This a re-post from a post I made a couple years ago on my club forum.
About four years ago, I made the transition from the salt back to the
freshwater fishery during the off season. My home waters are in the
western LI sound. Since about 2012 the striped bass fishery has
been in a noticable decline in my neck of the woods and I have made
the decision for to skip targeting striped bass during the late season
through the spring run for the last three seasons. For this means no
fishing for striped bass until memorial day weekend.
What is incredible about this type of fishing is that I continue to hone
my skills at reading water but also target trout, which I have found
shares a lot of similar behavior to the striped bass. The more I fish
for them both the more similar they are in how they feed and where
they hold in current.
If you enjoy bucktailing as much as I do, transitioning to this style of
fishing is equally as enjoyable and challenging.
Much like the bucktail, the philosophy of a tenkara fly (kebari) is the
same. It does not represent any particular forage or insect. It is a
general profile and its presentation and movement is what catches
fish. No need to be a specialist in entomology or carry five dozen
boxes of flies to match the hatch. Most often I never open my fly
box and just cycle through the half dozen flies on my sheepskin
patch. Trust me, its all you need.
I fish for trout all winter through spring. This has really satisfied my
need to put a bend in a rod and gives the striped bass a chance to
survive the winter and spawn with one less person hammering on
them. This is a personal preference that is also made easier because I
do prefer to catch striped bass in the open surf.
here is the post from January 2016:
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With the decline of the marine fishery, I made a personal choice to
try to do something different last spring. I wanted to return to fishing
freshwater to take some pressure off the marine fishery, but realized
that it would be a challenge for me to get excited about the
prospect.
A long time ago, I sort of grew bored of fishing the freshwater. It is
not that I do not enjoy it, it is more that the couple tactics I used
were dialed in to the point that continuing that path really had no
appeal anymore. My previous experience in freshwater had been
mostly with spin gear. I migrated to the marine fishery for the
challenge and my general love for the ocean environment, and this
past spring I have made another change in my fishing by returning to
the streams with a tenkara rod.
Tenkara is a method of fly fishing similar to cane pole fishing where a
fixed line is attached to the end of the pole. There is no reel. The
method is modernized with the use of a graphite rod.
some really good explanation vids.
the wiki on background
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenkara_fishing
I know that this forum is mostly about marine fishing and specifically
about fishing for striped bass. There are several parallels with this
style of fishing and fishing for striped bass. Although the technique
can be used to deliver any fly, traditionally it is designed to deliver
wet flies. The method of drifting these flies is very similar in my mind
to swinging bucktails. Targeting seams and structure.... Observing
and searching....
this is an example of a kebari
Initially I picked the method because the method seemed more
accessible to me. I did not want to get into traditional flyfishing. Just
looking at the catalogs made my head swim. As it is I have a
significant tackle problem. The idea of keeping the choices limited
and the fact the profile was so small was really a selling point. These
rods telescope down from 12' to 20". Great for backpacking or just
taking with you on a hike.
As it turns out, it seems like the method is more efficient at fishing
small streams than a traditional outfit. In a lot of ways it is better
engineering for the task. Fishing for 6-15" fish in a 15' wide stream,
why do you need a reel full of line and a drag?
I am really enjoying it. You could say I am Mr. Magooing my way
through it.
My first trip out... I caught fish. It is really interesting how effective
and easy the method is to pick up. My form and technique are
horrible, but the fish are forgiving.
here are some fish pics...
In general how can you beat it? Get out there in the off season.
Enjoy the woods. No crowds. Hone your angling skills.
We got out last weekend and I managed to land this little guy.
By no means is this my replacement for fishing the surf. It is a
detour and diversion that I do enjoy, but not nearly as much as being
in the white water landing a beautiful wild striped bass. I stress the
word "wild".
As wonderful as the trout fishery is here in the northeast and
especially here in Connecticut, it is neither natural or wild. It is largely
artificial and arguably mis-managed. It has me reflecting on how
lucky we are to have access to such a wonderful resource as the
striped bass in the wild. Lets all try to do our best to protect them
these up coming seasons and give the stocks a chance to recover.
Just a few years ago, if you were to ask me if I had any interest in
fishing freshwater....I probably would have laughed at you and would
have told you that I will never fish freshwater again. That is how
much I really love fishing, catching, and eating striped bass and other
marine critters. I really hope that my current diversion is temporary
and our marine fishery recovers.
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