The Bays of June

I begin writing at the end in the haze of June. With high winds and temperatures that stormed us into the first week. Scattered fish to follow as the hot bite of May sizzled off. A grind to find the fish in the first week. Until the new moon brought incredible fishing with it. The harbors and bays came back to life. Adult silver sides as the main course along with adult squid and sand eels.

The chirps of terns and beeps of the fish finder became a common tune for the mid weeks of June. As a healthy population of striped bass filled the harbors and bays. Feeding on both tides as the stripers were gorging on the plentiful bait and heavy tides. Squids flying in the rips with fired up stripers on the hunt. Providing some of the most memorable mornings and a phenomenal visual top water bite for light tackle. Large Squid and Mackerel patterns a go to for flys helping keep the smaller class of fish off your line while connecting with larger fish.

June also brought with it a first for two of the lady fly anglers for this month. Alyssa fishing her local waters and Jen all the way from Colorado, landing their first stripers on fly! Grinding it out and finding luck with some eager first year class fish on the flats. Eating your classics Clousers and Rays Flys. An amazing experience to share with these two lucky ladies filled with stripers and smiles.

Elsa joining the club as well highlighting our lady anglers this month. Enjoying an amazing weekday evening bite with thousands of stripers and terns feeding heavily. With the glow of the sun setting in the background. Catching as many fish until she couldn't reel in any more! Her first striper trip of the year and a memorable one to share with her Papa aboard displaying her talents.

To cap off June with Chris and his father in law Clarence couldn't have been better suited. Chris cramming in a annual striper trip with Clarence before the July 4 weekend and a big nor'easter with it! Finding a tight window for us to get on these fish. A forecasted five to ten mile per hour winds and a "light drizzle" for the morning... A hour into our trip, rubber boots filled with water. Quick dry pants and seasoned Gore-Tex jacket not holding up to the test. With a heavy down fall of rain and fifteen to twenty mile per hour winds bringing two foot waves into the inner bays.

With pruned hands and smiles on their faces they were offered a returned trip but without hesitation Chris and Clarence were ready to push through the weather. With fish all over the fish finder yet not willing to cooperate as they seemed to be sheltering in thirty to fifty feet of water. Along with limitations of travel with the conditions. We found some structure and protection along a rocky shoreline. The weather was clearing up as the sun was trying to peek throw the grey morning fog. We were able to set up nice drifts with the outgoing tide and hit the honey hole of a nice class of stripers holding in the channel along the shoreline and current.

We switched over from the reliable paddle tail to the classic Bucktail with a jig strip. With the anglers experiencing their first inshore light tackle trip. Learning the finess of working paddle tails in the currents and jigging and swimming bucktails in the channels. By the end of our trip they were dialed in and produced a handful of stripers to show for their efforts. People like them and days like these will definitely provide a wonderful memory and valuable time shared on the water. Persistence and passion is what makes this sport so beautiful.

-Brian Kelly

Rocks Pebbles and Sands