Sleepless in New England Early on in my saltwater fly-fishing adventures I learned that dusk and dawn were prime times to be on the water. In low light, not only were there more fish near shore, there were bigger fish too.  You gotta love that. This article appeared in the 1995 September/ October issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters.    

Sand Eels  Fly Fisherman magazine purchased this story around 1988 and it appeared in Volume 23, Number 1, 1991. It may be the first forage article ever published for saltwater fly rodders. Yes, the flies are pure vintage, but the basic information is still solid. A couple of years ago I did another feature on sand eels for Fly Fisherman; I'll post that one in the future.

Sand Eels Two  Here's the second sand eel article for Fly Fisherman  magazine. It was published in the July 2002 issue. In the intervening years, places like Dogfish Bar and Chatham Inlet taught me a good deal more about fishing over sand eels. This article passes along that information. Unfortunately the illustrations accompanying the story are not available to me.      

Atlantic Silversides Atlantic silversides are probably the most common forage along the Atlantic coast. Every near shore game fish dines on them.  This article will help you understand this important forage fish. The story appeared in the summer 1992 issue of Scientific Angler's Fly Fishing Quarterly. Like the sand eel article, you'll find it packed with useful information in spite of being long in the tooth.

 Wild Irish Salt  A couple of year ago I got a chance to do some saltwater fly-fishing in Ireland. It was a terrific experience and the Irish salt is absolutely beautiful. So what were we throwing a fly at? European seabass, a relative of our own stripers. This article appeared in the March 2007 travel supplement to the UK magazine Fly Fishing and Fly Tying. 

 Rigging Dropper Flies  Are two flies better than one? Sometimes. This piece explore why you might use two flies; and it also contains an innovative way to attach your dropper. This piece was published in the June/July 1999 issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing.

Life on the Rocks    Jetties are dangerous places, but the Lord knows they sure do give up some big fish. This article appeared in the 1995 autumn issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing, and  was accompanied with fine illustrations by the late Larry Largay.  If you would like more information on jetty and inlet fishing, check out my book Fly Rodding Estuaries. 

An Ocean of Air   Ever notice how much the wind effects your fishing? This article focus on what to expect. It was published in the 2002 winter issue of Fly Fishing New England.  

Anchovy Autumn    In the Northeast, Bay anchovy supply a significant forage each fall for little tunny, bonito, and striped bass. This article examines this important small bait fish and its effect on fall fishing. The article appeared in the 1996 autumn issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing.

Make Mine Menhaden  Which forage fish creates the most intense blitzes on the Northeast coast? I cast my vote for largest of the oily schooling baits - menhaden.  American Angler published this piece in their 1994 May / June issue.    

  New England Spring Stripers   This piece appeared in the 1995 March/ April issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters. Hope your spring fishing goes well! 

 Fly Rodding Long Island Sound  This story offers a general overview of the angling opportunities in Long Island Sound. It was written 6 years ago and there have been some changes. Most notably a few juvenile bluefin have been showing up recently, but on average the information in the story is still fairly accurate. It was published in Fly Fisherman magazine's  July 2001 issue.

  Fisher's Island Sound for the Frugal   This is a budget planner for those interested in fishing Fishers Island Sound at the eastern end of Connecticut. The original story had a large sidebar with motels, eateries, and guides. Given that things change with time, I elected not to include it. But if you want a guide just e-mail me for some suggestions. The article appeared in the 1999 July/August issue of  Fly Fishing in Salt Waters.

Big Bass From the Beach    If you have never hooked a super-sized striper in the surf, you have a major treat in store. In this article I lay out a strategy that should help you accomplish that goal.  I did this piece for Saltwater Fly Fishing's October/ November issue in 2000.    

Amazing Albies  Little tunny are amazing, no question there. Here you'll get a up close and personal look at this speedster of the Atlantic. The feature appeared in Saltwater Fly Fishing in August/ September 2002. 

The Atlantic Bonito     Bonito means beautiful in Spanish, and Atlantic bonito are certainly that. They're also a difficult fish to hook and hold; yes, bonito are a challenge.  Unfortunately I haven't seen many around in recent times. In fact I think "albie" fishing has tapered off too. Perhaps 2006 will be different.  This piece got ink in the 2003 August/ September issue of  Saltwater Fly Fishing. 

Tuna Terra Firma    Catching little tunny and Atlantic bonito from shore is perhaps the toughest and most challenging game in the Northeast. And is it addictive? As bad as pure heroin. But if you're short on patience, confidence or time, don't even think about ones. Go do something easy like soak eels for bass. you'll be a lot happier. I wrote this piece for the October issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing in 1998  

Sandbar Strategies   Sandbars, I  love to fish on them. This piece surfaced in the August/September 2001 issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing. Unfortunately, I can't find the accompanying illustrations. 

Salty Six-Weight  In the Northeast salt, 10-weights are king, but when the conditions are right a six-weight is far more fun. Yeah for school size fish in skinny water this rod is da-bomb. And if you like to sight-fishing for spooky stripers on the crystal flats of the Cape, you owe it to yourself to give the salty six a try. I penned this piece for the February/ March issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing back in 2005.  

Ramblings on the Roach  Yikes a freshwater story! How did that sneak in here? Actually I love freshwater fly fishing too. This story centers around Maine's famous Roach River. No striped bass here; landlocked salmon and wild brookies are the focus. Fly Fishing New England magazine printed this in their Autumn 2003 issue.  

A Century of Striped Bass Management This is a two part article on striped bass management along the Atlantic coast. It doesn't cover every single aspect of this effort, but at the very least it should give you a feel for what has taken place. Part One appeared in the 2002 May/June issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters. Part Two followed in the July/ August issue of that same year  No pictures with this puppy.    

Striped Bass Past, Present, and Future   I did this back in 1994 for the August/ September issue of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters.  It's easy to see I was excited then about the return of striped bass.  But there is also concern in my voice. Looking back, I think those fears were well placed.  If you would like to learn more about making striped bass a gamefish please visit  www.stripersforever.org

 

Newer Writings

The Gannet    Thoughts on Sula bassana, the Northern Gannet

A Fly for the Flats  Want to sight-fish for stripers? Here's a fly for you.

 A Walk in the Winter Woods A hike in the winter woods is a soul satisfying experience.

A Day at the Range   Some days you shoot straight... some days you don't 

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