Each year, anglers eagerly anticipate the arrival of striped bass on the east coast. They flock to the ocean for a chance to catch one of these iconic gamefish. The run is now in full swing, with fish being caught reliably up into Maine. If you have yet to catch one but are thinking about trying, you’ve come to the right place. To help you in your quest to catch striped bass this season, here is a list of our top 10 striped bass flies.
1. Two Tone Brushy
The Two Tone Brushy is an exceptional big fish fly. Designed originally for GTs, we have adapted this pattern and now offer it in a range of sizes and colors. This makes it perfect for striped bass as well.
2. Mara-Charger
If you’ve never fished this style of fly, you’re seriously missing out. With a stacked marabou body, the movement on this fly is unparalleled. Coming in ginger, chartreuse and white, this fly is certain to interest even the most picky fish.
3. Bissette’s Shallow Crustacean
Striped bass feed heavily on a variety of crab species up and down the East Coast. This pattern is an excellent generalist imitation for them, and especially excels in shallower water with its reduced sink rate.
4. Flexo Crab
The Flexo Crab is the go-to crab imitation around the world. This is no different on the east coast. Durable with an extremely strong hook, this comes in lots of colors and sizes.
5. Magnetic Minnow
This is another excellent baitfish imitation. Built with synthetic materials, this fly holds excellent profile in the water. It also has a subtle amount of flash in it, which makes it perfect for days when the fish want something a bit more flashy.
6. Salty Clouser
The Clouser Minnow is one of the greatest flies of all time. Simply put, if there’s one fly you take striper fishing, it has to be this. Redesigned with hooks and materials suited to saltwater, these are durable and deadly.
7. Sparkle Minnow
Another exception baitfish imitation. This one is built with tons of flash, so it’s a great option to have in your rotation.
8. Salty Mullet
This is an excellent baitfish profile imitation. It was designed specifically to hold profile, no matter the conditions.
9. Softy Sand Eel
Sand eels are a primary forage for striped bass in many parts of the East Coast. You always want some in your fly box incase they’re keyed in on this, as they often won’t go for larger bait when that’s happening. These also perform great when the striped bass are on smaller baitfish like bay anchovies.
10. Ostri-ceiver
We worked closely with some die-hard New England salt anglers when developing this unique pattern. A larger baitfish profile for those extra large Stripers when you know they’re just looking for a bigger meal. Easy to cast and super light.