These fish show up in great numbers around the first week of May and hold in solid numbers right thru December. I use 8-12wt fly rods with small to large streamer patterns and big plugs on light tackle to catch these fish. I like to fish small rips and boulder fields that these fish like to hold in. Its also a blast taking these fish from the white water pockets along Newport. Or seeing a 30-40lb fish smash a big plug along Cuttyhunk at first light is unreal. Great fun on any type of fishing rod. Lines would be anywhere from a floating line to a full sinking line in the 350-400 grain class. Leaders that work fine are anything 8'-9' in the 16-20lb class. I like to fish straight 20lb off a 30lb mid section but most times anything strong is fine as the structure below is where these fish go once hooked so hold on!

"Goto" Flies for Striped Bass
Rhody Flatwings Size 1/0-5/0
PNP BJ Deceiver Size 1/0-5/0
Skok's Mega Mushy herring and bunker colors Size 4/0
Clouser Minnows all white, chart/white, olive/white Size 1-5/0
Poppers all white, chart, yellow Size 1/0-4/0.
Half and Half's all white, chart/white, olive/white Size 1-5/0
Skok's Double Stuff Gurglers all white and yellow Size 2/0-3/0
Sand Eels Patterns in Size 2-1/0
Lefty's Deceivers in white, char/white, blue/white Size 1-4/0