Fly Fishing the Flats

[KJosenhans]

The flats was hot yesterday! If you want the chance to catch a big fish on fly tackle now is the time to go. No real big fish yesterday, but had them to 10# on fly. Most were 4 to 8 pounds.

[Salmo trutta]

Just yesterday or had it been decent for a few days?

[KJosenhans]

It's been getting better each day since we hit them last Wednesday. A decent school of fish has moved in and I hope they stay till the season ends. At first they were just in one location but they have since spread out to most of the usual haunts.

[Tracker12]

What kind of setup do you need in the way of rod and line for the flats and what flies.

[KJosenhans]

I like an 8 wt rod with a RIO 250 grain sink tip. For flies I like a half & half, large clouser or deceiver, in that order. A 9 wt with a 300 grain sink tip is better if casting very large flies or if the wind is up. When the fish are real shallow an intermediate line works great.

[Salmo trutta]

Thanks for the info Captain. Keep us posted if those fish stick around. I can't tell you how many times I've had a banner day, then returned the next day with a boat load of people who I convinced to take off work and we struggled to put 1 fish in the boat. But sometimes when it's on, it stays on and it usually doesn't turn on till around now anyway and is about at its peak when they close the flats on May 3rd every year. They'll open it back up on the 16th but the big fish have come and gone by then usually.

Last year, April 29th, 80+ degree air temps, fish spawning as far as the eye could see in the southern half of the flats. Some real giants too, right next to the boat. Depth finder blacked out with huge marks in the deeper water off of turkey point. Not a single fish would play with everything in the boat. but the fish were there. This year... had to fish the river for 1 or two fish so far but I'm not a regular and only put 2 good efforts in with little to show for it.

Here's a picture of what they are eating, pulled off of this board a few years ago. Match the hatch and use a rod capable of casting a large fly and you can get into some fish. Early and late they'll be in the shallows, sometimes they could be there all day. Int. line would suffice but a 9wt with a sinker and a 9wt with an int. is the way to go. Floating line could work too but it's almost easier to cast larger flies with an int. line. 20 to 25 pound tippet is plenty and not too thick. They aren't too line shy unless you're on flats up north where the water is gin clear like Monomoy or Jamaica Bay.


http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs371.snc3/23828_1446550926017_1300482893_1226419_2665292_n.j pg

[KJosenhans]

Great looking fly! You're right, for something that size, I would use a 9 wt. I like the 8 if the wind is down because the majority of the school fish are under 12#'s and smaller flies seem to catch more. We have caught some pretty big fish on 5" half & half's. If we get the big fish schooled up in the shallows, then I go with a large deceiver, or synthetic type pattern like you show. 'Course, maybe if I cast bigger flies I would catch bigger fish :)

[Salmo trutta]

Just got a live report. All you want from 30 inches and under.

[KJosenhans]

Thanks. That's what was out there Tuesday. Will hopefully see them tomorrow..

[captmike84]

My understanding is that the flats are pretty much a boat/yak fishery? That is there is no real wading opportunities?

[HJS]

captmike - No, fishermen really cannot "wade fish" the Susky Flats like they can on other famous Flats on the east coast. Oh I guess you can step in and wade a few steps out but there'd be no point to it. However, there are several decent shore access areas. All of Perryville Community Park at Stump Point is fishable. Also, there is significant access to the Susky Flats on the west side of Elk Neck Peninsula in the Elk Neck State Park, maybe a couple miles of it. And fishermen do catch fish there at least during the good years. But you will have to hike in a fair distance to get to the shore and then scramble down a really steep slope (cliff in many areas). A really cool area is to walk out to the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula at Turkey Point (~2 mile hike).

DO NOT fish on the east side of the peninsula. That area is closed for C&R fishing right now.

[saltfly]

Hey Howard unless it has changed alot. On the inside of stump point toward the cove.You can wade the flat. But on the flats side. It use to be 20 foot deep just 6 feet off the shore. Unless we are talking about two different points.

[KJosenhans]

captmike - That is pretty much correct. especially since they placed all that rip rap down at Elk Neck State Park. You may be able to get permission to fish off of Perry Point at the hospital, but no wading.

[HJS]

Walt - Yeah, inside of Stump Point (Mill Creek) is fairly shallow and the bottom is reasonable firm in the few areas I probed. Very weedy too. On rare occasions stripers will swing through these shallows, but I'd sure hate to count on finding them there with any regularity. Right next to Mill Creek is Furnance Bay. Its very shallow too. I've often see bass boats working the shallows in both Mill Creek and Furnance Bay for lmbass. I've also seen crappies, sunfish, yperch and wperch.

[saltfly]

Yea Howard I've waded that shallow flat in the past as well:yes:. But I was after the carp that spawn on their:thumbup:. I've hook some really big ones on egg sack flies. Man they would tair off that flat. Man that was fun.

[Capt. Ahab]

these guys used to wade the flats!
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa183/tjenkins43/body_booting.jpg

[HJS]

In all fairness to Capt Ahab, huge areas of the Susky Flats is indeed wadeable, and I'm not referring to the shallow side bays in this instance. However, all of the Flats where fishermen chase stripers is surrounded by deep water. So you need a boat to get out to the shallow water areas. And once you're in a boat out on the Flats, then why bother getting out to wade unless you are setting out decoys. Keep in mind that covering a lot of water is crucial to finding stripers on the Flats and a boat is waaay faster at covering water than in guy in chesthighs.

Walt - How could I forget the lowly carp. Mill Creek, Furnace Bay and the whole Flats are loaded with big carp. They have a habit of always jumping with big noisy splashes making you think they are stripers chasing bait. They've fooled lots of fishermen until they catch on to what's making the noisy slashes.

[saltfly]

Capt ahab Howard is right. When I was a kid. I would see the guys wading the flats duck hunting. But they used boats to get to the wadable areas. Now with that said. beleive me you would not want to have to wade to casting distance of any stripers that would be in range. First think of just how big the flats are. then think of 2/3's to 3/4's of it is wadable. But its all out in the middle. you would have to be able to walk on water. to get to the fish fast enough to even get a cast off to one.:amen: The only other part of the flats that is also wadable. Is south of the city docks. This is how the flats is layed out. you come off the shore to the west into a channel that is 6 to 10 feet deep. then you come up on to a flat, that is about 100 to 150 yards wide.that runs from the city dock to the fishing battery. Then you would have to cross the main channel which is about 75 to 100 yards wide and runs out to the main flats and the flats is almost a mile wide before you hit the northeast side channel. Now lets test some of you guys.:eek2: Does any of you know were the minor channel that runs up the flats??????? I still do.:thumbup:

Now Howard forgeting:nono: the carp will get you three demarits. bwahahaha:thumbup:

[Entourage]

what state are you talking about?

[saltfly]

Maryland

[HJS]

Entourage - The Susky Flats are located at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, MD.