Flats Help.

[skeeuphill]

Hey to all,

New to the board, well not really, joined awhile ago and have been lurking and posting now and again, but anyway. Me and my two buddies plan to fish the flats the weekend of 4/19, when the season opens, and were hoping that the flats clear out somewhat as other folks focus on the open areas. Are we right in assuming this?

None of us have ever fly fished for striper, fished the flats, or have used my buddies 16' jon boat in open water-outside summertime crabbing on the eastern shore. Right now we plan on focusing along the eastern shoreline by launching out of Havre de grace area. We plan on bringing spinning gear along to help locate fish and then pull out the fly gear after we do.

Are we in over our heads?:eek2:
Does anyone want to share some tactics for locating stiper-outside gannoms?
What is a good day on the flats, what can we expect in the mid-april, weather, fish, etc.??
Where may I find paper copies of nautical charts for the flats?
Any advice, suggestions, or criticisms are welcomed, and NEEDED!!! HAHA

See ya on the water!
Pat, PA

[HJS]

Go to the Maryland DNR/Fisheries site below and click on the striper maps. The Flats are open now for C&R and will remain open until May 3. The March 1 kickoff of the so called "Flats Season" just marks when terminal tackle restrictions begin (like circle hooks and no eels) and boundary delineation's go into effect. Might be other restriction I overlooked but these are the big ones.

Ramps and Maps Guide - Maryland Fisheries Service (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/frmapindex.asp)

BTW, the April 16 opening of the Flats was a map error and is now corrected.

Also, use the TidalFish search feature to research all the Flats reports for the past couple of years during March/April/early May. 2007 wasn't so good but 2006 was pretty good.

[gwaterman]

WHAT BOAT DO YOU USE TO FISH THESE FLATS?:bigfish:

[HJS]

Boats??? - Anything from kayaks, canoes (which I use), tin boats, Jon boats on up to 20+ bigger boats. Bigger boats well over 20' are more restricted due to the shallowness of much of the Flats. Lots of areas there where bigger boat can run aground at unexpected places. There are deeper channels for the bigger boats but a lot of good action is to had in the shallows, 2'-4'.

[Wild Bill]

Skee-

I have fished the flats most years since 1960. You are not in over you head but keep expectations reasonable. If the flats are muddy, as they have been in recent years, it can be very tough. Get a chart of the area but it is only a rough guide. The flats has not been charted for many years and it changes over time. With a 16' jon you can go slow and pick your way through the ditches and channels.

One year lots of birds helped in locating fish but most years not. Best way to find them is with search rods. Have one rod with a 17 Tony Acceta spoon and another with a 7" chartreuse BA on a 1/2 or 3/4 oz leadhead and a third with your favorite swimming plug. Six casts and move. Sometimes the boat will spook fish and you see the swirls. Once in a while towards the end of April you will see fish smacking the surface but you cannot count on it. For the most part it is blind casting. Slow trolling with no weight and a tony spoon is another way to find them.

You have time yet to develop your strategy. If you ask a couple of specific questions at a time you will get good answers. A shotgun approach is hard to deal with because some on here could write a book about fishing the flats.

When the trolling season starts, there is only a very slight decrease in the number of boats fishing the flats. It is mostly a different population of fishermen who primarily enjoy light tackle and fly fishing and not trolling with heavy tackle.

The flats can be world class fishing but many guys including me take skunks on the flats because of very poor conditions.

[HJS]

Forgot to mention, as you get near May that you need to watch out for jumping carp on the Flats. Theres a lot of them there. They have fooled many an angler into thinking that big stripers were in the area... but they were only carp frolicking around.

[skeeuphill]

Thanks for all your replies!!!!

Yeah I realized that I was asking for YEARS of experience, when I should of been asking simpler requests.

Here's one and it's stupid.... what's "7" chartreuse BA " stand for .....bucktail jig i guess?

Another issue is I have fished all my life (26 yrs old, 20 odd years of experience), freshwater saltwater brakish whatever else there is, from Maine to Florida and I still suck at it. But I have never (and neither has my Father-"The Mentor", who would of introduced me too it) targeted stripers, so in terms of tackle, life cycles, strategies, etc. I am starting new, except 2X on a charter over the past two years-WHICH GOT ME HOOKED. So now I wanna understand and experience much more about rock-specifically on the fly, and if I get skunked so be it, its better than not fishing.

Thanks Again!!!!

[skeeuphill]

WHAT.....Jumping Carp....Really like the ones down south...same species?....I have never heard of them in any water in this region?!!!!!!
YouTube - Wild Jumping Carp On Illinois River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8OmEr7VqI)
AHAHAHA...Thanks for the heads up

[HJS]

BA = Bass Assassin, one of the more popular soft plastics used on the Bay. A 1/2oz head is a good weight for the Flats. I also fish 7" BAs weightless on the surface.

[HJS]

I'm taking Asian carp, aka: rubber lips, not the grass carp. Maryland waters are loaded with carp, especially the Susky River. Around early May the Susquehanna at the base on Conowingo Dam is loaded with them. So much so that they are frequently snagged while shad fishing there. Big PITA when you're set up for shad.

When they jump on the Flats they are famous for very noisy, high profile jumping... like little whales breeching.

[skeeuphill]

I am not much of a spin fisherman anymore...as you can tell....Thanks for the reply HJS
Do any flyfishermen, when trying to find striper by chuckin spoons or what-have-you, ever remove the hook and draw in the fish...like a chaser and then cast a fly?

[Glub]

Here's a good thread from last year:
http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/chesapeake-angler-original-board-maryland-angler/201266-little-help-flats.html

See the reply by Salmo Trutta. Seems like very specific advice that one can follow. other info there too.

[Wild Bill]

Fly fishing is my first preference but some days in the flats it is difficult to even catch a striper on chocolate candy (live herring). Prospecting for hours and hours with a fly rod can get old. That is why I made the suggestions for some spinning lures to locate fish.

In the fly department you want a 9 wt with a 350 sinking line and 4' to 6' of 20# to 25# mono or fluorocarbon leader and a chartreuse and white or all white Clouser Deep Minnow 4" to 6" long with a flash tail. If you find bigger fish you may want to put on a bigger Clouser 7" to 10" with a 5/0 or 6/0 hook and switch to a 10 wt.

There are many other flies that also work but this will get you started.

[ed robinson]

I'm surprised no one has said it yet! You could always hire a guide for a day to learn the ropes. One day with any number of excellent guides that fish the Flats and you'll be way ahead on the learning curve.