TopwaterintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
$7.95
Jack Gartside designed the Gurgler in his Boston apartment, which is exactly the kind of origin story a topwater fly deserves. The foam back creates a wake on the surface that stripers interpret as 'wounded baitfish making its last stand.' Strip it across a calm flat at dawn and the strike, when it comes, will rearrange your internal organs. There is a moment between the wake and the explosion when time slows down and the universe consists entirely of you, the fly, and the boil behind it. That moment is why people fly fish.
Cape Cod
MA · Flats
Martha's Vineyard
MA · Flats
Plum Island
MA · Estuaries
Map unavailable. Locations for Striper Gurgler: Cape Cod, MA; Martha's Vineyard, MA; Plum Island, MA
region guide
The fall blitz along the Northeast coast is one of fly fishing's most electrifying phenomena. When migrating stripers, bluefish, and false albacore pin baitfish against the surface, the water erupts into a frenzy that can be cast to with a fly rod. This is how you prepare for it.
technique
Solunar theory claims that the gravitational pull of the moon and sun creates predictable periods of peak animal activity. Saltwater anglers swear by it. Freshwater anglers roll their eyes. The truth, as usual, lives somewhere in between — and the practical implications might surprise you.
seasonal playbook
Fall is when the fishing world rearranges itself. Brown trout become aggressive and territorial as spawning urges override caution. Steelhead push into Pacific Northwest rivers on autumn rain. Striped bass blitz baitfish along the Northeast coast. And trout streams that were too warm in August cool into prime condition. Here's how to fish every opportunity the changing season offers.
TopwaterintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
Bob Popovics' foam-bodied surface fly. A creased foam sheet creates a wide, V-wake profile that imitates a wounded baitfish struggling on the surface. Deadly on stripers at dawn.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
TopwaterbeginnerNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
An oversized, hard-foam popper built to survive bluefish teeth. Cupped face creates a loud pop that draws blues from across the flat. Wire weedguard protects the hook.
Bluefish · Striped Bass · Jack Crevalle
TopwaterintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
A hard-foam popper with a cupped face that creates a loud, splashy pop. Bob Popovics' answer to the question of how to make a striper lose its mind on the surface.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
BaitfishintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1/0 - #3/0
Oversized Deceiver tied for Northeast stripers. Long white saddle hackle with flash. The workhorse of the striper fleet and the first fly every Northeast saltwater angler learns to love.
Striped Bass · Bluefish
BaitfishbeginnerNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1 - #2/0 (tied long, 4-6 inches)
A long, slender sand eel imitation made from a single saddle hackle wrapped around the shank. Incredibly simple construction creates a remarkably realistic sand eel profile in the water.
Striped Bass · Bluefish · False Albacore
BaitfishintermediateNortheast & Mid-Atlantic
#1 - #2/0 (3-5 inches)
A sparse, elegant sand eel imitation by Ray Bondorew. Ultra-realistic in the water with a slim profile that matches the sand eels stripers obsess over in the Northeast.
Striped Bass · Bluefish