Wading for Stripers?

Beefheart

Beefheart

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Jan 20, 2011
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I've got it in my head that I really want to catch a striped bass this year, but I don't have a boat. Is this an impossible dream? I'm a recent transplant to Lancaster County and have read that the lower Susquehanna is where I might have a shot. I haven't been down there to investigate wading possibilities, but from what I gather, it's really not going to be so easy.

Should I just go down and check out the boat accesses and pussyfoot it along the banks when the time comes or should I set my sights on someplace else?

My other goal is to catch a shad on the fly, but I've got some better ideas on how I might connect with one of those in the Delaware River.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Can't speak for the flats but it's actually pretty simple on the Delaware river. In fact if you have a bead on wading for shad you could also wade these same areas for stripers. The further north you go the less stripers you will encounter.

The problem is most stripers and almost all of your big stripers dont go above the tidal waters. Big to me is 35"+. Many big stripers are caught from the banks in the tidal section and boatloads or bootloads of smaller stripers in the 24" and smaller range can be caught in the non-tidal sections of the river. Time on the water is your friend when it comes to striper fishing on foot.

Wading is always a crap shoot because of the flows. Some springs the river runs high some times it runs low. Some years there's plenty of wading some years not so much.
 
Go down to Deer Creek access on the Susky below Conowingo. Fish low light periods. Make sure to God they're not going to release water, or you'll drown. You can make it out to some rooks near maybe 1/3 of the way across. Throwing white streamers and poppers from April on is your best bet, and full moon nights seem to do well there. Have a 10wt with 20lb tippet. You can easily hook a 20#+ fish there, and he'll snap you off in a second on the boulders if you can't horse him a bit.
 
I really appreciate the advice from both of you. I'll definitely keep it in mind as I try to figure this out. I do fish for smallies in the Susquehanna between Columbia and north of Harrisburg pretty often so I'm familiar with wading the river and am learning the habits of the fish.

Are stripers much different from smallies in how you fish to them? Can you recommend any books, videos or websites to learn fishing them in this area? I've been looking but haven't found a whole lot yet.

Thanks again.
 
Beefheart wrote:
Are stripers much different from smallies in how you fish to them? Can you recommend any books, videos or websites to learn fishing them in this area? I've been looking but haven't found a whole lot yet.
Click to expand...

Yes, they're fairly similar to SMBs.
Many of the tactics and gear you use for bass on the Susky will work for striped bass (SB) on the Susky as you're mainly trageting what are called in SB lingo, "schoolies" meaning fish under about 2' in length. Do note Surfcowboy's advice above ^ - bigger gear is insurance for bigger fish.

With that said, compared to SMBs, SB are much more mysterious, hard to locate, hard to pattern, and frustratingly hard to predict. These are migratory fish that move in and out and up and down rivers systems. Timing is much more important and finding good spots for a wading angler in the upper bay is limited. A kayak will really open some doors for you. Springtime months are also a better bet for tidal river fish.

Some good books to consider include:
Ed Russell & Bill May:Flyfishers' Guide to the Chesapeake Bay.
Ed Mitchell: Flyrodding the Coast
Rich Murphy: Fly Fishing for Striped Bass
Lou Tabory's books and articles are also top shelf.

Good luck with your new quest!

 
Justin,
I'm game in doing this with you. I was thinking about trying it this winter myself.
 
Thanks for that info, Dave! I'm going to check out those books. I've been saving for a kayak. Might be time to pull the trigger soon. The 10wt will have to come next. Until then, it'll have to be the 8wt.

Not that I thought it'd be any easier, but now I realize what I'm in for reading that the stripers are tougher to locate than smallies. I've been having enough trouble learning to locate them as seasons and conditions change. But I'm making progress thanks to people like Brian (salvelinusfontinalis) and some good books on the subject. I'm going to have to start boning up on the stripers, too, and taking my lumps! It's got me excited.
 
It's not that they are tougher to locate its that they are in the river at varying times, for varying lengths of time in varying numbers. When they are there they are actually easy to catch because they are usually very cooperative. The schoolies are murderous and frankly can be a pain in the neck when trying to catch the bigger ones. I'll start fishing for them in nontidal water from roughly the 3rd week in April through May. You can catch them earlier but I'm usually shad fishing from the end of march through April.

On top in the flats and down deep in fast current. I find they like, or can handle, way faster water then SMB.
 
If I lived in Lancaster, I would not be going to the Delaware in Spring for stripers. Likewise, if I lived in Philly, I would not be going to the Conowingo area to fish for stripers unless I just could not find them in the Delaware or Schuylkill. The first half of June may be a different story, however. The head of tide and the lower non-tidal Delaware can be great; I don't know anything about the area below Conowingo at that time.
 
If these guys can do it, so can you. They were fishing for shad in March right below the Conowingo. Shad fishing is fun too. If the flow is right, give it a shot.

 
hey poopdeck go to any of the jersey side trout stream stocked mouths and fish a 7-9" rainbow trout fly you'll get 35" or better stripes all the time. or any where up river where fast water spills into deep water fast
 
Haha that video gave me some confidence in my chances (and in my attire...I also happen to like short shorts).

I'm definitely interested in catching shad, too. I just finished reading The Founding Fish by McPhee and that really got me thinking of expanding beyond my typical trout/smallmouth fishing.
 
I will definitely give that a try if you promise the schoolies will not be there.
 
Have a few places that produce 35+ fish on the jersey side across from Philly. There is a group of us that fish from them I am the only one that tosses flies from time to time.
 
Justin, get yourself that kayak. Let's head out for stripers and shad.
 
I have two kayaks, I told him he could use one of mine.

Striper/shad jam?
 
The conowingo area is a great spot to wade fish for shad and stripers. But during prime times at the dam and deer creek it's almost impossible to fly fish because of how crowded it is.
 
Sal - let's do it. I might be able to fit all three in my truck.
 
salvelinusfontinalis wrote:

Striper/shad jam?
Click to expand...

If the timing works, I would be interested in tagging along. I've wanted to try for shad for a long time, and I have a kayak.
 
KGStine wrote:
salvelinusfontinalis wrote:

Striper/shad jam?
Click to expand...

If the timing works, I would be interested in tagging along. I've wanted to try for shad for a long time, and I have a kayak.
Click to expand...

I like the idea too and might join you. It's been awhile since I've been down to the tidal Susky for shad and SB. Sometime in April would be prime time for the Deer Creek area and SB on the Susky flats.

If you'd like to organize this, please start a fresh thread in the Events and Meet-Ups forum. Just pick a date.
Thanks,
DW
 
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