fight was on.
The Sand Eel Scene
Coastal fly rodders see many combinations of predators and prey, each staged in their own circumstances and seasons. But if you had to capture in a single situation the essence of Northeast saltwater fly fishing, it would be the scenario I just described—walking and wading a long sandy beach in the ebbing light as terns wheel overhead and striped bass swirl on sand eels.
On Cape Cod and the Islands, the finest of this fishing often takes place from late May into early July, a period when the seasonal movements of striped bass and sand eels collide. At this time of year, sand eels push inshore from their wintering grounds in deeper water. Pulses of migratory stripers surge up the coast at roughly the same time, especially on the stronger moon tides. Ravenous from the energy demands of their northern trek, these bass focus heavily on sand eels, chowing down with a vengeance.
In addition to being a key menu item for migratory striped bass, sand eels (which aren’t eels at all but a type of fish called a lance) are important forage fish along much of the Atlantic, from the Canadian Maritimes down to Cape Hatteras. There is an inshore variety, Ammodytes americanus, and an offshore one, Ammodytes dubius. The inshore species is most important to fly rodders and an understanding of this forage is helpful when seeking a wide variety of fish including Atlantic bonito, Atlantic mackerel, bluefish, spotted sea trout, red drum, hickory shad, weakfish, fluke, little tunny, and sea-run brown trout. Pacific Coast fly rodders should also be aware of Ammodytes hexapterus. It’s fed upon by Pacific salmon and sea-run cutthroat.
Wherever sand eels roam, they are slender creatures and easy to match with a fly. Adult americanus typically range from 2.5 to 4.5 inches long but can grow to 6 inches. Their flanks are iridescent silver, and their backs vary in color depending on local conditions. Where the water is stained by tidal river run-off or the bottom is dark, expect americanus to have a deep blue or black back. In clear waters, particularly when the bottom is light sand, their backs are pale green.
Many sandy beaches along the Atlantic are home to sand eels, but the largest schools are frequently found in and around estuaries, especially where tidal or long shore currents exist. These habitats are loaded with plankton, sand eels’ primary food supply. Since plankton drifts freely with the tide, sand eels adjust their habits. On an incoming tide, expect sand eels to move up inside a bay, salt pond, or river mouth; on the ebb, expect them to fall back toward open water. They’re following the food.
In any location, striped bass feed on sand eels around the clock. As a result, even anglers relatively new to the salt may do well at any hour by simply tying on a sand-eel fly and blind casting. Nevertheless, there are plenty of nuances to this fishing, and at times it is downright challenging.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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