Suggestions for the coming week

[msusawyer]

This is the last week before finals at Hopkins which means my last week before I have to go back to work. Fortunately, the majority of my course assignments are already done and gone. So to celebrate the surplus free time and my birthday I plan to spend it with a long rod in my hand.

I'm torn between going down to Fletcher's and CB and trying the new sinking line I have for some American shad, or putting the boat in the water and trying out my new 9wt (my birthday present to myself) in the bay for stripers. It would be my first time striper fishing on the fly, so any tips there would be helpful.

Thoughts?

[HJS]

I've never fly fished for stripers in the Bay. From what I've learned on TF over the years, the early spring can be real tough time to catch stripers on the fly. Fly fishing for stripers comes into its own during the summer/fall season when breaking stripers are sitting ducks for a fly. The Flats would normally be your best bet now. However, the Flats has yet to produce very consistantly yet this spring.

Upstream from Fletchers would be your best bet to connect with a lot of hickories. Numbers of American shad should start picking up this week and next. I'm sure I'll be there a time or two this week.