Cape Lookout Striper info

[RedAye]

First time going for Stripers in late February. Fishing with a none fly fisher but, he's willing to accommadate a fly fisher. Recommendations for flies would be helpful. Rod weight and line advice also. Many thanks.

[captgordon]

My recommendation would be to go either to Oregon Inlet or Chesapeake Bay. With the warmish winter there are still fish in the Bay and very few south of Oregon Inlet and havent been any around here at all.

[RedAye]

Thanks for the advice CaptGordon. I've been reading your threads for years and few would know as well as you.
OI may be where we end up. This trip was originally supposed to come off in late January but, we decided to delay because of the warm temps. Boat is trailored, and owner is familiar with Inlet.
I sure could use your wisdom on flys, rod and line if you're willing?

[captgordon]

Because the winter striper fishing around here is so inconsistent I have never gotten into them. However the times I have gone out looking for them I had a 10 wt rigged with a 550 and some bunker flies in the 5 - 6 inch range.

[Eric L]

Capt Gordon is right about Cape Lookout: It's too far south for consistent striper fishing. In the Jan/Feb time period most of the large migratory fish are offshore in an area roughly between Virginia Beach and Oregon Inlet. There are always small fish (males and juvenile females) to be had in Chesapeake Bay, but they can be very hard to locate during the winter. The Bay is very large and mostly featureless -- more like a big lake than the highly structured inshore waters of the northeast. Both in the Bay and offshore the fish tend to be suspended in schools over deep water. Whether you fish the Bay or open ocean at this time of year trolling is really the only productive method. Flyfishing is basically a waste of time.

By early March the large females will start to enter the Bay to stage for spawning and can be taken in shallow water at the head of the Bay, weather permitting. The Susquhanna flats (where a C/R fishery is allowed) gets too muddy for decent fishing with high winds and/or high runnoff from the Susquahanna river. In my limited experience its blown out more often than not. Still, it's the one of the only real early spring FFing opportunities for stripers in the mid-Atlantic region.

Eric

[captgordon]

Whether you fish the Bay or open ocean at this time of year trolling is really the only productive method. Flyfishing is basically a waste of time.

Eric
I wouldn't say that. These fish were caught on Super Bowl Sunday right outside Rudee Inlet, VA(not by me however):
http://www.geocities.com/capt_gordon/via1b.jpg

and

http://www.geocities.com/capt_gordon/via3b.jpg

[Eric L]

Yes, I realize I was being a bit too emphatic about flyfishability when I wrote that :-)

I guess my point was that it it is not reasonable to EXPECT to be able to catch them on flies during the winter on any given day. FWIW there is often topwater striper action in Feb and March within sight of where I am writing this from. It's just that conditions are not reliable enough to plan a long distance trip around.

Eric