flatwing patterns for striped bass

I recently came across this wonderful photo of Ken Abrames taken by fly fishing shooters extraordinaire Barry and Cathy Beck. It was posted by Tom Keer on one of his social media feeds. I don’t know where the shot was taken, but it’s a great look at an extraordinary fly caster. I remember seeing Ken in a parking lot in Watch Hill with my Salmo Sax #3 and a Rio Outbound long head 9-weight line. He held the rod in his right hand; his left hand was stuffed into the front pocket of his khakis. One false cast…waaay back….then one smooth, yet powerful stroke forward, and out went the entire length of line. (That’s 100 feet for those of you keeping score at home.) There are those who will tell you that the double haul — or as Ken liked to call it, “high line speed gymnastics” — is essential to being able to fly fish in saltwater. They never saw Ken cast. I’ve still never double hauled in my life — thanks to Ken.

***Photo courtesy of Tom Keer and taken by Barry and Cathy Beck.***

The best time to go fishing is when you can, and if the tides line up, so be it, north wind and rising barometer be damned. Just a quick sortie to three different spots on the same river. The first two were blanks. At the third, there was mischief afoot. On the dangle at the end of the swing, some quivering taps. A few minutes later, more of the same. Dinks? I thought so. But ten minutes later, when I connected, the fish felt decidedly undinkish. Okay, so a 20″ striper ain’t exactly one to put in the brag book. But when you only need one, and it’s your first of the year, it becomes the perfect fish.

Last night’s fly was a three-feather flatwing/bucktail hybrid of the Herr Blue, about 8″ long.

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