The Striped Bass Manual
  • HOME
  • Chapter 1 : Tactics & Techniques
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Techniques
    • Freshwater Striped Bass Fishing Basics
    • Battle technique, putting' on the brakes...and wild fights
    • Bank Fishing for Stripers
    • Striped Bass Deep Water Fishing Facts and Information
    • Tips on Locating and Catching Striped Bass
    • 5 Striped Bass Fishing Tips For Using Their Instincts To Your Advantage
    • Targeting Big Fish
    • Striper class 101
    • Striper Lakes
    • Striper Fishing Tips
    • Ready to catch more stripers?
    • Striper School Fishing Fundamentals
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Booms
    • Never Lose Another Striped Bass
    • How To Catch More and Bigger Stripers
    • Don't Lose Your Fish!
    • Bigger Fish in Striper Blitzes
    • Striper Stealth
    • Big Mean Fish and Silly Little Plastic Boats
    • Kill Your Fish Finder & Other Stealth Techniques for Trophy Stripers
    • Important Quick Tips!
    • Stripers Have Great Vision!
    • Bring Two Rods!
    • Persistance
  • Chapter 2: Fishing Live/Cut Bait
    • Fishing for Stripers with Cut Bait
    • Anchovy Rigging Techniques
    • 3 Deadly Bait Rigs For Stripers
    • Fishing with Cut Bait for Stripers
    • Live Baits for Freshwater Striped Bass Fishing
    • Bait Fishing
    • Using Cut Bait for Stripers
    • Downrod Fishing for Stripers
    • How to Rig Fishing Line Using Anchovies for Freshwater Striper
    • Chunk - Cut Bait Fishing
    • Trim the Fins on Your Live Bait
    • Bait and Bait Rigs For Stripers
    • How to Find Shad for Bait
    • Chicken Livers: Secret Striper Bait
  • Chapter 3: Fishing Artificials
    • Striped Bass Plugging
    • Favorite Lures of the Striper Guides
    • Jigging: Basics
    • 3 Tips to help you catch more topwater stripers
    • Swimmer Plugs
    • Buck the Trend For Striped Bass
    • Striper Lures That Really Work
    • Striped Bass Jigging
    • Vertical Jigging for Striped Bass
    • Striper Lures for Trolling
    • Striped Bass on Bucktails
    • Early Springtime Reservoir Stripers on Artificials
    • Lures for Striped Bass
    • A Deadly Fluke Rig for Striper
    • Crankbaits For Stripers
    • Topwater Lures for Stripers
    • Traditional Poppers
    • Striped Bass Fishing Lures
    • How to Choose Lures for Striped Bass
    • Refining Top-water Techniques for Big Stripers The Next Level
    • Fall Striped Bass: Soft Plastic Jerk Bait
    • How To Catch More and Bigger Freshwater Stripers
    • Striper Lures That Really Work
    • Striped Bass Detect Shades
    • How to Dead Stick Striped Bass and Hybrid Striper
    • Six Topwater Secrets
  • Chapter 4: Spring & Summer Fishing
    • 4 Live Fishing Bait Strategies for Summer Striped Bass
    • Spring tips for striped bass fishing
    • Early Spring Striper Fishing Tactics
    • Spawning-Run Stripers
    • Spring Striper Fishing Tactics
    • Tip - Bigger Fish in Summer Blitzes
    • How to Catch Summer Striped Bass
    • Night Time is Striper Time
    • Early Springtime Reservoir Stripers on Artificials
  • Chapter 5: Fall & Winter Fishing
    • Catch Striped Bass All Winter Long
    • Fall Turnover
    • Fall Striped Bass: Soft Plastic Jerk Bait
    • Guide Tactics for Winter Striper
    • Winter Freshwater Striper tactics
    • Tactics for Wintertime Freshwater Stripers
    • Cold - Weather Striper Tactics
    • Time to try winter striped bass fishing
    • Going Deep For Stripers
    • Striped Bass Provide Great Cold Weather Angling Action
  • Chapter 6 : Fly Fishing for Stripers
    • Beginner's Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass: The Gear
    • Big Jerks
    • Sweetwater Stripers
    • Fly Fishing for Stripers is Fun in Freshwater
    • Spey Stripers
    • The Big-Lake Blitz
    • Versatility For Success!!
    • Spring Flyfishing for White Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Fly Fishing for Hybrid Striped Bass in the Spring
    • Fly Fishing a Striper Boil/Blitz
  • Chapter 7: Bait Tanks & Keeping Bait
    • What Do Gizzard Shad Eat - Feeding Shad
    • Shad Keeper - Keep Shad Alive
    • Salt and Shad
    • Dissolved Oxygen and Shad
    • Mechanical Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Chemical Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Bait Tank - Water and Conditioning
    • Water Aeration in Live Bait Tanks
    • Keeping Live Bait - Alive and Active
    • Bio-Wheel Filtration System for Live Bait Tanks
  • Chapter 8: Striped Bass Conservation
    • How to enhance your Striper catch and release efforts
    • Striped Bass Circle Hook Study
    • Thermal Niche Preference and Mortality of Striped Bass In Reservoirs
    • Striped Bass Hooking Mortality
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Booms
    • Live Wells for Stripers
  • Chapter 9: Trolling for Stripers
    • Trolling for Landlocked Striped Bass
    • How to Troll Live Bait
    • Using Planer boards when trolling live bait
    • Slow-Trolling for Stripers
    • Trolling For Striped Bass
    • How to troll spoons in fresh water for Striped Bass
    • A New Look at Light Tackle Trolling
    • Technique for Trolling Artificial Lures
    • Leadcore Trolling
    • Flatline Trolling for Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Trolling for Big Stripers
    • Trolling for Stripers
  • Chapter 10: River Fishing for Stripers
    • Spawning-Run Stripers
    • Striped Bass River Fishing Facts and Information
    • Spring River Striper Techniques
    • River Fishing Facts and Information
    • Nightime River Fishing for September Striped Bass
    • Tips for Striped Bass Fishing in Rivers
  • Chapter 11: Odds & Ends
    • The Striped Bass
    • Tips to identify white bass, stripers and hybrid striped bass
    • World Record Striped Bass
    • Striped Bass Spawning Habits
    • Striper Myth Busting
    • Two of the Biggest Inland Stripers Ever Caught!
    • Stripers From Hook To Plate
  • Chapter 12: Tackle & Equipment
    • Choosing the Right Line: Mono Vs. Braid
    • How to Select a Fishing Line
    • Make Your Own Wooden Lures for Stripers
    • Six Tips for Choosing a Top-water Rod
    • Seven Tips for Selecting a Jigging Rod For Striper
    • Choosing the Right Rod For Light Tackle Stripers
    • Striper Fishing Boats
    • Striped Bass Boat Fishing Tackle
    • Selection of a Rod for Striper Fishing
    • What is the best fluorocarbon line?
    • Circle Hooks
    • How to Choose Lures for Striper Bass
    • Striped Bass Fishing Lures
    • TopWater Lures for Stripers
  • Chapter 13: Fishing with Planer Boards
    • Flat Lines and Planer Boards 101
    • Planer Board for Stripers
    • Carters Lake Planer-Board Winter Stripers
    • Planer boards can be adapted for wide variety of fishing applications
    • Planer boards adapt well for striped bass
    • Planer boards aren’t just for walleyes anymore
  • Chapter 14: Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Heating it up with Hybrids
    • Something about Hybrids
    • The Hard Fighting Hybrid Striper
    • Hybrid Striped Bass Information
    • Night Stripes — Fishing tips for Lake St. John hybrid stripers
  • Chapter 15 :Virginia Striped Bass Fishing
    • Buggs Island Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Claytor Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Lake Anna Striper Fishing Opportunities
    • Leesville Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Smith Mountain Lake Striper Opportunities
  • VirginiaStripers.com
  • Contact
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Beginner's Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass: The Gear
by http://www.presentingthefly.com

When Taylor and I started this site we wanted it to be a resource for anglers who were just getting started in this wonderful addiction of ours. We are both self-taught fly fisherman, and used YouTube to learn to cast! We had help and instruction along the way from those with more experience, but that information was not readily available and easily accessible online. 

So here it goes, we will attempt to put down as much information as we can for those of you who are just getting their feet wet in the world of saltwater fly fishing for striped bass. We will start with outlining the necessary gear and in later posts we will get into flies, locations, tactics, etc. I will assume the average person reading this has a basic understanding of fly fishing, can cast a loop thirty feet, and knows the difference between leader and tippet. If this doesn’t apply to you, read on anyways and send us an email with your questions!

I will stay away from mentioning brand names, because I do not want anyone to feel like they need to have a certain brand of gear to get the job done. I will leave it to you to pick the brand, offering only guidance on rod weights, line types, reel attributes, etc. If you can, shop small and support your local fly shop, but sometimes the deals online are too good to pass up.

We are far from experts and are constantly learning ourselves. But we have crossed over the beginner’s hump and would love to help others to do the same. Taylor and I have gained enough knowledge that should be useful to the beginning saltwater fly fisherman!

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A perfect place to start this guide is your fly rod, fly reel, and fly line. Many fly fisherman start with fly fishing for trout and then become interested in the salt. That’s the way it worked for me. Your standard five weight rod, reel, and line will actually work for most schoolie sized striped bass, or stripers, that work their way up into rivers and estuaries. Using a five weight rod will usually involve playing the fish a little longer than usual but it will get the job done. The biggest drawback will be casting saltwater flies into the wind. A five weight rod doesn’t usually have enough backbone to punch weighted or larger flies very far when any wind is present. There is almost always a breeze off the ocean and this can be extremely frustrating! 

That is where the eight weight rod comes into play! An eight weight setup is to striper what a five weight setup is to trout; the perfect place to start. Both of us now have a multitude of rods but you can basically do it all with a five weight and an eight weight. A nine foot eight weight rod with a fighting butt and full wells grip will be tactile enough to enjoy fighting smaller fish and typically has enough power to fight the average keeper sized fish, as well as punch weighted and large flies into normal winds. I personally prefer fast action rods but I started with medium action and worked my way up from there. I strongly recommend going to a local shop or trekking to a big box store to cast as many different brands of rods as you can in your price range. This will help you get a feel for casting heavier weight rods and the differences in actions. A good entry level rod can be had for about a hundred dollars and prices can reach all the way to around a thousand. 

The next piece of the puzzle is the reel. An ideal saltwater fly reel will have a sealed drag system. There are a number of quality reels in the two hundred dollar to three hundred dollar price point that are lightweight, strong, and utilize sealed drags. The reason for the sealed drag is simple; saltwater is much more corrosive than freshwater. Although a sealed drag is actually not necessary, it is nice to have if you can afford it. I do not want price to be a barrier to entry. Any reel with a decently strong drag that has enough line capacity for the weight you are using will work just fine. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse any reel with an unsealed drag system with freshwater after use. It is a good idea to rinse your gear with freshwater whether it is sealed or not.

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I usually recommend new-comers, working with a small budget, to search for used equipment, preferably rods and reels that you can inspect before forking over money. These can often be found at yard sales, flea markets or the dusty corner of your local shop. There are however a few things you want to watch out for when purchasing used gear. On the rod, it is important to check each guide and make sure the epoxy and thread wraps look intact. Hold the rod in hand like you were going to cast and make sure the grip doesn’t have any serious or uncomfortable gouges or chips. I also recommend checking the ferules, both male and female. Make sure the tips are round and don’t appear to be crushed, splintered, or oval in shape. Reels are a little more straight forward. Separate the spool and frame and look for corrosion. Put the pieces back together and test the drag. Make sure the resistance increases as you tighten the drag knob. Common sense and a sample cast or two will go a long way in determining if used equipment will work for you!

Next up is fly lines, leaders and tippet. If money was no object, the ideal situation would be a reel with three interchangeable spools, one spool with floating line, one spool with intermediate line, and one spool with sink tip line. Each of these lines hits a different part of the water column that striped bass can be caught in. However, the most common and effective line for stripers is the intermediate line. This provides the most flexibility to the beginning angler. You can fish a weighted clouser and reach the bottom, you can fish a gurgler and stay near the surface, or you can fish an unweighted fly like a deceiver and fish in-between. These differing combinations of flies with an intermediate line effectively mimic the attributes of the three different lines mentioned earlier. 

I personally have floating line on my seven weight, intermediate line on my eight weight, and sink tip line on my nine weight. I typically have these all rigged up with an appropriate fly and sitting nearby while I fish. This allows me to quickly switch to a top water fly if the striper start blitzing the surface or switch to a deep sinking fly so I can reach a channel or ledge. ​

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Many brands of fly lines offer striped bass specific lines for intermediate and sink tip. They usually are formulated to deal with colder water temperatures and, if you can afford it, I do recommend striper specific lines. They typically retail for eighty to a hundred dollars. If you are on a strict budget, you can make an inexpensive floating line and a sink tip leader work. 

A nine foot, twelve to sixteen pound tapered leader is a good choice for striped bass. Many anglers choose to make their own leaders out of descending strength mono or fluorocarbon but that is more advanced. Mono tippet material in the same strength range as your leader is inexpensive and effective, however, I prefer fluorocarbon because it is more transparent in the water and sinks slightly faster. 

There are a few other pieces of gear that will also be very useful when fishing. A stripping basket like our DIY one seen above is very effective tool for managing your fly line. A stripping basked has inverted spikes in the bottom that keep your line from knotting during casting. A stripping basket also keeps your line from being carried away by the current. Both Taylor and I prefer to hold the grip of the fly rod under our arm and strip the fly line into the basket with two hands. When a fish hits, it is easier to do a strip set, which we will cover in a later section.

A standard pair of waders will work just fine for saltwater fly fishing. If you already have waders for freshwater fly fishing, do not be afraid to use them in the salt! Like any piece of gear, just rinse off the waders with fresh water after fishing. A nice pair of anti-corrosive pliers are useful, multiple quality brands of pliers can be found for less than a hundred dollars. Pliers help you remove the hook quickly; limiting the time the striper is handled. Polarized sunglasses are a must. They will cut down on glare and can even help you site fish for striped bass in some situations! Lastly, a small sling pack or backpack to hold your fly boxes, tippet, water bottle, sunscreen, etc. is very useful.

Hopefully this is a good starting point and enough information to help you pick out an entry level fly rod, reel, and line!

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  • HOME
  • Chapter 1 : Tactics & Techniques
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Techniques
    • Freshwater Striped Bass Fishing Basics
    • Battle technique, putting' on the brakes...and wild fights
    • Bank Fishing for Stripers
    • Striped Bass Deep Water Fishing Facts and Information
    • Tips on Locating and Catching Striped Bass
    • 5 Striped Bass Fishing Tips For Using Their Instincts To Your Advantage
    • Targeting Big Fish
    • Striper class 101
    • Striper Lakes
    • Striper Fishing Tips
    • Ready to catch more stripers?
    • Striper School Fishing Fundamentals
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Booms
    • Never Lose Another Striped Bass
    • How To Catch More and Bigger Stripers
    • Don't Lose Your Fish!
    • Bigger Fish in Striper Blitzes
    • Striper Stealth
    • Big Mean Fish and Silly Little Plastic Boats
    • Kill Your Fish Finder & Other Stealth Techniques for Trophy Stripers
    • Important Quick Tips!
    • Stripers Have Great Vision!
    • Bring Two Rods!
    • Persistance
  • Chapter 2: Fishing Live/Cut Bait
    • Fishing for Stripers with Cut Bait
    • Anchovy Rigging Techniques
    • 3 Deadly Bait Rigs For Stripers
    • Fishing with Cut Bait for Stripers
    • Live Baits for Freshwater Striped Bass Fishing
    • Bait Fishing
    • Using Cut Bait for Stripers
    • Downrod Fishing for Stripers
    • How to Rig Fishing Line Using Anchovies for Freshwater Striper
    • Chunk - Cut Bait Fishing
    • Trim the Fins on Your Live Bait
    • Bait and Bait Rigs For Stripers
    • How to Find Shad for Bait
    • Chicken Livers: Secret Striper Bait
  • Chapter 3: Fishing Artificials
    • Striped Bass Plugging
    • Favorite Lures of the Striper Guides
    • Jigging: Basics
    • 3 Tips to help you catch more topwater stripers
    • Swimmer Plugs
    • Buck the Trend For Striped Bass
    • Striper Lures That Really Work
    • Striped Bass Jigging
    • Vertical Jigging for Striped Bass
    • Striper Lures for Trolling
    • Striped Bass on Bucktails
    • Early Springtime Reservoir Stripers on Artificials
    • Lures for Striped Bass
    • A Deadly Fluke Rig for Striper
    • Crankbaits For Stripers
    • Topwater Lures for Stripers
    • Traditional Poppers
    • Striped Bass Fishing Lures
    • How to Choose Lures for Striped Bass
    • Refining Top-water Techniques for Big Stripers The Next Level
    • Fall Striped Bass: Soft Plastic Jerk Bait
    • How To Catch More and Bigger Freshwater Stripers
    • Striper Lures That Really Work
    • Striped Bass Detect Shades
    • How to Dead Stick Striped Bass and Hybrid Striper
    • Six Topwater Secrets
  • Chapter 4: Spring & Summer Fishing
    • 4 Live Fishing Bait Strategies for Summer Striped Bass
    • Spring tips for striped bass fishing
    • Early Spring Striper Fishing Tactics
    • Spawning-Run Stripers
    • Spring Striper Fishing Tactics
    • Tip - Bigger Fish in Summer Blitzes
    • How to Catch Summer Striped Bass
    • Night Time is Striper Time
    • Early Springtime Reservoir Stripers on Artificials
  • Chapter 5: Fall & Winter Fishing
    • Catch Striped Bass All Winter Long
    • Fall Turnover
    • Fall Striped Bass: Soft Plastic Jerk Bait
    • Guide Tactics for Winter Striper
    • Winter Freshwater Striper tactics
    • Tactics for Wintertime Freshwater Stripers
    • Cold - Weather Striper Tactics
    • Time to try winter striped bass fishing
    • Going Deep For Stripers
    • Striped Bass Provide Great Cold Weather Angling Action
  • Chapter 6 : Fly Fishing for Stripers
    • Beginner's Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass: The Gear
    • Big Jerks
    • Sweetwater Stripers
    • Fly Fishing for Stripers is Fun in Freshwater
    • Spey Stripers
    • The Big-Lake Blitz
    • Versatility For Success!!
    • Spring Flyfishing for White Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Fly Fishing for Hybrid Striped Bass in the Spring
    • Fly Fishing a Striper Boil/Blitz
  • Chapter 7: Bait Tanks & Keeping Bait
    • What Do Gizzard Shad Eat - Feeding Shad
    • Shad Keeper - Keep Shad Alive
    • Salt and Shad
    • Dissolved Oxygen and Shad
    • Mechanical Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Chemical Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Live Bait Tank Water Filtration
    • Bait Tank - Water and Conditioning
    • Water Aeration in Live Bait Tanks
    • Keeping Live Bait - Alive and Active
    • Bio-Wheel Filtration System for Live Bait Tanks
  • Chapter 8: Striped Bass Conservation
    • How to enhance your Striper catch and release efforts
    • Striped Bass Circle Hook Study
    • Thermal Niche Preference and Mortality of Striped Bass In Reservoirs
    • Striped Bass Hooking Mortality
    • Freshwater Striper Fishing Booms
    • Live Wells for Stripers
  • Chapter 9: Trolling for Stripers
    • Trolling for Landlocked Striped Bass
    • How to Troll Live Bait
    • Using Planer boards when trolling live bait
    • Slow-Trolling for Stripers
    • Trolling For Striped Bass
    • How to troll spoons in fresh water for Striped Bass
    • A New Look at Light Tackle Trolling
    • Technique for Trolling Artificial Lures
    • Leadcore Trolling
    • Flatline Trolling for Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Trolling for Big Stripers
    • Trolling for Stripers
  • Chapter 10: River Fishing for Stripers
    • Spawning-Run Stripers
    • Striped Bass River Fishing Facts and Information
    • Spring River Striper Techniques
    • River Fishing Facts and Information
    • Nightime River Fishing for September Striped Bass
    • Tips for Striped Bass Fishing in Rivers
  • Chapter 11: Odds & Ends
    • The Striped Bass
    • Tips to identify white bass, stripers and hybrid striped bass
    • World Record Striped Bass
    • Striped Bass Spawning Habits
    • Striper Myth Busting
    • Two of the Biggest Inland Stripers Ever Caught!
    • Stripers From Hook To Plate
  • Chapter 12: Tackle & Equipment
    • Choosing the Right Line: Mono Vs. Braid
    • How to Select a Fishing Line
    • Make Your Own Wooden Lures for Stripers
    • Six Tips for Choosing a Top-water Rod
    • Seven Tips for Selecting a Jigging Rod For Striper
    • Choosing the Right Rod For Light Tackle Stripers
    • Striper Fishing Boats
    • Striped Bass Boat Fishing Tackle
    • Selection of a Rod for Striper Fishing
    • What is the best fluorocarbon line?
    • Circle Hooks
    • How to Choose Lures for Striper Bass
    • Striped Bass Fishing Lures
    • TopWater Lures for Stripers
  • Chapter 13: Fishing with Planer Boards
    • Flat Lines and Planer Boards 101
    • Planer Board for Stripers
    • Carters Lake Planer-Board Winter Stripers
    • Planer boards can be adapted for wide variety of fishing applications
    • Planer boards adapt well for striped bass
    • Planer boards aren’t just for walleyes anymore
  • Chapter 14: Hybrid Striped Bass
    • Heating it up with Hybrids
    • Something about Hybrids
    • The Hard Fighting Hybrid Striper
    • Hybrid Striped Bass Information
    • Night Stripes — Fishing tips for Lake St. John hybrid stripers
  • Chapter 15 :Virginia Striped Bass Fishing
    • Buggs Island Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Claytor Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Lake Anna Striper Fishing Opportunities
    • Leesville Lake Striper Opportunities
    • Smith Mountain Lake Striper Opportunities
  • VirginiaStripers.com
  • Contact