Here are some fly patterns that work well
for Striped Bass and Blues off Cape Cod.

This Sand Lance pattern imitates a baitfish common to most sandy bottom areas around Cape Cod. It is based on a Clouser design with brass eyes and olive and white bucktail. These "sand eels" are extremely abundant in mid summer, and huge schools of Bass and Blues devour them by the millions. I tie this one with a wisp of purple between the olive and white. Flash is very important of course, as well as silhouette and material choice. Taking the time to select a nice clump of bucktail will save a lot of aggravation tying as well as giving your pattern a more appealing look to the fish underwater. Instructions

Another Sand Lance pattern This pattern is new for 1997 . It is basically a Clouser, tied really long and thin. It has good action in the water and should attract plenty of fish this summer. I had a lot of luck last summer with similar patterns, and this is just an extension of those. More flash, finer detailing. This one as well as the last pattern, sink deep and mimic a fleeing baitfish. If fished close to the bottom, it will race to the sand as does the natural. Instructions

This Silverside pattern can also match the sand lance or several other coastal baitfish. The distinguishing feature of this pattern is its "rattle". Set into the holographic belly tubing is a tiny plastic rattle. In murky water or in areas where the fish are somewhat lethargic, the rattler ought to get their attention. Instructions

 Have fun tying these Squid Patterns!

Two vises help to make this one, but a couple rungs of a chair turned upside-down can make a nice stretcher for the tail which is tied separately on 60 pound mono. It can be tied in all sizes and is fun to tie once you have the tail down. Squid are abundant in Cape Cod waters in the early spring to mid summer. Try this pattern in various colors, paying attention to silhouette. A smaller version can be tied completely on the hook. Instructions

To experience big bass feeding on squid in the open ocean as the sun just peeks over the horizon is nothing short of surreal. The bass feed with an intensity as thousands of panicking squid rocket for their lives on their own jet power, often right out of the sea. But, right now, you can't see this only hear and feel it. Colors are changing before your eyes as the dark sky gives way to the early brilliant reds of dawn. Below you, the scene unfolds and twists on the rips, colorless at first, then shades of deep blue, sea-birds chatter all around you, and you know the sea is boiling with fish; churning with the passion of life and death.

Suddenly, and somewhere in the midst of the excitement, you notice the sun has shown itself and reds have succumbed to yellows and whites. The sea is clear as a Caribbean reef and you are watching, not believing, as small bullet shaped creatures race for their lives, changing colors right before your eyes. Its magical. Fish the size of your Labrador Retriever move elegantly within the fleeing schools of squid, and with the precision of a lioness on a lame antelope site on a single squid and it is gone. Swirls on the surface and a violent fluke and you know you are into some big bass.

The Salt Water Fishing pages are designed and written by Bruce Christopher
Please e-mail me with any questions or comments

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