Stripers In Surf

Funny how easy it can be to take things for granted. Ironically, at the exact time that many fly fishermen here in Maine have had their fill of fly fishing for Striped Bass, the salt water fly fishing explodes. Just when many of the fly fishermen start turning their attention to the Trout and Salmon rivers, the magic begins to unfold along the Northeast Atlantic shorelines. All of the bait fish seem to collectively say,”oh man, it’s getting cold we better get outta here. Hey, here’s an idea let’s all get together and travel south.” So, the bait gets together and makes a mass exodus out of the harbors and into the open ocean. That’s when things get really fun. Well, fun for the birds, the fish and the fly fishermen. I tend to like fly fishing when there is some surf. 2-5 foot seas are just fine. Anything bigger makes things a little tricky and potentially dangerous. Ideally the seas are 4 feet and the waves are rolling nicely in sets and crashing against Maine’s impermeable shoreline. With polarized glasses I can watch a wave peak and sea the Striped Bass ripping through the waves and watch nature unfold. Baitfish get caught in the surf and crash against the rocks. The birds dive bomb into the water taking advantage of the disorientated and helpless baitfish. The predatory fish scan the shorelines like sharks and attack the baitfish with unrelenting aggression. I often find myself alone on the ledges and beaches during this time of year. All of the sunbathing tourists have returned to wherever they came from. Many of the fair weather summer fly fishermen have hung up their rods and others have hunting on the brain. So, I wander the ledges and beaches alone or with a few willing and able friends. Of course, I swap reports on the cell phone and cross paths with the regular salt water junkies. But, all salt water fly fishermen seem to have their own special spots for the fall migration. Everyone knows that the entire coast is littered with bait and fish. So, it is possible to go to almost any beach or any typical well known spot and catch fish. But, there are certain spots that seem to hold the bigger fish and these are the spots that many guys like to keep to themselves or amongst a few close friends. In fact, many of my salt water buds try their very best to get away from the annoying and pestering schoolies. They purposefully shy away from some of the popular spring and summer spots. I do the same. During this time of year, catching lots of fish seems less attractive than catching a potential fish of a life time. I do not use my standard clouser and deceiver patterns. I use huge grocery patterns, in hopes that the little fish will not be interested in my offerings. I typically go to my favorite spots and many of these spots are not easy to get to and many fly fishermen are not willing or able to do what it takes to get to these spots. These spots require a willingness and ability to walk 30 minutes across fields, scale cliff walls and walk through the crashing surf. That is the easy part. When I get to my destination I have to walk a solid 200 -300 yards out and across totally kelp covered rocks. The kelp is so thick; it is sometimes difficult to tell if my footsteps will be on solid rock or thin air. Finally, as if that is not enough, the tide is a major concern. We have huge tide swings in Maine. Sometimes, there is a 12 foot difference between high and low tide. So, getting out to some of my desired locations is hard in its own right, but I need to be constantly looking behind me once I get there and start fly fishing. If I am not very careful, the exposed rock that I walked out on may not be there for me when I wish to return. So, it is very possible that swimming back might be my only option and this has happened a few times. Not fun and fairly frightening. Oh yeah, and while I am out there I am constantly thinking about what would happen if my foot got stuck. What if my foot slipped and got lodged between two rocks. Well, if I could not get it free, I would certainly drown. Remember the 12 foot tide swings. I am not 12 feet tall. So, why do I go? Because I have done so every since I was a kid. But, just as was then, I am always very cautious and I never take stupid chances. I trust my gut and I respect the ocean’s massive power. It could swallow me in an instant. Obviously, I also go because that is where I find my best fish and I know that these spots have not seen a fly since the last time I was there. I am so glad to have this video of one of my trips to one of these locations. It will be great to watch it during the winter months, when the Maine Ocean is cold and seemingly void of life. Anyone who fly fishes with me knows that I have come to love the art of fly fishing videography. I have always loved fly fishing photography and have been taking and processing fly fishing photos since the times of 35mm film. I took several photography, graphic and digital film classes during my studies in college and I have always been fascinated with static and moving images. Especially in their digital form. I truly have come to enjoy the photography and videoography as much as the fly fishing because it enables me to piece together the things I see and experience in a way that is unique to me. It enables me to capture raw content and tell a story via sight and sound. That is why I love video and always have. If a picture is worth a thousand words than video is worth a million because video is essentially just a whole lot of still images moving by very quickly. So, I know that I will enjoy this video during the winter months because of its ability to bring me back to a time that is past and an activity that won’t be possible to do. Hopefully, if you’re a salt water fly fisherman, this video might make the winter months a little less fishless. Hopefully it will help to remind you of all your secret spots, the smell of the ocean, the feeling of casting your 8/9 weight rod and the sense of satisfaction that comes from having a fish take your fly.