Fly Fishing for Stripers on Eastern Bay

I‘ve spent most of the week on the Chesapeake chasing fall stripers. Most of our fishing efforts have been concentrated on Eastern Bay and surrounding areas. There are lots of bait and fish around, and quite a few breaking fish on the moving tides. The shallow water fishing and fishing around structure and shorelines has been slow getting rolling, but we have managed some decent fish shallow. Water temps are 62 to 65 degrees. I’m hoping the fishing will continue to get better in the coming week.

Bill and Karan, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, caught some good stripers on the fly this week on Eastern Bay. Most of the fish they caught ate 2/0 clouser minnows fished on sinking lines.

Under the birds and amongst breaking fish the trick is not catching fish, but catching big fish. There are, as usual, alot of small fish present in the breaking schools. They are quick to take a fly, especially when fishing a small flytrying to imitate the small baitfish they are eating. We have been using 1/0 clousers in gray and white and they eat them quick. Most of the schooling fish are 15-17 inches and you just have to commit to fishing through the smaller fish, and keeping your fly deep in hopes of the big ones, which are around. We catch several fish each day over 18" and some over 20" in among the breaking fish.

Fishing shorelines and structure has been spotty, but the fish we catch have been decent. We had some good 22 to 25 inch fish and a few pushing 30" this week while fishing our flies in shallow areas with a hard bottom. The best of the fishing was on the outgoing tides. There are still some decent bluefish around too, keeping things interesting, some up to 5 lbs.

We’lll see what the rest of the week has to offer, and I’ll keep you posted.