It is always promoted that Striped Bass don't jump or at the very least are no where in the league of other fishes when it come to getting air time. I have caught a couple over the years that were spectacular leapers. I was reminded of this this past Saturday while casting along the Elizabeths with friend LaPorte. He was casting into a boulder field just west Of Lackey's and I heard this loud pop and looked up to see a bass around ten pounds at the zenith of it's leap, bent in a "U" shape and suspended a good three feet out of the water then crash down to the surface and disappear. It was classic. For a moment in suspended time I could see the whole fish and the Brenzy Howdy hanging off of it's Jaw. Wow!
I have two instances when large fish jumped clear, both at Monomoy and both decades apart. In the late seventies on night while wading a bar there and throwing a six inch Super Windcheater Rebel at 3 or so in the morning I had a 35 pounder come clear and suspend in the half moonlight twenty feet in front of me just as she crashed the plug which was zig zagging just under the surface before I pulled it from the water to cast again. Scared me half to death. The next time was 5 years ago now and I and Eric LaFleur had hit the motherload while wading and flycasting the west side flats where the bars meet the edge of the Chatham Roads channel. It was flat calm, overcast and muggy. We both had multiple fish between 34 and 42 inches and they were really in the mood. We were just beside ourselves with our good fortune. We were walking side by side over a dry bar to fish another channel entrance when Eric spotted a fish that looked to be 40 inches cruising in a foot of water right at the bar edge. I had line in the basket and was ready to shoot so I let go and dropped it right in front of the fish and she darted ahead and took it. Then she came straight out of the water. The entire fish straight up and clear by a foot all 40 inches! She keeled over to the side and crashed in and took off and ten minutes later I let her go. It was Like a marlin had taken the fly. Unbeleivable.
Let's hear some of your experiences with bass going Arial!
