Sand Eels
Stripers feeding in these pockets key in on this wiggle, so a fly tracking straight through the water does not interest them. Many anglers often spend the night desperately trying to hook these “stillwater stripers.” It can be done, but rarely, and the fish are often the smallest bass in the neighborhood.
Breaking the rules. Under these conditions you should move to a portion of the beach where the current is still within range of your longest cast. If that is not possible, try breaking one of night fishing’s cardinal rules. Protocol dictates that you stay on the beach and cast to the closest fish. But this is one case where you should wade through some fish to get to others. The idea is to get out far enough to reach the larger, more aggressive bass feeding outside in the last current lanes. Anglers on the beach may call you a greenhorn for standing in the midst of feeding fish, but when they see you outhooking them five to one, and landing larger bass, they may change their tune.
The Dawn Bite
As dawn approaches, sleeping sand eels rise en masse from the sand to re-form their schools. During this emergence they are frequently more concentrated than they were at dusk, so expect the action to be intense but short-lived and isolated to only a few places along the beach. If you know where the major activity occurred during the night, the best of the dawn fishing is apt to take place there.
In late spring this bite starts around 3 A.M. or shortly thereafter in the false light before sunrise. Since the wind is usually calm around dawn, swirls will be visible even in this weak illumination. The action will build rapidly as the sun rises and then rapidly die as the sun comes into full view. Prime fishing time may only be an hour or less, so set your alarm!
Ed Mitchell is the author of Fly Rodding the Coast and Fly Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline. He lives in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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