Fishing Forecast
By Joe Gugino, Why Knot Fishing
Getting Started Fly Fishing for Striped Bass!
As we continue to get closer to fishing season we begin to set our goals for the upcoming season. Among everyone’e typical goals of catching their personal best or simply fishing more, there are also more and more of our friends who want to start fly fishing! And al- though this is a great goal to have, it may be tough to know where to begin.
Fly Fishing Set-Ups:
When pursuing Striped Bass on the fly I would suggest starting with a 9-weight or 8-weight fly rod. Along with the rod I would suggest a large arbor fly reel, and if possible one with a fully sealed drag so it can withstand the salt and sand. And after putting the 20 or 30 pound Dacron backing on your reel, I would suggest starting with an 
intermediate fly line. And attached to your fly line I would start with a 20 pound tapered fluorocarbon leader.
Fly Suggestions:
There are many flies that work for Striped Bass, and when choosing them your- self the best phrase to remember is “Match the Hatch” or in other words choose flies that best mimic the bait in the area you are fishing. For the North Shore you are sure to see Mackerel, Sand Eels, and Menhaden. And you can also never go wrong with a white fly, sometimes mixed with olive and/ or chartreuse. The best type of flies to start with would be deceivers and clousers.
Fly Fishing in Action:
Now that you’re set-up with gear you’ll have to decide where to go, and more importantly how to properly fly fish. When choosing a location, the same spots you would target with spin gear will work for fly gear, but specifically target some places from shore that have a lot of room to back cast and that is close to deeper water as you won’t be able to cast as far as you’re used to. I highly suggest taking a fly fishing lesson with an instructor when you first start out and be ready to practice a lot!
This is a very broad overview of getting into fly fishing, and if you want to learn more please feel free to reach out at any time or even better join us at any of our “March or Fly Fishing” events coming up this month!
3/8 & 3/22 6:30-8:30:
Fly Tying nights at Capefish in Wenham, MA.
3/15 6:30-8:30pm:
Fly Fishing Night at Toscana’s in Peabody, MA
3/27 7:00pm:
Fly Fishing Film Tour at The Greatest Bar in Boston, MA
FORECAST BY: Joe is a life-long fisherman, who fell in love with the sport when he moved to the North Shore and started fishing in saltwater for striped bass. After fishing from a kayak for the first time, he became even more excited about (and obsessed with) fishing. Joe is also the co-founder/co-owner of Why Knot Fishing (whyknotfishing.com), a community-based fishing organization.