Landlocked Striper on the Fly. Photo By: Louis Cahill

So I wrote this post this past winter, but the truth is, the striped bass fishing is really good right now on many of our lakes and rivers. My buddy the other day landed a 25 pound striper on the fly. Much of our trout fishing is limited to the mornings and evening right now unless you’re fishing on a tailwater up high. If you’re looking for a break from the trout game, I recommend chasing stripers on the fly.

Winter Striper Fishing – G&G Classic Post

It’s that time of year again, for me to get excited about layering up and getting on one of my local reservoirs for some landlocked stripers on the fly. The fall and winter months are great times for both numbers and big fish if you’re willing to battle the cold. Dropping water temperatures get baitfish schooling up and very active, and you’ll find schools of hybrid bass and striped bass following their every move. It sounds easy right? Tell me that again when the alarm clock is ringing at 4:00am and it’s twenty degrees outside.

For best results you’re going to want to get on the lake early, well before sunrise. You will find your best opportunity for breaking fish is the first three or four hours of the day. Once the sun gets high on the horizon the baitfish and the striped bass usually go deep. Even with full sinking lines you’ll find it hard to effectively present your fly in the strike zone when fish are deep. Long points close to deep water or flats and humps surrounded by deep water are hotspots for stripers and hybrid bass driving and abusing baitfish. Sometimes stripers will also use the backs of coves to trap baitfish so don’t overlook those as well. If you’re not seeing any breaking fish or activity on your electronics your best bet is to run the lake looking for surface activity. Pay attention to any birds circling in the air as well, they’re after the baitfish also, and can often give you a clue to where the concentrations of stripers are located. You’ll also want to have a wide selection of baifish fly patterns in various sizes. Many people think in order for you to catch a big striper you have to fish a really big fly. I can’t tell you how often a 2 1/2 – 3″ clouser minnow is the ticket. Striped bass will key in on naturals just like other gamefish, so pay attention to the size of baitfish on the water and match your fly accordingly.