Striper help before I move!

[Cooper Breeden]

Hi everyone,

I landed a summer job with California Trout and I'm leaving the DC area in a week. I'm sure I'll be back in the area afterward, but for now my only priority before I leave is to get a striper on the fly. I've gone out a couple times in a kayak at Fletcher's and yesterday afternoon at GP--so far, no luck. Am I cursed or is that normal? 

I would love any advice, or if you know of any past posts that address this, that would be great, too. I tried to search the forum for the best techniques for targeting stripers but didn't find anything that was comprehensive. I did see the helpful Fishing Calender post (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!searchin/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/striper$20chart/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/kFveHTHrhso/o0bg8yDo5tsJ) with the googledoc spreadsheet. I added a tab that is a modification of the "How to Fish Em" tab--I hope that wasn't too bold! (Obviously, feel free to delete, modify, or add to it: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtabysjnVlTkdEs1NUktXzhiTktWWnFIY29lZTJEOEE&hl=en#gid=4)

I have a 6 wt, 200 grain streamer express sinking line. I've been using mostly size 2 and 4 clousers. At Fletcher's, I've been parking on a seem (steering clear of other anglers), unloading as much line as I can in the cast, then stripping almost all the rest out to allow the fly to sink, then pulling it all in and repeating. Does that sound right?

Are there places besides Fletcher's and GP that I should try? When is the best time to hit them w respect to tides and time of day? 

Maybe I simply need to log some more time on the river--that's a perfectly acceptable answer, too. If anyone wants to go out sometime in the next week, I would welcome company.

Thanks,

Cooper

[Eric Y.]

I have caught a lot of schoolies (not big, but will still put a good bend on a 6wt) fishing the GP outflow. Wait a couple hours after high tide when the water starts flowing out of the duck pond, if this coincides with dusk/dawn, even better. I basically stand right up next to the wall of the bridge, and use a cross-body roll cast or off-hand roll cast and try to hit right by the shore on the opposite side. I feed out a bit of line as it swings through the current, and then strip in. Little guys (<20") to be sure, but you have a much better chance for them doing that than using streamers on seams out by Fletcher's. That has been my experience at least.

 

Heed the warnigs of the GP wading ticket thread, though. Not a friendly place to get your ankles wet, at the moment.

[Steve F]

I haven't been up there lately, but last year around this time I did well on some schoolies up towards big and little eddy from shore. They're little guys up there, but they're stripers.  Just find a point to cast from where you can get your #2 and 4 clousers out into the current and swing/strip 'em through the seam.  I found it best to cast upstream at varying angles to get the fly down deep and figure out where they're holding.  It is a bit late so I'm not sure they're still around -- maybe someone here has been out there recently and can comment. 

[Cooper Breeden]

Consider the warning heeded. I've been following the thread and will be wary to even dip my toes in. Thanks for the advice!

Cooper

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[Eric Y.]

I have found at GP, with a sinking line, that a popsicle fly works just fine. White/chart, white/green, white/orange, white/red have all worked equally well it seems, but white/pink has been best for me. RSW has a youtube video on how to tie them - only takes about a minute and a half and I use a lot of scrap material for them. I add some flash, or a peacock herl here and there, but not consistently and not with significantly better results.

Cooper

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[Matthew Longley]

I had good luck at fletchers with a purple and blue over white half-and-half dragged deep, like you were describing, during the shad run.  Though the action has certainly slowed, there are some holdovers of both shad and herring along with stripers.

[Alex Binsted]

There has been a good striper bite at Fletchers the last couple of days.  The fish have been on the main seam stretching from Walkers Point to the Shelf.  Now that the current is slowing it is easier to target these fish on the fly.  Several were caught in the last two days on flies.  Chartreuse and white have been go to colors.  Your best bet is to fish early in the morning before the heat and the recreational boaters screw up the river.  I will be opening Fletcher's tomorrow at 6:30am if your'e interested...

On Friday, May 31, 2013 12:10:55 PM UTC-4, Coop wrote:

[Cooper Breeden]

Thanks for all the tips. I haven't had a chance to get out yet, but I plan on going out early tomorrow. I'll come back with a report.

Cooper

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[Travis Davidson]

I was out last night at Chain Bridge, definitely top water action by some large bass and probably snakehead?  I saw at least one large bass swim right by my feet.  I could not figure out what they were biting on the surface.  Thoughts???  I tried everything in my arsenal.  Anyone know if it was some sort of mayfly hatch? 
Not even a bite...

-Travis

On Sunday, June 2, 2013 11:48:27 AM UTC-4, Coop wrote:

Thanks for all the tips. I haven't had a chance to get out yet, but I plan on going out early tomorrow. I'll come back with a report.

Cooper

On Fri, May 31, 2013 at 8:06 PM, Alex Binsted <a.bi...@gmail.com> wrote:

There has been a good striper bite at Fletchers the last couple of days.  The fish have been on the main seam stretching from Walkers Point to the Shelf.  Now that the current is slowing it is easier to target these fish on the fly.  Several were caught in the last two days on flies.  Chartreuse and white have been go to colors.  Your best bet is to fish early in the morning before the heat and the recreational boaters screw up the river.  I will be opening Fletcher's tomorrow at 6:30am if your'e interested...

On Friday, May 31, 2013 12:10:55 PM UTC-4, Coop wrote:

Hi everyone,

I landed a summer job with California Trout and I'm leaving the DC area in a week. I'm sure I'll be back in the area afterward, but for now my only priority before I leave is to get a striper on the fly. I've gone out a couple times in a kayak at Fletcher's and yesterday afternoon at GP--so far, no luck. Am I cursed or is that normal? 

I would love any advice, or if you know of any past posts that address this, that would be great, too. I tried to search the forum for the best techniques for targeting stripers but didn't find anything that was comprehensive. I did see the helpful Fishing Calender post (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!searchin/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/striper$20chart/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/kFveHTHrhso/o0bg8yDo5tsJ) with the googledoc spreadsheet. I added a tab that is a modification of the "How to Fish Em" tab--I hope that wasn't too bold! (Obviously, feel free to delete, modify, or add to it: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtabysjnVlTkdEs1NUktXzhiTktWWnFIY29lZTJEOEE&hl=en#gid=4)

I have a 6 wt, 200 grain streamer express sinking line. I've been using mostly size 2 and 4 clousers. At Fletcher's, I've been parking on a seem (steering clear of other anglers), unloading as much line as I can in the cast, then stripping almost all the rest out to allow the fly to sink, then pulling it all in and repeating. Does that sound right?

Are there places besides Fletcher's and GP that I should try? When is the best time to hit them w respect to tides and time of day? 

Maybe I simply need to log some more time on the river--that's a perfectly acceptable answer, too. If anyone wants to go out sometime in the next week, I would welcome company.

Thanks,

Cooper

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[Danny Barrett]

For topwarer i toss the biggest fly that will make the most noise.  normally a popper like fly.

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[Emily Weaver]

Cooper,

 

Thanks for calling attention to the google docs chart.  Seems like a great resource for beginners like me.  Any chance of adding a "where to fish 'em" tab? 

 

I would try to fill it in myself but have only caught my first fish on my fly rod today at Orvis' 201 class. A super cute blue gill!  Big Thanks to Dan, Trent & Lange!!  (hoping a reference to a free class isn't a commercial ....)

 

I'll keep watching this post regardless, because Stripers at GP are on my list.  Good luck.

 

Emily

On Friday, May 31, 2013 12:10:55 PM UTC-4, Coop wrote:

[Cooper Breeden]

That's exciting, Emily! If you want some more bluegill excitement, I went out to Paint Branch today for the first time and caught bluegill (or some other kind of sunfish) on 75% of my casts using a little beadhead nymph around the green arrow (I parked in the parking lot on Riverside Ave off Paint Branch Pkwy and crossed over the river at the confluence). I'm sure there are all kinds of places like this in the creeks off the Potomac. I just finished up an internship with the Anacostia Watershed Society, and gleaned from that experience that Paint Branch is much cleaner than a lot of the other waterways in the area. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but there is definitely a clear line where Paint Branch and Indian Creek meet, and Paint Branch is crystal clear.

P.S.  I've heard about snakehead up there near the Paint branch/Indian creek confluence; a spinfishing gentleman that has been fishing that place since the 80s confirmed that today.

As for the google excel sheet, I'm not sure if anyone "owns" that document, but I think having a tab like you said is a good idea. I agree that it's a great reference for people like you and I.

Cooper

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[Chuq Yang]

I was getting an oil change today down around there and decided to take the hour or so and chuck some flies in the Paint Branch just south of the confluence.  I can confirm that I saw two snakeheads there.  That was my first snakehead sighting!  They were unfortunately not interested in anything that I was throwing.  Since I was fishing from the Anacostia trail with a fly rod, I got some interesting looks from bikers and walkers.  I may try wading there next time since the shore doesn't afford much in terms of a backcast.  Also, access from the west seemed like it would require a machete.

The water was stained where I was (under the Paint Branch Parkway) bridge.  I have always wondered about that stream though.  Maybe I'll fish there a little more often!  

Chuq

Cooper

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