Those not familiar with Striper fly fishing off New England may be surprised to learn that summertime in New England means flats fly fishing.  This is big water that is measured in miles with fertile bottoms holding good numbers of stripes and sometimes huge stripers.  These flats are tropical beautiful and consistent producers of summer stripers.

 

There are shallow flats off Cape Cod, Nantucket, Chatham and many other locations.  Water taxis even serve the do-it-yourselfer.

 

Even though the area is immense, as you might have guessed the pressure can be intense.  The fish despite numerous can be ultra selective.  In can be helpful to keep in mind that most baitfish that attracts the stripers in the spring have moved north, with some of the stripers going with them.

 

But as summer warms the flats, stripers foraging this water focus on sand shrimp, lady and mole crabs.  Unlike sand eels these prey are not huddled in schools and require stripers to travel alone, or in pairs, along the bottom.  Some of the best patterns are merkin crab and sand shrimp.

 

Try casting across the stripers feeding lane.  About ten-fifteen lead using a forty to sixty foot cast.  This will result in spooking fewer fish.