Mike There are a couple of really important things to remember when fishing the salt... Pay very close attention to the tides.... check them daily and know when they are changing. Carry a compass when you wade. The fog on the cape sets in very quickly and can be so thick in seconds that you can't see your hand in front of your face and you will lose track of where the shore is. Don't be afraid of fast water. Around here the breachways are very popular for fishing from the shore. The current in the rivers really helps make your flies come alive. You can also use the breaker walls to get further out if you're afraid of wading just yet. If you're camping on the cape or are there during low tide it is always important to check out your favorite fishing spot at that time so you can memorize all the rocks and formations on the bottom before high tide comes in. Some really good guides take pictures during low tide so they can remember the really good places to cast their flies. Many large stripers can be caught in the foamy area of the waves close to shore. Study it well before you enter the water. Lots of times people wade right past the stripers that are feeding close to shore. Early in the season they use cinder worms. Then the Herring start to run. Right now small peanut bunker are everywhere. Don't limit yourself to small flies. Play with some bigger flies also. One of my favorite tiers on the cape is John Morin. He uses a lot of spreaders when he ties his flies. That enables you to tie bigger flies with less material making them lighter to cast. Put his name in Google and you will find lots of interesting things. If you want to catch big fish don't be afraid of big flies. I tie a lot of mine on size 2/0 and 3/0. I rarely use 1, 2 or 1/0 but there is a place for them. Sand eels are nice flies to tie and they are usually on a smaller scale and the cinder worms so I use the smaller hooks. Flat wings make really nice sand eel flies and only take 2 to three feathers. The peanut bunker they are seeing now are very small. Byard ties a really nice fly for those out of that fuzzy fiber he sells. Give him a call at Lines End and he will have some great suggestions and most of your supplies. Be careful of the kind of fish you're catching. If you hook a blue fish which you know doubt will if you spend any time saltwater fishing don't use your hands to take the hook out. Carry some long nose pliers. I use boga grips to hold the fish and they can be expensive but I thought they were worth the price of a finger. After my first up close encounter with a blue fish I wasn't as cheap with my equipment. If in doubt about what you catch cut it off. I will send you some links in another email. Deb
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Morris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 12:13 PM Subject: [VFB] Saltwater Flies > > > Folks; > > I have just purchased a nice starter rod and reel (9 ft 9 weight) for > stripers in the salt. I know 90% of this list is for freshwater but > since I have recently moved to Massachusetts I feel I must try the > stripers. I live an hour from the Cape Anne area and am looking forward > to a couple of days on the salt. Problem is I have never fished salt > with a fly before. I am intimidated by big rivers (ie the Delaware) so > how do I get started? What flies should I start tying and in what > sizes. I'm too poor to hire a guide so I'm just gonna have to wing it! > > Mike M. > >
