THE
ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE
Ó
Ed
Mitchell
Nearly fifty
years ago, at a time when saltwater fly-fishing belonged only to a daring few,
Harold Gibbs was sitting down at his vise to shape a fly for the striped bass of
his native state. Wartime gas rationing had stopped his salmon trips to Canada
and he was looking at angling opportunities closer to home. An expert with a fly
rod, Gibbs was also an expert on fish. Besides being a commissioner of fisheries
for the State of Rhode Island, he was a marine research specialist. It would
only be natural for a man of his credentials to see that fly fisherman had a
place in the salt. It would be natural to expect as well than any fly emerging
from his vise would incorporate in-depth knowledge of the marine environment. In
fact this fly, later to be called the "Gibbs Striper Bucktail" was
destined to become a coastal classic. And for the next generation it was the fly
of choice for those New England fly rodders who prowled the brine. Gibbs had
patterned this fly after a small but very important baitfish, a fish that he
knew full well was a favorite target of many gamefish up and down the coast- Menidia
menidia, the Atlantic silverside.
In the shallow
waters of the Atlantic from the chilly reaches of Prince Edward Sound to the
ever-warm Florida shores, the silverside was then and is now, an ecologically
important baitfish. It spends the majority of its life tight to the coastline or
swimming the rich tidal estuaries that adjoin them. Here, where land and sea
meet, the silverside is one of the most numerous inhabitants. Given that
abundance, you can bet that Mother Nature has placed it high on the menu of many
fine gamefish. Stripers, bluefish, bonito, weakfish and false albacore all hunt
and consume this shiny fish. And all coastal fly rodders would do well to be
informed. In shape and appearance, the Atlantic silverside, sometimes called
spearing or “sperling”, is not unlike the common fresh water shiner.
Its maximum length is about six inches and it is often found in small
sizes of two to three inches, making one of several coastal baitfish that are
easy to imitate with a fly. The coloration is pale, being a faint tint of olive
green along the back and somewhat translucent elsewhere. Overall the silverside
has a robust appearance, being fuller and thicker than say a sand eel. As its
name implies, a single prominent bright band of silver runs down the side. The
two dorsal fins are separate and occupy only a small percentage of the entire
back( which is another difference between it and the sand eel). Its mouth is
upturned and does extend back to reach the midline of the eye. The eye itself is
large and the tail is forked, proving the silverside a sight feeder and powerful
swimmer.
Research shows
that the Atlantic silverside can spawn from March through August. Naturally
water temperature is an important determinant. While some spawning may take
place in waters below 60 degrees, 60 seems to be a reliable minimum. Water
closer to 68 degrees are, however, optimum. In the northern end of its range,
silverside spawning starts around June, while further south spawning can be
underway two or three months prior. The spawning occurs in tidal estuaries and
happens on daytime high tides, especially those of the new and full moons. If
you would like to see this event be aware that silversides only use the
intertidal zone (The area between high and low tide marks) for reproduction and
like marshy areas with cordgrass. The exact location can often be pinned down by
looking for active terns, cormorants and gulls. It is important to realize that
silversides can spawn many times in one season. Therefore, it is natural to
expect that warmer than normal years will likely trigger larger year classes by
helping the spawning to get an early start. 1991 was just such a year.
There are several
ways in which silversides generate action for the coastal fly rodder. The most
obvious way is by simply attracting fish like striped bass to certain areas of
the shoreline where silversides are concentrated. Another possibility is for
anglers to work a fly during the actual spawn. Striped bass and bluefish shadow
these events and your best bet is probably a high tide that crests shortly after
daybreak. Under lower light, the bigger fish are much more likely to cruise into
shallow waters. I suggest you cover the area just offshore of the spawning with
a good silverside imitation.
The two most
common conditions fly rodders will see, across the season, are : schools
of silversides being attacked in a classic "blitz" scenario during the
day, or nights when small pods of silversides are pinned against the shoreline
and picked off one by one. Both are excellent opportunities to work a fly,
although they need different strategies. Let's take a look first at the day time
side of things.
When the sun is
up silversides form schools. They cruise salt marshes and their adjacent
coastal waters feeding on copepods, shrimp, crab larvae and other fish. Two of
the best places to find them are around the mouths of estuaries or near points
of land on a moving tide.
These places generally have currents associated with them, which funnel
nutrients to the hungry baitfish.
These currents or
rips are also ideal spots for gamefish like stripers, bluefish and bonito to set
an ambush. As a generally rule, anglers look for this type of activity on the
second, third and fourth hours of the dropping tide or the first two hours of
incoming. The gamefish use a time honored plan. They attack the school of bait
by first schooling themselves. For example, a gang of bluefish will first
attempt to herd the bait. Some will swim underneath the silversides and push
them up against the surface while other bluefish push the school of bait
laterally into a strong current where the bluefish's powerful swimming ability
will give them a firm advantage. Then when the moment is right a few blues will
rocket up through the bait disorienting the silversides and fracturing their
formation. When the action gets really hot, the surface commotion will give the
location away. The trick is to get there quickly and place your fly immediately
upcurrent of the scene. Allow the flow to swing your silverside fly back into
the mayhem and be ready for an instant slam.
Since silversides
are strong swimmers, you can use a moderately fast retrieve. A slow or full sinking
line, such as a Scientific Angler intermediate, often is the best bet. It will
get the fly down a bit. Remember that predators like to key on strays that have
been separated from the main body of the school by their attack. So a fly moving
underneath, or to just to the side of, the school gets quicker attention than a
fly moving through the middle or over the top.
As good as these
daylight blitzes are; they also have some drawbacks. First they are often short
lived, providing only limited fishing, and they are notoriously unpredictable.
Furthermore, your fly has to compete with potentially thousands of naturals.
Anyone who has fished a size 24 trico in the midst of a thick hatch knows what
that can lead to- frustration. For these and other reasons, night fishing is a
more productive part of the season and my personal favorite.
As light levels
fall, silversides no longer have the necessary visual contact with one another
to continue their schooling strategy. Therefore as evening descends, they split
up into small pods containing as few as a handful of fish and spread out along
the beach. Once split up, they seem to alternate their time between resting and
slowly cruising near the surface, feeding on plankton. Striped bass and bluefish
will also break up into small groups and be actively on the prowl. And as a
result, they are on high alert for the least bit of movement that might signal a
lone baitfish. If your fly is within reach of their acute senses, believe me,
they will come get it. On a productive beach, this type of fly-fishing can
provide hours of steady action and often some of the biggest fish you are apt to
catch during any season.
Another
interesting part about night fishing is that anglers can frequently stalk
individual fish. How is that possible in the dark? Easy, many times you can hear
and even see these predators feeding. For example, striped bass picking off
baitfish near the surface make a distinctive popping sound as they suck the
little fish in. In the still of a calm night, it is a cinch to hear. A few
searching casts in that direction will hit pay dirt. If you have any moonlight
at all, you can also see swirls. Since you often can be sure which way the fish
is traveling, the trick is to cast to either side of the swirl. With a little
luck you'll hook up. The exception to this rule is found where gamefish are
holding in a strong rip. Here predators tend to stay put and allow the current
to bring food to them. You can cast upcurrent of the swirl and allow the fly to
swing through the location. It is a deadly technique.
Striped bass have
excellent overhead vision and are highly alert to things swimming at the
surface. For this reason a floating fly that pushes a small wake during the
retrieve is a killer, particularly at night. Size and silhouette can be important
and should match the local bait population. My favorite type of fly for this work is a slider.
Over the season, I use them from size 2# to size 2/0.
You can make the body out of balsa wood, or foam, or deerhair. You decide; all
work, although I find the balsa wood versions are the best. The tail can be
hackle, or bucktail, or synthetic fiber. Here again, you decide. For
daytime work I like a silver (chrome) slider. At night I pick a black one,
typically 3.5 inches long on a 1/0 hook. In the dark try a slow steady
retrieve to imitate an unaware silverside cruising along sucking in plankton.
And remember that may times at night even very big fish will pick up the fly as
lightly as a trout sucking in a nymph. It’s only when you set the hook that
all hell breaks lose.
THE
END